Leaving No Village Behind: How Climate Risk Protection is Reaching India's Most Remote Communities

By Shubham Tripathi / UNDP India

July 3, 2026

A man in a purple jacket stands in an orchard with flowering trees and distant hills. — Uttarakhand

UNDP India

Uttarakhand: A Himalayan apple orchard

Nearly a 14-hour drive from Dehradun, Harshil village sits high in Uttarakashi district of Uttarakhand, close to the Indo-China border. Surrounded by the Garhwal Himalayas, it is widely regarded as the birthplace of apple cultivation in the region, where the first apple trees were introduced more than 160 years ago. Today, apples remain the backbone of the local economy.

For retired soldier Mohan Singh Rana, farming has become increasingly uncertain. Shorter winters, reduced snowfall and rising wildlife attacks have made every growing season more unpredictable.

"Earlier, when our crops were damaged, we had to leave the village to find work, just to survive. But now, with the insurance claims, at least we don't have to leave. We can stay and rebuild," he says.

Following extensive wildlife damage during 2022 to 2023, Mohan received nearly ₹6 lakh in insurance claims. The compensation enabled him to restore production and prepare for the next season without leaving his village in search of work.

His story reflects a broader effort to ensure that geography no longer determines access to climate risk protection.

Strengthening climate resilience, one village at a time

The United Nations has designated 6 July as World Rural Development Day, recognising the vital role rural communities play in feeding the world and supporting livelihoods. The observance also renews the global commitment to ensure that no one is left behind, including those living in some of the world's most remote places. Across India, that commitment is increasingly visible in villages where difficult terrain has long limited access to essential services. Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, with technical support from UNDP, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has grown into the world's largest crop insurance programme in terms of farmer participation.

Since its launch in 2016, the scheme has:

Insured more than 93 crore farmer applications
Settled over ₹2 lakh crore in claims
Supported 12.43 farmer benefitted with timely claim payments

Since 2018, UNDP & the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare have worked together to strengthen implementation of PMFBY across diverse agro climatic regions. Today, the scheme spans 25 States and Union Territories, reaching farmers through more than 1.70 lakh bank branches and nearly 6 lakh distribution points.

Behind these numbers are communities where mountains, forests and remote landscapes once made access significantly more difficult.

Chhattisgarh: Building confidence after climate shocks

Around 1,300 kilometres from Harshil, the landscape changes to the forested tribal belt of Korba district, Chhattisgarh. Here, dense forests and scattered settlements make last-mile outreach especially challenging.

In Mauhar village, Lakshmi Rathiya cultivates 7 to 8 acres of paddy and seasonal vegetables.

"Whenever a natural calamity struck, whether drought or water scarcity, the entire crop would be destroyed. There was no safety net or compensation to fall back on," she recalls.

After enrolling under PMFBY in 2023, Lakshmi received ₹97,956 against a premium of ₹6,000 when excessive rainfall damaged her Kharif crop.

"The compensation helped me recover from the loss and continue farming.Now, more women in our village are enrolling under the scheme and talking about its benefits,” she says.

Extending protection to India's Northeast

The journey continues further east.

More than 350 kilometres from Mizoram's only airport at Lengpui and nearly 12 hours by road, Siaha lies along the India–Myanmar border, where reaching one village from another often takes hours through hilly roads.

In this remote district, C. Lalrinsanga cultivates Mizo Bird's-eye Chilli on his one-acre farm, perched on the region's steep slopes. Renowned for its intense heat and distinctive flavour, the chilli is one of Mizoram's high-value crops, offering farmers better returns than many traditional crops.

But growing a value crop also comes with greater uncertainty. Even small changes in temperature, prolonged rainfall during flowering, or excess moisture at critical stages of growth can reduce both the yield and quality of the chilli, placing an entire season's investment at risk.

"We have always depended on the weather, but today it has become far more unpredictable. Knowing that my crop is insured gives me the confidence to continue cultivating chilli, even when the season is uncertain," says Lalrinsanga.

With Mizoram joining the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from the 2025–26 crop season, Lalrinsanga enrolled to protect his crop against these climate risks. In its very first season, the scheme has already brought more than 310 hectares of farmland under insurance coverage across the state, with enrolment continuing to grow.

For Lalrinsanga and many fellow farmers, crop insurance provides the confidence to continue cultivating a high-value indigenous crop.