India's El Nino silver lining: Resilience to poor rainfall improving

Agriculture's role in the economy has reduced over the decades, easing impact of 'climatic shock'

El Nino, the sporadic weather event that has emerged this year, has been linked to changes in rainfall patterns and crop failure and is even said to have played a role in sparking the 1789 French Revolution.

As India tracks El Nino’s impact on monsoon this year, the country’s food production appears more secure than before. The country is becoming more resilient to weather vagaries caused by events like El Nino, said a 2015 International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, which should be read alongside experts' advice against complacency. Key changes over the decades have reduced vulnerability.

Food grain