Agriculture is a key focus of Delhi-based sustainability consultancy firm Climate Asia’s work on climate adaptation, and it aims to reach one million beneficiaries over the next five years, said its founder and CEO Satyam Vyas. 

Through GAP (green accelerator program), we support CSOs (civil society organisations) working directly with smallholder farmers to promote climate-resilient agriculture, water conservation systems, and access to climate-smart tools and practices,” he told businessline in an online interaction.

Finding solutions

Climate Asia, which is working to strengthen civil society organisations (CSOs) on the frontlines of climate resilience and gender equity, believes that solutions to the climate crisis must come from the ground up, especially from communities most affected by climate change. 

“Our work in India focuses on building the capacity of grassroots CSOs to deliver locally rooted climate adaptation, empower women’s leadership, and unlock climate finance for community-driven solutions,” he said. 

Stating that Climate Asia’s objective is to transform CSOs into gender-responsive and climate-resilient institutions, he said GAP, its pilot project, is designed to empower CSOs to enable locally-rooted, scalable climate action. 

“GAP enables climate-resilient agriculture and water systems, integrates gender-intentional capacity building, and facilitates access to climate-smart tools and practices. The programme promotes peer learning and supports knowledge exchange through digital platforms,” said Vyas. 

Gender programme

To embed gender equity into the strategy, leadership and culture of CSOs, the organisation has launched the “Gender Accelerator Program”. CSOs receive expert coaching, curated virtual learning sessions, and active participation in a community of practice under the programme.  

Climate Asia is working with CSOs across India. “First GAP cohort consisted of CSOs working in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand. The Gender Accelerator Program has engaged CSOs across nine states,” he said. 

The organisation works with rural, low-income, and climate-vulnerable communities, particularly women, smallholder farmers, and marginalised groups across India. 

“Our programmes prioritise women-led CSOs and organisations serving underrepresented populations. By partnering with grassroots civil society organisations embedded in these communities, we ensure that our interventions are inclusive, scalable and locally-driven,” said Vyas. 

Identifying causes

On identifying causes for climate change, he said Climate Asia’s focus is on adaptation rather than mitigation. It addresses the systemic vulnerabilities exacerbated by climate change, such as water stress, agricultural loss, and gender inequity. 

The issues are addressed through capacity building, access to finance, localised adaptation strategies, and evidence-based planning. “Our support includes training in risk assessment, resilience planning, climate finance, and enabling institutions to integrate climate metrics into their monitoring and governance systems,” said the organisation’s founder and CEO.

He said the organisation’s projects have demonstrated that strengthening grassroots CSOs through organisational development and technical climate adaptation support can drive measurable, community-level resilience. 

“Among the CSOs which were part of the first GAP cohort, 55 per cent aligned their strategies with climate resilience goals, while 45 per cent promoted women to leadership positions. Almost 70 per cent of the organisations integrated climate metrics into their work,” said Vyas.

Published on June 24, 2025