When discussions turn to decarbonising India’s dairy sector, the focus often shifts to methane inhibitors, carbon markets, and digital technologies. While these innovations matter, one of the most scalable climate solutions is already within reach: better feed and fodder.

India produces nearly a quarter of the world’s milk, largely through households owning just 2 to 3 animals. Yet feed and fodder account for over 70% of milk production costs, while the country continues to face a shortage of quality green fodder. Poor nutrition lowers milk productivity, raises methane emissions per litre of milk, and weakens animal health, increasing disease risk, reducing fertility, and adding to veterinary costs.

The evidence for improving feed quality is compelling. The National Dairy Development Board’s Ration Balancing Programme has shown that balanced feeding improves milk yields, enhances milk quality, lowers feed costs, and reduces emissions intensity.

The real opportunity now lies in scaling these proven practices through practical, farmer-centric delivery models:

• Scale last-mile access to balanced feeding services by expanding doorstep ration-balancing advisory, affordable feed solutions, and extension support through FPOs, cooperatives, input dealers, and village entrepreneurs.
• Strengthen milk procurement networks as integrated service platforms, enabling dairy cooperatives, milk collection centres, and service providers to deliver fodder, feed advisory, animal health services, and market access through a single trusted channel.
• Expand demonstration-led fodder adoption hubs anchored in model dairy farms to showcase locally adapted fodder varieties, facilitate farmer-to-farmer learning, and encourage the uptake of high-nutrition options such as moringa, azolla, and multi-cut Napier.
• Promote FPO-led fodder ecosystems by aggregating farmer demand, supporting decentralised seed production, and strengthening community-based procurement and distribution of fodder inputs to reduce costs and improve availability.

Solving India’s dairy sector’s climate challenge does not require waiting for the next technology — it requires delivering what already works to the farmer at the gate, through the institutions farmers already trusts, at a cost they can afford.