With the southwest monsoon expected to be weak because of El Niño conditions, several farmer-producer organisations (FPO) are promoting drought-resistant crops and climate-resilient farm practices, while officials say the Union Ministry of Agriculture is stepping up preparations to tackle the challenges. According to officials, the ministry has prepared a list of FPOs that are cultivating drought-resistant crops like millets and are using climate-resilient farming practices, including mulching for moisture conservation, drip irrigation, and mixed cropping systems. The ministry has been holding webinars to promote natural farming every day in one state and is now planning to host a series of webinars in the coming days to promote climate-resilient farm practices. There are over 63 lakh farmers who are members of 10,000 FPOs across the country, and the ministry plans to use their network to reach out to farmers to adopt climate-resilient practices, including alternative crops and moisture conservation, to counter the challenges of a weak monsoon, according to an official. “One of the simplest and most effective ways to conserve soil moisture is through mulching. …