El Niño begins thousands of kilometres away from India, with an unusual warming of waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. But its effects can reach Indian farms, household budgets, power grids and, eventually, the wider economy.

The country needs a much larger mission, one that restores soils, conserves water, revitalises biodiversity and rebuilds the ecological foundations of agriculture

India's monsoon rainfall is becoming more erratic due to El Niño and global warming, with the shift threatening agricultural output and straining the nation's power grids. Dry…