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Abstract Indian agriculture is vulnerable to climate variability and change. The Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) based model ensemble projects a warming of 1.5–4.3°C and an increase in precipitation by 6–14% for India under different representative concentration pathways (RCPs) for the 2080s (2071–2100) compared to the baseline period (1961–1990). The Indian Council of Agricultural Research through its network project on National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) has demonstrated different land and water management interventions in the vulnerable districts of India to enhance the resilience of agriculture to climate change and variability. Rainwater harvesting and its judicious utilization through farm ponds and community tanks in rainfed districts demonstrated the ability to build resilience and also enhance cropping intensity (20–135%). Construction of temporary check dams ( bori‐bandhan ) in high‐rainfall areas brought lowland areas into cultivation which otherwise would have remained fallow due to inundation in the kharif (monsoon) season. Renovation of aahar (water reservoirs) and construction of farm ponds in Bihar ensured protective irrigation during dry spells in kharif , increasing paddy productivity by 20.7%, and also raised the groundwater level by 30 cm. Adoption of participatory integrated watershed management within a river basin perspective provides a framework for climate change adaptation through reduced runoff, increased groundwater recharge, improved crop productivity and increased carbon sequestration. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.