Climate Exchange

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] 35

Delivering advisory services

by mobile phone

L.S. Rathore, India Meteorological Department, New Delhi, N. Chattopadhyay,

Agricultural Meteorology Division, India Meteorological Department,

Pune and K.K. Singh, India Meteorological Department, New Delhi

he challenges facing agriculture in India are ever increas-

ing. First, agriculture is highly dependent on weather and

subject to its variability. Second, the possible impacts of

climate change pose major challenges. Finally, the sustainability

of intensive agriculture using current technologies is being ques-

tioned within the context of the global climate change debate.

Long-term changes and the increasing frequency of extreme

weather events are likely to have adverse impacts on the agricul-

tural sector. Changes in hydrological regimes will directly impact

both agricultural production and its methods, while reductions

in crop yield and quality as the result of decreasing water avail-

ability and precipitation variability could result in loss of rural

income. Therefore, the problem must be addressed collectively by

scientists, administrators, planners and society.

As a small step towards managing agriculture in the face of chal-

lenges from weather and climate variability and to provide

‘weatherproofing’ for farm production, the India Meteorological

Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is operat-

ing an Integrated Agro-Meteorological Advisory Service (IAAS) at

district level in India. Under the Agromet Advisory Services (AAS),

the needs of farming communities were established through feed-

back from end-user groups. This showed that the primary need of

the farmer is a location-specific and quantified weather forecast,

which led to the creation of the IAAS project, implemented through

a five-tier structure:

• Apex Policy Planning Body in Delhi

• National Agromet Service HQ Execution in Pune

• State Agromet Centres – coordination/monitoring

• Agromet Zone Level

• District Level Extension and Training Input Management

advisory service.

IAAS includes meteorological, agricultural, extension (two-way

communication with user) and information dissemination agencies.

IMD has been issuing a quantitative regional level five-day weather

forecast across 612 districts since June 2008. The service comprises

quantitative forecast products for seven weather parameters, including

visibility, rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures, wind speed

and direction, relative humidity and cloudiness, along with weekly

cumulative rainfall. These products are generated by IMD New Delhi

using the multi-model ensemble technique, which is based on forecast

products from several models in India and internationally. These are

communicated twice weekly to Agromet Field Units (AMFUs) in state

agriculture universities, affiliates of the Indian Council

of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and other institutions.

A system was then developed for integrating weather,

climatic and agrometeorological information for district

level advice to communicate the actions farm manage-

ment can take for harnessing favourable weather and

mitigating the impacts of adverse weather.

To help achieve these outcomes, a typical AAS

bulletin includes district-specific, quantified, five-day

weather forecasts for rainfall, cloud, maximum and

minimum temperatures, wind speed and direction,

relative humidity and warnings of hazardous weather

events, along with crop protection advice. Weather

forecasts are provided based on soil moisture levels and

guidelines for irrigating, fertilizing, and using herbi-

cides. There is advice on the best dates for farmers to

carry out day-to-day intercultural tasks such as pre-

sowing, sowing, planting and post-harvest activities.

Forecasts warn of major pests and diseases for prin-

cipal crops and advice on plant protection. Propagation

techniques for microclimate manipulation are shared,

including the use of shading, mulching, shelter belts

and frost protection, to protect crops from stress.

Bulletins help farmers minimize the impact of agricul-

ture on global warming and environment degradation

through judicious management of land, water and farm

inputs, in particular pesticides, herbicides and fertiliz-

ers. Advice is also given on livestock health, shelter

and nutrition.

AAS bulletins are issued at district, state and national

levels. District bulletins are communicated by AMFUs

and include specific advice for both field and horti-

cultural crops and livestock. Currently these cover

585 districts of the country, while the state bulletin is

a composite of district bulletins used by the fertilizer

and pesticide industries, the irrigation department, seed

corporations, transport and other organizations with

agricultural input. National Agromet Advisory Bulletins

have been prepared by National Agromet Advisory

Service Centre, Division of Agriculture Meteorology,

IMD in Pune, using inputs from various states. The

Ministry of Agriculture is a major user of these bulle-

tins, which help with decision-making at national Crop

Weather Watch Group meetings.

griculture