36 / 288
[
] 37
A
griculture
A number of IKSL and Reuters subscribers reported that they had
successfully averted potential losses by reacting quickly to weather
and disease information, while others have reported improved yields
by adopting new seed varieties and cultivation practices, according
to questionnaires and direct contact with farmers. Those acting on
cultivation information state that they gained by replacing traditional
‘commonsense’ practices with modern cultivation techniques. Weather
information has helped to prevent seed and crop loss too, with farmers
in Maharashtra using the forecasts to adjust irrigation levels.
Ways in which farmers have saved money as a result of AAS include
the following:
• Vikas, a farmer in Nizampur village near Delhi, communicated
that he was about to sow carrot seeds, but upon receiving an
SMS that heavy rains were coming, he postponed the sowing.
Had he not received the message and gone ahead with sowing,
he would have lost 25,000 rupees and his efforts would have
gone to waste.
• In Palla village, also near Delhi, farmer Surendra
had decided to irrigate his paddy crop, but on receiving an SMS
that it would rain in the next couple of days, he postponed
irrigating, saving on costs, including electricity.
• A farmer in Nekpur village in Bulandshah in the state of Uttar
Pradesh was planning to spray fertilizer during September. An
SMS text that there would be rains within the next two days
convinced him the time was not right. If he had ignored the
message, rain would have washed away all the fertilizer.
Expanding the SMS service
Dissemination of the advice will be extensively undertaken using
multichannel systems like All India Radio, Doordarshan, private televi-
sion, radio channels, mobile phone (SMS/IVR), newspapers, the Internet,
Common Service Centre of the Department of Information
Technology, virtual academies and universities.
Other channels include non-governmental organiza-
tions, Kisan call centres, Kisan Melas, Krishi Vigyan
Kendra, ICAR and other related institutes, agricultural
universities, extension network of the State and the
Central Agriculture Department.
The number of private agencies and companies deliv-
ering Agromet advice will be increased so that the
SMS service reaches more farmers. SMS advice will be
extended to other sectors, including fisheries, horti-
culture, livestock and high-value crops. A voice web
service will be launched for farmers so they can ask
questions and receive answers to their queries related
to agriculture and weather.
The ultimate aim of this initiative is to communicate
advice to the nation’s 600 million farmers on a real-
time basis.
Expansion and knowledge transfer
Agromet advice delivered by mobile phone technology is
possible in many countries, provided they have a strong
AAS system. In order to demonstrate the development of
AAS services in the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and India) a consul-
tation meeting was organized in Pune in April 2012. In
addition to deciding to show how AAS has developed in
India and other participating countries, strategies and
ways of streamlining the activities of the AAS were also
discussed, alongside expanding the AAS through mobile
technology across SAARC and non-SAARC countries in
the Regional Association II area.
Application of climate services principles
ThebasicprinciplesoftheUnitedNationsGlobalFramework
for Climates Services (GFCS) are included within the IAAS
project, alongside a participatory component in which
governments’ direct involvement has proved highly valu-
able in implementing the service efficiently and effectively.
The seven UNGFCS principles under AAS in
India include:
• Ensuring greater availability of, access to, and use of
climate services
• Addressing three geographic domains: district,
regional and national
• Ensuring operational climate services are the core
element of the activities
• Ensuring climate information is primarily provided
by governments, which have a central role in its
management through the GFCS
• Promoting the free and open exchange of climate-
relevant observational data while respecting national
and international data policies
• Establishing the role of the AAS activities so that
they facilitate and strengthen, rather
than duplicating
• Building AAS activities through user-provider
partnerships that include all stakeholders.
The table above shows how the farmers are benefiting from the advice
given by experts in the Agromet Field Unit at Coimbatore, Tamilnadu state
Source: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore Tamil Nadu, India
Weather forecast
Advice given
Economic benefits
Light to moderate rainfall –
nursery sowing time
Irrigate the nursery during
evening hours, keeping
standing water during night
time to avoid displacement of
germinating seeds
Rs. 2,500
Continuous rain for five days –
vegetative stage
Postpone nitrogenous fertilizer
application to rice
Rs. 750
Light rainfall for the next two
days – maturity stage of rice
Postpone paddy harvest
Rs. 2,500
per hectare
Cloud cover, low temperature
and higher relative humidity
Infestation of false smut
fungus is expected, requiring
prophylactic spraying of
fungicides probiconozole
or 0.1 per cent carbendazim
Rs. 3,000
per hectare
Rainfall
Delay the potato sowing
Rs. 10,000
Continuous rain and relative
humidity
Prophylactic sprays for blister
blight control in tea
Rs. 1,000