Raising Awareness of ISAT Climate Information Services in Odisha
Farmers in Rayagada and Gajapati Districts Benefit from Region-Specific Farming Guidance
In a continued effort to empower farmers with timely and accurate farming advisories, a team from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) recently conducted a field visit to Rayagada and Gajapati districts in Odisha from 23-26 August 2024. This visit marked a significant step in enhancing farmers' awareness of region-specific digital climate advisories, while also gathering valuable feedback on the pre-seasonal and in-season guidance delivered via the ISAT platform.
The ISAT platform, a collaborative effort between ICRISAT, Microsoft, and the India Meteorological Department, with support from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has been at the forefront of providing farmers with vital information that can significantly enhance their decision-making processes. Digital tools such as ISAT are also closely aligned with the Government of India's recently launched Digital Agriculture Mission.
Initially piloted and now being scaled up in select districts of Odisha under CGIAR’s Initiative on Digital Innovation and the Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM), ISAT delivers context-specific advisories to the farmers in the local Odia language through WhatsApp groups and SMS gateways, making the information both accessible and actionable.
"Strengthening knowledge and capacity development is at the heart of our work in transforming agri-food systems," shared Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, Global Research Program Director for Enabling Systems Transformation at ICRISAT. "The delivery of localized and timely climate advisories through the ISAT platform equips farmers with the tools to make informed decisions, adapt to climate challenges, and enhance productivity and resilience in their communities."
“Currently, more than 6,000 farmers across just two districts are benefiting from these services," added Dr Shalander Kumar, Cluster Leader for Markets, Institutions and Policy at ICRISAT, noting that the unique advantage lies in ISAT's ability to deliver both pre-seasonal and in-season advisories.
During the four-day field visit, the ICRISAT team held awareness programs in four blocks, Muniguda, Gunupur, R. Udayagiri, and Paralekhamundi, interacting with the farmers and garnering their interest in the digital advisory services. Dr Kishore Kumar and team collected feedback on how these advisories influenced their decision making in planning for the season.
The feedback gathered during the sessions will be instrumental in improving the advisories and the further rollout of the platform. The need for village-level training emerged as a top priority for maximizing the benefits of climate information services. The farmers also affirmed that the pre-seasonal advisories were of immense use for better planning.
“It is clear from the interactions that there is a demand for pre-seasonal advisories, and we are committed to expanding our efforts. We are also exploring integrations with existing government programs and convergence with insurance companies to manage agricultural risks,” said Dr M.L. Jat, Global Research Program Director for Resilient Farm and Food Systems at ICRISAT.
This work aligns with SDGs 2, 13 & 17.
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