Web Based Weather Communication System for Climate Resilient Farming

Adaptation to climate variability and climate change requires long term strategic research in the area of natural resource management, crops, pests and disease dynamics, livestock, fisheries & energy efficiency. Focused programs are taken up on different commodities on adaptation and mitigation. To enhance resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability through strategic research and technology demonstration are required at regional levels. The district level contingency plans cover contingency strategies taken up by growers in response to major weather related aberrations such as delay in onset and breaks in monsoon causing early, mid and late season droughts, floods, unusual rains, extreme weather events such as heat wave, cold wave, frost, hailstorm and cyclone. Therefore, opportune and accurate weather information and communication have been recognized as effective tools for crucial decision making in routine farm operations. The efficiency of any agrometeorological service lies in its ability to communicate timely and relevant agrometeorological information to the end users, so that they can act on it suitably to augment productivity through climate resilient strategies. An information system used for decision making represents part of a continuum, while at the other end there are scientific knowledge and understanding. The internet, satellite technology, geographical information systems and mobile telephony, being prime examples of ICTs, have changed the scenarios, under which we are to carry out our daily activities. Weather based agricultural information forms a part of a continuum that begins with scientific knowledge and understanding and ends with the evaluation of the information. Intermediate processes are the collection of weather data, changing data into useful information and then its proper dissemination. To make these information more useful, it has to be accurate, timely, and cost-effective, i.e., the benefit accrued from implementing the information becomes more than the cost incurred in obtaining such information. Information and communication technologies need to be improved to a great extent in future, resulting in greater accessibility to the users by way of hoisting agrometeorological portals and their timely updates. Thus, to cater the future needs, an collaborative effort undertaken by CRIDA and SAUs to better integrate the web based weather communication system at http://www.crida.in:82/contingency planning/ nested in its parental web portal of CRIDA, Hyderabad, containing all relevant information pertaining to weather forecasts, weather based farm advisories, regional climatic variability, energy, water, biodiversity etc. meant for growers and other stake holders. Further integration and making it a habit to utilize all such portal based information in preparing agro-advisories and taking appropriate agronomic measures suggested under existing and probable weather aberrations are required to accomplish climate resilient farm development.