Jorhat - Agricultural Meteorology Division

Report of Farmers' Awareness Programme for Jorhat AMFU Unit
A 2 days Farmers' Awareness Programme on, "Climate Change & Agroadvisories "
was organised by the Department of Agrometeorology, Assam agricultural University on 16 th
and 17 th March,2010. The seminar was sponsored jointly by India Meteorological Department
under Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and Central Research Institute for
Dryland Agriculture (ICAR). Besides agricultural scientists, media person and 110 farmers
participated in the Awareness Programme.
The inaugural session started with the welcome by Dr.L.K.Hazarika, Dean,
Faculty of Agriculture, AAU, Jorhat. In his address, Dr Hazarika highlighted the
contributions of the AAU in varietals development related to pulses, oilseeds, jute, wheat and
boro paddy to the farmers. Dr. Durgeswar Das, DPGS and Dr. S.N.Dutta, ADE, Directorate
of Extension of Assam Agricultural University also addressed the farmers on the
occasion.
Dr K.K.Nath, Prof. and Head cum Principal Nodal Officer of the Agromet Advisory
Service, AAU, Joraht unit explained in length about the objective of the Awareness
Programme. He informed the house that the overall goal of the Awareness Programme was to
make farmers more self reliant in dealing with weather and climate issues that affect
agricultural production on their farms and to increase interaction between the fanners and the
Agro-meteorological service providers. He also narrated briefly about, the importance of
agro-advisory service in the context of changing weather scenario in Assam. The inaugural
session ended with vote of thanks by Dr(Mrs) P.G. Khanikar, Associate Prof., Dept of
Agrometeorology. The programme was anchored by Dr. Seuji Neog, Associate Prof., Dept. of
PBG.
There will a plan for distribution of Rain gauge among the farmers. But due to lack of
reaching the rain gauge in proper time, it was not possible to distribute the rain gauge in the meeting.
It will distribute among the progressive farmers of different block of jorhat through the Programme
Coordinator of KVK.
In the technical session Dr KK Nath delivered a lecture on "Farmers Awakening to
Changing Climate." He dealt in length about different issues related to global warming and
agricultural practices. He discussed about strategies to be adopted by the fanners in aberrant
weather condition. He appealed to the farmers to look for every single opportunity amidst
unfavorable weather condition to maintain/increase the level of their farm production. He further
stressed the importance of weather based agro-advisories in farm management.
In the post lunch session, Dr P Neog, Asssociate Professor, BNCA, Biswanath Chariali
elaborated on the economic importance of agro-advisory bulletins to the fanning community
with concrete examples. He explained the need of medium range weather forecast and how to
look for forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department online using internet
facility.
Dr. J. Deka, Prof., Dept of Agromony, AAU delivered a lecture on “Climate Change
and Agriculture”. He describes how the climatic risk like flood, drought etc. affects the
agriculture. He also describes the remedial measures of these risks.
Dr. Deep Jyoti Rajkhowa, Prof., Dept of Agronomy, AAU delivered a talk in 2 nd day
on the impact of climate change on weed management. He described how the weed control
will difficult in changed climatic scenario.

Dr. Bipul Sarmah, Prof., Dept of Extention Education, AAU delivered a talk in 2 nd day
on the role of farming community in changed climatic scenario. He discussed about the
changing the cropping pattern along with the changed climate.
There was also a very interesting interactive program with the farmers. Some
progressive farmers put many intelligent queries to the experts and, on their part, the
experts satisfied the farmers regarding their queries.
Feedbacks from the farmers were also collected through supplying questionnaires
to them. The format of the questionnaires is attached herewith as Annexure I. Opinion of
the farmers observed in the feedbacks is summarized and presented below:
As many as 67 farmers expressed the opinion that rainfall was the most important
parameter that influenced agricultural production. It is seen from the feedbacks that
among the 105 farmers of the 1 st day Programme, only 46 farmers have seen the rain
gauze. As many as 35 farmers expressed that they took farm decisions following all the
given means as given in the questionnaires. Interestingly, as many as 70 farmers opined
that they have changed crops based on climate variability in the recent years. Among all
the farmers, only 15 expressed that they followed pesticide application and as many as 53
expressed that they followed eco-friendly/IPM practices in controlling pest & diseases in
their fields. More than 90% of the farmers recorded that they listened and followed the
Agromet Advisories given by the Agromet Unit and they also expressed that the
Agroadvisories were useful in improving crop yields. As many as 72 farmers felt that
conservation of natural resources like water, soil, biodiversity etc play a dominant role in
curtailing the impact of climate change. About 67 farmers expressed that they would like
to implement use of organic matter as a measure to save the Earth from global warming.
About 60 farmers were of the opinion that one-day programme is useful in learning new
things about weather.
Some of the Selective Photographs:
Left hand side: Lighting by Dr.L.K.Hazarika, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, AAU, Jorhat in the inaugural
session
Right hand side: Lighting by KKNath, Prof. & Head, Dept of Agrometeorology, AAU, Jorhat in the
inaugural session

Left hand side: Dr. D.J. Rajkhowa, Prof., Dept of Agronomy, AAU delivered a talk on the impact of climate
change on weed management
Right hand side: Dr K.K.Nath, Prof. and Head, Dept of Agrometeorology, AAU, Joraht unit explained in length
about the objective of the Awareness Programme.
Left hand side: Parts of Farmers present in the 2 nd day programme
Left hand side: Parts of Farmers present in the 1 st day programme

FEED BACK of the Farmers
Total Farmers attended: 105 Venue: Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat Date: 17/03/2010
1 2 3 4 6 7 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 19 20 21 22
67 6 4 - 62 25 70 17 52 33 46 16 5 9 1 3 9 10 35 70 9 44 4 3 3 20 15 53 54 26 79 - 88 - 92 1 28 52 72 11 84 - 21 67 58 24
Rainfall
Temperature
Sunshine
April
May
June
December
January
June/July
August/September
Have seen
Haven’t seen
Experience
KVK
AAS
BLAO
TV
Radio
All above
YES
NO
Cloudy weather
Low temperature
Rainfall
High Humidity
High temperature
Pesticide application
Eco-friendly/IPM practices
YES
NO
YES
NO
Listen and Follow
Not Listen
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
Less application of fertilizer/pesticides
Use of more organic matter
YES
NO

ANNEXURE- I
Questionnaire
1. Which is the most important weather parameter that influences agricultural production in
your opinion Rainfall Temperature Sunshine Wind speed
Relative Humidity
2. Which months are the hottest and coldest in your region, if known, give the values
April May June December January
3. When (month/week) do you receive highest rainfall Indicate the average annual rainfall of
your region
4. Have you seen any time the instruments that measure rainfall and temperature Can you
name them
5. Did you notice any increase/decrease in the following weather parameters over the years
Increase Decrease No change
a. Rainfall
b. Summer temperature
c. Winter temperature
d. Cyclone
e. Heavy rainfall events
f. Dust storms
g. Frost
h. Pests/diseases
6. Farm decisions are taken through
Traditional knowledge /experience
Newspapers
KVK
Agro Advisory Services
Block level Agricultural Officer
Television
Radio
Above all
7. Have you changed any crops based on climate variability in the recent years
YES
NO
8. If yes, reasons for it and what crops have been changed
Crops
Earlier crops
Changed crops
Reasons
Non-profitable
Not yielding due to changes in weather
Labour problem
Crop loss due to damages by extreme weather events
Less irrigation
Crop yields are not stable
availability
Increased attack by damages of pests/diseases
9. Which are the following weather parameters and their combinations that influences pests
and diseases Cloudy weather High humidity High
temperature
Low temperature Rainfall Wind speed
10. Are you following pesticide application in controlling pests/diseases or any ecofriendly/IPM
practices

11. Do you feel that in spite of more pesticides are being used to control pests/diseases, yet
the pest damage did not reduce YES NO
12. Do you feel that more application of pesticide/insecticides harm the environment
YES
NO
13. If yes, what action do you suggest to reduce their applications
Use of scientific methods
Apply only when it is essential
Use of bio-pesticides(like neem
concentrate)
Release of natural enemies(bio-control
agents)
14. Do you listen and follow the advisories given by the Agromet Unit
listen and follow listen but not follow not listen
15. Do you think that weather-based farm advisories are useful in improving the yields
YES
NO
16. Approximately how much benefit did you realize by following advisories provided by the
respective Agrometeorologist Profit Rs.______________
17. Have you any time incurred losses by following the advisories
YES
NO
18 If yes, what type of advisories that put you to loss
19. Don’t you feel that conservation of natural resources like water, soil, bioderversity,
mangroves etc., play a dominant role in curtailing the impacts of climate change
YES
NO
20. If so, do you take a pledge to conserve all the natural resources like saving in
irrigation/minimum tillage, reducing pollution levels in water and air and save for future
generation.
YES
NO
21. Can you name at least one measure that you would like to implement to save the earth
from global warming such as reducing the use of free power, less application of fertilizer and
pesticides use more organic manure
22. Do you think that One-day Programe is useful in learning new things about weather
YES
NO