Agriculture is one of the most important sectors for India. Proper planning for this sector requires relevant and reliable information in timely manner. Information on crop, its stages and the week by week weather during the crop season is essential for proper management of agriculture crops. Thus, farm operations planned in conjunction with weather information are very likely to curtail the costs of inputs and various field operations. Farmers are not well aware about weather forecasting and their utilization in daily based agricultural operations at block level. Nowadays, with the advancement of observational network and forecasting technology, Agromet Advisory Service (AAS) network is being extended to sub-district/block level by setting up District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) under the scheme of Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) in the premises of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) of ICAR through ATARIs during 2018-19 as per MOU signed between ICAR and IMD, New Delhi. Accordingly, the District Agro-Met Unit was established at KVK, Koppal during 2019.
The unit has been serving the farmers of this District through issuing the Agromet Advisory Bulletin separately for individual blocks (Talukas) basing ground level information from the taluka concerned and IMD Forecast at taluk level to meet the changing needs of Agriculture in general, Horticulture and Rain fed agriculture in particular and creating awareness by conducting various capacity development programmes on importance of weather forecasts and weather based farm practices to farmers. Agromet Advisory Bulletin (AAS) is a comprehensive guide for farmers which provides information on forecast weather for next five days, planting, sowing, stage-wise pest disease infestation information and preventive measures and also harvesting periods of locally adapted crops in a specific agro-ecological zone.
Main objective
1. Preparation of Agrometeorological Advisories Bulletins (AAB) on the basis of medium range weather forecast received from respective Meteorological Centre (MC) and current crop situation in consultation with agricultural scientists disciplines to deliver crop and location specific AAS to farmers at block level
2. Block level Agromet advisory bulletins issued twice a week on every Tuesday and Friday along with weather forecast of next 5 days to farmers of a District.
3. Dissemination of weather forecast and weather based agromet advisory bulletins through SMS by, whatsapp group, personnel contacts, electronic media and print media especially on the warning of extreme weather events throughout the crop life cycle (operations from pre-sowing period to post-harvest) and extend to allied areas like Bee Keeping, livestock, Poultry, Pig and Fish farming
4. Training to extension functioneries as well as farmers along with climate awareness programmes at village level and to reduce the farm losses and input cost through weather based agro-advisory
5. The farmers belonging to all the 7 blocks (taluks) of Koppal district are getting benefitted by the Agromet Advisories.