Agro-advisory Services Research Articles

Challenges Faced by Agri-Input Dealers in Delivering Agro-Advisory Services: Constraints and Suggestions

Challenges Faced by Agri-Input Dealers in Delivering Agro-Advisory Services: Constraints and Suggestions

Role Perception of Agro Input Dealers in Providing Agro Advisory Services to the Farmers in Gaya, Bihar, India

Role Perception of Agro Input Dealers in Providing Agro Advisory Services to the Farmers in Gaya, Bihar, India

Constraints and suggestions of agro input dealers in providing agro advisory services in Gaya district of Bihar: Garret ranking approach

Constraints and suggestions of agro input dealers in providing agro advisory services in Gaya district of Bihar: Garret ranking approach

Plant clinic in Nepal: An overview

Plant clinics play an important role in supporting farmers in growing healthy crops and achieving higher productivity in Nepal. The development and operation of plant clinics in Nepal are assessed in this study through a comprehensive analysis of the institution via literature review and interaction with key stakeholders. The plant clinic approach of the agriculture extension system started in Nepal in 2008, followed up with engagement with CABI and the Government of Nepal. Enhancement of farmers' knowledge and skill, encouraging sustainable farming methods, and ultimately increasing crop yields are the impact of plant clinics. However, there are some challenges faced during the implementation of plant clinics in the existing agricultural extension systems. In Nepal, the plant clinics are primarily operated by agricultural technicians with expertise in plant protection, as well as IPM farmer facilitators and community business facilitators after attending an intensive plant doctor's training. Plant clinics have been integrated into the agricultural extension system by agro-advisory service provider of the government of Nepal. Despite institutionalisation, policy support needs to be strengthened to ensure the sustainability of the different components of the (e.g., data management, validation, monitoring, localised content, etc.) plant clinic in Nepal.

Knowledge Evaluation on Weather Forecast and Agro-advisory Services to Farmers in Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh, India

Weather is the major factor for crop growth and yield. Farmers were more interested on the current real time weather parameters such as rainfall, humidity in air , air temperature, direction and speed of the wind, Knowing of weather forecast is useful to reduce the yield loss and to obtain more yield with high remunerative price. The precise real time data at exact time allows the farmers to plan field management practices like choosing of correct crops, land preparation, field operations like spraying of pesticides and herbicides, irrigation, fertilizer application, harvest, drying and post harvest operations to reduce the crop damage and economic losses. The District Agromet unit (DAMU) located at KVK, Amadalavalasa is sending timely weather advisories to farmers of Srikakulam district based on the forecast issued by IMD. A total number of 1080AgroAdvisory Service (AAS) bulletins were prepared by using DSS software and disseminated to the registered farmers through whatsapp and other social media during 2022-2023. A random sample survey was conducted to study the impact of agro-advisory services to farmers based on weather forecast issued by DAMU, Srikakualm. The sample size was 60 farmers belong to different villages of Amadalavalasa and Srikakulam blocks of Srikakulam district. The study Results revealed that spotlight on illiterate farmers is much more significant and dispersal of advisories in audio or visual format is more comfortable and easy to understand. The results of the survey exposed that among the total farmers the farmers follow for sowing are 45 percent, for spraying operations are 11 percent, for harvest and drying are 62 per cent. Finally this study confirms that the farmers were more concentrate on sowing, harvest and drying related to weather forecast. Hence finally realized that farmers should follow forecast data of weather from choice of crop and its management practices to after harvest operations to get enhanced productivity and also superior net returns.

Awareness on Weather Based Agro-advisory Services among Farmers of Tamil Nadu, India

The production and productivity of different crops are impacted by the weather. Farmers will be better able to prevent crop failure and obtain high yields with greater financial returns if they are aware of real-time weather factors such temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall. Farmers may better plan agricultural activities, from crop selection to post-harvest handling, by having the proper weather information at the right time. This helps them reduce crop losses. To study the awareness of weather based agro-advisory services, a random sample survey was conducted from 60 farmers from blocks of Andanallur and Musiri block of Tiruchirappalli district and for this study descriptive research design is used. The findings showed that targeting illiterate farmers is far more crucial, and that it is preferable to disseminate weather forecasts in audio or video format to encourage them to adapt their agricultural methods to the weather. The survey revealed that 72.00 per cent of farmers had medium level of awareness, about 95.00 per cent of the farmers check the weather forecast before going for irrigation and pesticide spray, 60.00 per cent farmers are receiving SMS through District Agro-Met Units. Apart from crops, weather forecasts also help with taking care of livestock, which includes animals reared on farms. Just like plants, animals also need the right weather to stay healthy and give good results. This is why accurateweather forecasts matter a lot for both farming and looking after livestocks. Wise use of weather and climate information can help to make better-informed policy, institutional and community decisions that reduce related risks and enhance opportunities, improve the efficient use of limited resources and increase crop, livestock and fisheries production [1]. Our study revealed that the farmers had medium level of awareness. Additionally, awareness needs to be raised so that people understand that in order to increase production and income, weather forecasts must be followed from the time a crop is chosen until harvest.

Understanding the Knowledge Level of Farmers towards Climate Smart Agricultural Technologies in Agro-climatic Zones of Tamil Nadu, India

Aims: Although farmers experience various technical, technological, production, labor-related and marketing constraints to carry out agricultural activities, climate change acts as the root cause of several other constraints. Climate change consequences drastically reduce agricultural yield by affecting critical changes of crop growth and questions food and nutritional security; additionally it also imposes economic loss to the country. Hence, to ensure food and nutritional security for the growing population and to ensure sustainable income for the farming community, a farmer has to tackle the consequences of climate change by adoption of CSA technologies Farmer’s knowledge level towards any technology, determine its rate of adoption. Hence, this study aims to assess the knowledge level of farmers towards CSA technologies in Agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu.
 Study design: Ex-post facto research design was employed in the study.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in seven agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu viz., Villupuram district of North Eastern Zone, Namakkal district of North Western Zone, Coimbatore district of Western Zone, Tiruvarur district of Cauvery Delta Zone, Ramanthapuram district of Southern Zone, Kanyakumari district of High Rainfall Zone and the Nilgiris district of the Hilly Zone of Tamil Nadu during 2022-2023.
 Methodology: From each of Agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu, the vulnerable districts or the districts with NICRA project have been identified and the CSA technologies adopted by the farmers were documented. Thirty farmers who adopts CSA technologies from each agro-climatic zone were selected and interviewed personally to assess their knowledge level towards those technologies in a five point continuum ranging from ‘No knowledge’ (1), ‘Minimal knowledge’ (2), ‘Basic knowledge’ (3), ‘Adequate knowledge’ (4) and ‘Superior knowledge’ (5) respectively. The gathered responses were subjected to percentage analysis.
 Findings: The findings revealed that Villupuram, Coimbatore and Tiruvarur farmers had superior knowledge on precision based nutrient management, Namakkal farmers had superior knowledge on use of additives and supplements in livestock feed, Ramanathapuram farmers had superior knowledge on utilization of weather based agro-advisory services, Kanyakumari farmers had superior knowledge on adoption of moisture conservation practices and Nilgiris farmers had superior knowledge on adoption of improved seed varieties and use of biofertilizers.
 Conclusion: Villupuram, Coimbatore and Tiruvarur farmers had superior knowledge on precision based nutrient management; Namakkal farmers had superior knowledge on use of additives and supplements in livestock feed; Ramanathapuram farmers had superior knowledge on utilization of weather based agro-advisory services; Kanyakumari farmers had superior knowledge on adoption of moisture conservation practices and, The Nilgiris farmers had superior knowledge on adoption of improved seed varieties and use of biofertilizers. Thus, it can be concluded that farmers had superior knowledge on CSA technologies based on their perceived climatic change consequences and their accessibility to location specific technologies.

Farmers’ responses to the use of rice agro-advisory service application in South Bengkulu Regency

The Rice Agro-advisory Service which in Indonesian is called “Layanan Konsultasi Padi (LKP)” is an internet-based digital application developed by IRRI to compile recommendations for rice cultivation technology. This study aims to determine the response of farmers in the production centers of irrigated lowland rice in South Bengkulu Regency to the application. The research was carried out from September to November 2022 through a survey involving 87 farmers in 42 villages. The data collected includes farmers’ responses to recommendations for lowland rice cultivation technology generated by LKP and farmers’ responses to its attributes, namely mobility (ease of accessing applications), interactive (recommendations by needs of farmers), communicative (recommendations easily understood by farmers), and autonomous (applications can be operated by farmers independently). Data were analyzed descriptively and correlated using contingency coefficients. The results showed that 83.91% of farmers responded well to the application recommendations. Responses to LKP were classified as good for all attributes as mobility (95.40%), interactive (96.55%), communicative (98.95%), and autonomous (74.71%). Farmers’ responses to the LKP recommendations were positively correlated with the interactive attribute which means that a good response to LKP recommendations is closely related to the needs of farmers for site-specific recommendations for lowland rice cultivation.

Agro-advisory services for increasing production, profit under climate change scenario in old alluvial zone of West Bengal

Aim: To increase the net income of farmers by reducing losses caused by extreme weather events and reducing the cost of cultivation using weather advisory and to popular the Agro-advisory service at the block level. Methodology: Data was collected from the selected farmers by interview schedule, and the Weather forecast data was obtained from the Regional Meteorological Centre Kolkata, India Meteorological Department, Alipore biweekly i.e., every Tuesday and Friday. Results: The results showed that the farmers who followed the weather based advisory were able to reduce the cultivation cost like irrigation cost, fertilizer cost, plant protection chemicals etc., than non-users of advisory in Rice and Brinjal crops. Farmers saved Rs. 1940 and Rs. 2444 per ha for rice cultivation and saved Rs. 6685 and Rs. 6688 per ha for brinjal cultivation in a single season by following advisories. Interpretation: The studies showed that the application of advisory bulletin based on realized and forecasting of weather parameter is a useful tool for increasing the production and profit. The farming community who are utilizing the agro-advisory bulletin for agricultural practices, reduce the cost cultivation and increase the yield as well as profit. Key words: Agro-advisory services, Climate change, Economic benefit, Weather forcast

Farmers’ Perception Towards District AgroMet Unit (DAMU) Agro Advisory Services in Agriculture and Allied sectors in Tamil Nadu

A study was undertaken between 2022 and 2023 to assess farmers’ perceptions of District Agro Meteorological Unit (DAMU) Services in Cuddalore, Ramnad, and Aruppukottai districts of Tamil Nadu. DAMU offers specialized weather information to support local agricultural activities. Employing an ex post facto research design, a random sample of 180 registered farmers was selected. Data was collected using a standardized questionnaire. Results revealed that Short-Range Forecasts (1-3 days) were most preferred (51.11%) followed by Medium-Range Forecast (4-7 days) with 31.11 per cent offering valuable insights to plan their activities for the upcoming week in making decisions related to crop protection, disease management and resource allocation of weather predictions. About three fourth (72.28 %) of farmers held a moderate perception of DAMU’s agromet services followed by high perception (15 per cent). The first ranked Perception Index (PI: 91.11) statement was that “weather-based advice assists in timing of sowing and transplanting” then “Information provided under DAMU is clearly understandable” (PI: 89.44); “advisory services in the form of video link are understandable, useful & effective” (PI: 86.11) and least agreement for judicious application of fertilizers (PI: 66.29) and temperature forecasts (PI: 64.62) aid in safeguarding crops from cold, frost, and heat damage.

Adoption of Digital Agro-Advisory Services Among Smallholder Farmers: Patterns of the Innovation-Decision Process

Various digital agricultural advisory services have been developed to effectively exchange agriculture related information, skill and knowledge with the farmers. However, innovation and readiness of such technology does not guarantee that it will be adopted by the farmers. This study focuses on understanding farmers’ adoption of digital agroand non-adoption. A mixed-method research was conducted with 50 farmers of Kageshwori Manohara Municipality of Bagmati province, Nepal, who were also the users of mobile-based agriculture application, innovation theory was used as an analytical lens for data interpretation. terms of their adoption decision i.e., passive rejecters, active rejecters as digital literacy, farmer’s agricultural needs, communication channel, farmer’s social network, socio-economic and household dynamics and technological cluster. The study further argues that such innovations need to incorporate information that not just aligns with the needs of any farmers but should also be based on the local context.

Assessing the Effectiveness of different Mobile Apps in Terms of Knowledge Gain and Adoption Level

The use of mobile phones has become an integral part of smallholder farmers’ lives in both developed and developing countries. The traditional transfer of technology mechanism had lot of constraints including limited staff, wider coverage and required more cost. The study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of different mobile apps in terms of knowledge gain and adoption level of technologies. Kisan Suvidha Mobile App was taken as technology option 1 (TO 1), Farmer Mobile App was taken as technology option 2 (TO 2) and the e-Nam mobile app was taken as technology option 3 (TO 3). The study was conducted in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu state. Radom sampling method was adopted to select the farmers. The yield data, knowledge and adoption level of the farmers were assessed before and after usage of mobile apps in getting agro advisory services in crop cultivation from land preparation to marketing. The farmers gained more knowledge by using Kisan Suvitha app. The farmers who were using Farmer mobile app and e-Nam mobile apps gained medium level of knowledge in crop cultivation method. Farmers could able to adopt 70 percent of the technologies by following Kisan Suvitha app whereas the farmers followed the Farmer mobile app and e-Nam app adopted the technologies for 64 and 60 percentage respectively. the farmers who followed the Kisan Suvidha app obtained a more yield of 61.1 q/ha. Whereas, the Farmer Mobile App users obtained 57.0 q/ha followed by e-Nam mobile apps users obtained a yield of 55.0 q/ha.

Revolutionizing Agriculture with Satellite Technology for Farmers: A Review

Farmers in India have benefited considerably from the combination of satellite-enabled services and data obtained on the ground. The India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, provides weather forecasting, agro-advisory services, agromet services, soil moisture monitoring, and agricultural extension initiatives to encourage agricultural operations in India. Indian Space Research Organization?s (ISRO) also partners with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on several satellite data and geographic information systems-based agricultural applications. ISRO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has developed applications including horticultural crop inventory and site suitability for expansion in unutilized places; crop assessment using medium- and high-resolution satellite data; field information gathering with field photos using a smartphone application; and crop cutting experiments based on satellite-derived crop vigor information. ISRO has provided technology for FASAL and the National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Surveillance System to the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmer Welfare. ISRO has also incorporated the Central Water Commission?s monitoring of irrigation systems. Overall, satellite-enabled services have transformed agricultural operations in India by providing farmers with precise and timely data that enable them to make educated decisions about their crops, resulting in increased crop yields and financial returns.. KEYWORDS :Agriculture, Farming, Satellite technology, Meteorology, Space organization

Opportunities and barriers for using climate information services for resilient agriculture: Insights from the baseline study in Chitwan, Nepal

Climate variability and change have affected the agriculture sector in Chitwan district, where farmers have confronted climate-related risks like drought, flood, erratic rain, and hailstorms. Close to two-thirds of farmers have reported that climate variability has largely affected the crop production on their farms. With climate risks and vulnerability projected to increase in the future, climate information services play a vital role in helping farmers build resilient livelihoods. About 67 percent of farmers have access to some form of climate information, which has largely been limited to the onset of rains. Different socioeconomic factors like age, education level, ownership of assets and contribution of farm income to overall household income significantly affect the functional access to and use of existing climate information services. In addition to this, the provision of the existing climate information services has been limited to the district or national level. There is an urgent need for improved access to reliable and easily available climate information and agro-advisory services at the local level.

Awareness and Utilization of Various Weather Based Advisory Services in Western Zone of Tamil Nadu, India

Weather-centric crop advisory services offer timely updates on weather trends, crop condition, and recommended actions, empowering farmers to make knowledgeable choices regarding diverse crop management techniques. This ultimately results in improved yields and augmented income. This study was carried out to find the Awareness and Utilization level of various Weather Agro advisory services disseminated through various sources among the farmers. Ex post facto research Design was followed in the study. The Salem and Coimbatore district were purposively selected because dissemination of weather information to the farmers in the district through District Agromet units (DAMU). Based on simple random sampling technique 120 respondents were taken for the study. The responses were interpreted using frequency and percentage analysis. Correlation was used to find the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables using the Statistical packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The result indicates that there was medium level of awareness about 67.5 per cent of respondents and utilization level of about 71.67 per cent of respondents. The variables such as education, extension agency contact, use of media tools, source of weather information are significant and positively correlated to Awareness and utilization The Weather forecast information credibility and accuracy can be increased to high level of awareness and utilization by providing the credible weather data on timely basis.

Adoption Behavior among Farmers of Tamil Nadu towards District Agro-meteorology Unit (DAMU) Agro Advisory Services in Agriculture and Allied Sectors

An ex post facto research was undertaken during 2022 to assess farmers' adoption of District Agro-Meteorology Unit (DAMU) Agro Advisory Services (AAS) in Cuddalore, Ramnad, and Aruppukottai districts of Tamil Nadu with sample size of 180. Data was collected using a standardized questionnaire. DAMU offers specialized weather information to support local agricultural activities. The study revealed that 70 per cent of farmers fall into the "Medium" adoption category adopting weather-based timing for planting, harvesting, and irrigation. The respondents fully adopt the practice of scheduling sowing time using weather-based farm advisories (77.78%), 62.22 per cent adopt the practice of scheduling harvesting operations, illustrating a substantial majority using this approach to enhance efficiency and yield during crop harvesting and 56.67 per cent fully adopt the practice of scheduling supplementary irrigation. The farmers attributes viz., education status, annual income, extension agency contact, extension participation, mass media participation, information seeking behaviour, knowledge level and perception had shown a positive and significant correlation with the dependent variable adoption of DAMU services at one per cent level of significance. The study revealed that traits like media engagement, scientific thinking and information seeking are closely tied to DAMU AAS adoption, along with extension involvement, knowledge, and perception, contributing to a notable 68.30% variance in adoption.

Nitrogen Fertilizers and Plant Spacing in Organic Rice Cultivation: A Review

Organic rice cultivation is one of the technologies developed in Indonesia around two decades ago, but it is not growing as expected. Indeed, organic rice production is considered less effective than conventional farming. This review article explores the role of agronomic factors in organic rice cultivation related to organic nutrient availability and plant spacing. The proposed alternative solutions for using organic inputs to improve soil fertility and increase crop yields are also discussed. The effectiveness of organic fertilizers to chemical fertilizers based on the Rice Agro-advisory Service shows that organic rice has lower yields than conventional farming. The yield reduction ranges between 0.5 and 2.2 t ha−1 or around 9 to 43%, depending on organic amendments and site characteristics. It is also proven that applying high-nitrogen nutrients from organic fertilizers does not increase rice production. Application of nitrogen fertilizers in the right amount and at the correct plant stage is more essential because it affects the yield component of rice plants. Narrower plant spacing in transplanted organic rice results in higher productivity. An increase in plant population higher than 25 hills m−2 no longer significantly increases rice yields. Among the agronomic factors that affect organic rice cultivation are the diversity of organic amendment in nutrient mineralization, especially nitrogen, according to plant needs, and narrow plant spacing that allows lesser weeds to grow among crop plants. These two agronomic factors need to be considered and applied by farmers to get the optimum growth and yield of organic rice cultivation.

Awareness of Farmers on Weather Based Agro Advisory Services in Telangana State, India

Agriculture production is significantly influenced by the weather. From seeding to crop harvest, it has a significant impact on all aspects of farming. Crop germination, establishment, growth, development and yield are all affected. Extreme weather conditions including drought, floods, heavy rains, heat waves, frost, hailstorms, cyclones, etc. may cause the farming community to suffer significant crop yield losses. Since the farming community will be aware of the upcoming weather conditions in advance, required adjustments may be made to farm level agricultural operations and decisions to lessen the consequences of unfavorable weather conditions. Therefore, Integrated Agro met Advisory Services will make it possible for the farmer to be informed of current and expected weather as well as advice to the farmer the best course of action to reduce losses caused by unfavorable weather conditions and increase the output of agricultural systems. A study was conducted in Telangana state to ascertain the degree of farmer’s awareness on weather-based agro advisory services. Random sampling technique employed to collect data from 120 farmers. Ex-post facto research design was used for the investigation. The data with regards to level of awareness possessed by farmers about weather based agro advisory services, it is revealed that 38.33 % of them had the medium level of awareness followed by low level 35.01 % and high level 26.66% of awareness, respectively. All profile characteristics of respondents showed a significant correlation with the degree to which farmers were aware of weather-based agro advisory services, with the exception of education, annual income, farming experience, mass media exposure, and cropping pattern. Multiple linear regression value 77.61 per cent contributed to the extent of variation towards independent variables.

Farmers Feedback on the Block Level Agro-met Advisory through District Agro Met Unit (DAMU) in Sirohi District of Rajasthan, India

The study was conducted during 2021‒22 in jurisdiction of Sirohi district, Rajasthan, India to analysis the importance of agromet advisories and how much it beneficial to farmers.
 Indian meteorological department (IMD) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research under a centrally sponsored scheme of Ministry of Earth Science, Govt. of India established District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) in Krishi Vigyan Kendra in 2019. DAMU will frame the block level agromet advisory services using multichannel communication mechanism in the country to reach out to 95.4 million farming households. On the basis of the weather forecasting,advisory messages prepared by Scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Sirohi and sent to Famers of different blocks of Sirohi district viz., Sirohi, Sheoganj, Abu road, Pindwara & Reodar through various channel like,whats app & text messages on mobile, newspaper, meghdoot app etc. on every Tuesday & Friday. The study was undertaken in all blocks of Sirohi district of Rajasthan. Broadcasting of Agro-met Advisory Bulletin is continued as it plays an important role in planning the farm operations. There are many farmers in district who has been benefited with agro advisory service but for the easy analysis and observation, response of 200 farmers are kept in this study. Responses recorded on the basis of block, farming situation, medium of weather forecasting information, usefulness of weather forecasting, agricultural operations done by use of agro advisory, satisfaction by advisory services, accuracy of agro advisory service, losses observed due to aberrant weather conditions.

A Scale to Measure the Attitude of Cotton Growers towards Weather Based Agro-Advisory Services in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States

In this modern era, climate change is the most severe challenge experienced in the field of agriculture. To become climate smart, farmers should be equipped well with weather forecast information in prior to do farm operations. Hence, this study represents the construction of an attitude scale to understand the attitude of farmers towards weather based agro-advisory services. Keeping this in view, an attempt has been made to develop a scale for measuring the attitude of farmers towards weather based agro-advisory services in cotton cultivation. Likert’s method of summated rating technique was adopted to construct the scale. Based on the available literature and expert’s opinion, 40 statements were developed. After editing as per informal criteria, 33 statements were subjected to item analysis among the farmers of non-sample area. Out of which, 30 statements were retained in the developed attitude scale based on the highest ‘t’ value. The ‘r’ (correlation coefficient) value was found to be 0.852 which represents significant at 1 per cent level and the reliability and validity of the constructed scale were found appropriate to measure the attitude of cotton farmers towards weather based agro-advisory services.