The International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI) has launched a portal to disseminate farm-related information
to improve agricultural productivity and farm income for small and marginal
ryots.
Launched in partnership with the e-Extension
Centre of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), the ICICI Knowledge Park
(IKP) Centre for Advancement in Agricultural Practice (ICAAP), the portal (http://www.advanceagripractice.in)
currently provides data on rice, pulses (black gram and green gram), sugarcane,
banana, and coconut in the delta region of Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur and Tiruvarur
districts). It will in due course be scaled up to include data on major
commodities such as wheat, cotton, groundnut, tapioca, turmeric, mango, and
maize, fodder crops and animal husbandry topics such as cattle, buffalo, goat,
sheep, and poultry farming as well as tribal agriculture.
“We're aware of the challenges of information
dissemination in a lingually diverse country like India. So we will be making
available content in regional languages as we move along,” said Kwadwo
Asenso-Okyere, director of IFPRI's Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office.
In Tamil by year-end
The Tamil content is expected to be ready by
the year-end. The IFPRI will also explore various dissemination platforms that
are farmer-friendly such as text messages, street plays and bulletins on radio
and television.
The data available on the portal includes
region specific information such as soil fertility status, potential hydrogen
(PH), land use patterns and cropping patterns, availability of high quality
agricultural inputs such as certified seeds and fertilizers, news regarding
agriculture-related government schemes and agri-credit institutions and
information on procurement centres, traders and markets.
The portal also features success stories and
case studies highlighting farmers' best practices and experiences that can be
emulated. It also seeks to serve as a gateway for knowledge and best practices
from the CGIAR (a global research partnership for a food secure future), other
international agricultural research centres, and national agricultural research
institutes.
Sandeep Saxena, Tamil Nadu Agricultural
Production Commissioner and Agriculture Secretary, appreciated the efforts in
developing the portal and suggested strategies for promoting this portal on
national level. He also urged the need for ICT information on agriculture, and
the necessity of reaching all farmers with instant agricultural advice.
C.V. Krishnan, president of the Institute of
Financial Management and Research described the portal as a “one-stop source of
information from inputs to credit, markets, and prices.”
Original Article Here
No comments:
Post a Comment