Grooming schools for farmers in Andhra Pradesh
FAO has set up climate schools for farmers in AP
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-18 02:25 GMT
Hyderabad: The Food and Agricultural Organisation of United Nations has set up climate schools for farmers in districts like Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Kadapa, Kurnool for promoting climate-smart farming.
The farmers are trained and provided with weather forecast and weather pattern analysis equipment so that they develop their own local climate adaptation system.
FAO India officer-in-charge Dr Satya Priya said, “Farmers climate schools are a part of adaptation measures to climate variability. It involves local-level monitoring of climate variability and its impacts. For instance, a farmer will stop using pesticide if there is rain to occur in the next ten days in that particular location.”
He added that the farmers will understand how agricultural productivity has changed over the times and find out what should be done to cope with the impact of climate on agriculture.”
Dr Ch. Manohorachary, a scientist and an emeritus professor of Osmania University said, “Due to climate change there will be 10 to 40 per cent loss in crop production by 2100. Greater loss is expected in rabi. Productivity of most cereals would decrease. Plant pests and diseases would increase.”