Author: rpuri

“Empowering Farmers in Bihar”: The Impact of Raised Bed Technology

Written by rpuri on January 24, 2025. Posted in News.

A Decade of Agricultural Transformation in Purnia and Katihar, Bihar

Authored By

Dr Shubham Durgude, Dr Raj Kumar Jat, Dr Pazhanisamy, Dr Suneel Kumar, Amit Kumar Lenka, Subhayan Das

A narrative of change

Over the past decade, the districts of Purnia and Katihar in Bihar have undergone a remarkable agricultural transformation. Previously recognized for their flourishing banana plantations, these regions encountered a significant challenge when the Panama Wilt disease devastated the banana crops, placing farmers in a precarious position. With bananas’ unsustainability, farmers transitioned to maize—a crop with limited familiarity. This shift initiated a journey characterized by learning, experimentation, and eventful success, bolstered by initiatives such as the Climate-Smart Village and Climate-Resilient Agriculture programs spearheaded by the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA). The incorporation of raised bed technology further revolutionized agriculture in Purnia and Katihar. What began as an obstacle evolved into a narrative of innovation, resilience, and progress.

*Panama Wilt infestation (Source: Krishi Jagran news)*

The Banana Crisis and Transition to Maize

Not long ago, bananas were the prominent crop in Purnia and Katihar. The banana plantations thrived, generating substantial income and sustaining the local economy. However, a crisis emerged when Panama Wilt, a soil-borne disease, devastated banana fields, wiping out entire plantations. Consequently, farmers were compelled to explore alternative crops, and maize emerged as a viable option. Despite their limited knowledge of maize and uncertainty regarding its economic viability, farmers opted to experiment with it. The initial years were fraught with challenges, including low yields and questions regarding hybrid selection, water requirements, and pest management. However, through perseverance, farmers began to observe positive outcomes.

*Picture: The worldwide coverage of Panama wilt (Source: FAO)*

Maize: From Novelty to Staple

A pivotal moment occurred when farmers recognized the significance of selecting appropriate hybrid varieties. They learned to choose hybrids based on factors such as maturation period and yield potential, developing expertise in matching crops to their specific fields. Even kharif rice farmers adapted their cropping systems by synchronizing shorter-duration rice hybrids with the rabi maize planting cycle, ensuring timely preparation for maize cultivation. This synchronization was not derived from textbooks but emerged from experiential learning and growing expertise. Post-harvest management practices also improved, facilitating a smoother transition between crops. Over time, maize not only replaced bananas but also became the cornerstone of the local economy. Today, many farmers view the maize harvest season as a time of celebration—not only for the financial returns but also for the economic security it affords. Families now plan weddings, secure their futures, and support their children’s education with a stable income from maize production.

Raised Bed: A Transformative Innovation A significant innovation in this journey was raised bed technology introduced by BISA, designed to enhance farming efficiency, particularly for winter maize. Raised beds optimize water delivery by directing it to the root zone, reducing wastage and improving irrigation efficiency by up to 30%. This technology proved transformative for farmers in Purnia and Katihar, where water scarcity is critical during the dry season. Raised beds also mitigated soil compaction and waterlogging, resulting in healthier crops, improved yields, and reduced costs. Farmers humorously refer to raised beds as “VIP seats” for their crops, noting the optimal conditions they provide for growth.

*BISA scientists together with farmers, with their raised bed winter maize harvest*

Expanding Horizons: How Raised Beds Paved the Way for Crop Diversification

The success of maize on raised beds cultivated on raised beds facilitated the introduction of various other crops. Vegetables such as tomatoes, brinjal, and chili flourished, benefiting from raised beds’ advantages—improved drainage, healthier root systems, and more efficient water utilization. This additional source of income diversified farmers’ risks. Intercropping with potatoes also gained popularity, allowing farmers to maximize land potential while diversifying risk. This diversification was not premeditated; it was a natural adaptation to changing conditions. Farmers survived and thrived, demonstrating that opportunities exist for those willing to innovate despite challenges.

*Potato farmers practicing intercropping with maize*

A Socioeconomic Lifeline

Maize has evolved beyond merely a crop; it has become a socioeconomic lifeline for families in Purnia and Katihar. The income generated from maize is intricately woven into their daily lives, funding education, weddings, etc. The rise of ethanol production has further expanded opportunities, granting farmers access to larger markets and better prices. Women have also assumed new roles in this transformation, taking on responsibilities in vegetable management and small business operations. Farmers often comment that their wives are now as entrepreneurs as they are agriculturists.

*Women farmers with their winter maize harvest*

Farmers with a Tech-Savvy Mindset

What renders this transformation particularly noteworthy is the farmers’ mindset. In Purnia and Katihar, technology is perceived not as a threat but as an opportunity for growth. Whether it involves selecting the right hybrid or managing raised beds with precision, farmers approach agriculture with the expertise of seasoned professionals. Their success is not solely attributed to tools or techniques but their willingness to experiment, learn from failure, and ultimately succeed. As Sakaldev, a farmer, aptly stated with a smile, “We might not have laptops, but when it comes to maize farming, our minds are more adept than any computer.”

Challenges and Future Prospects

*The joyful expressions of a farmer during the maize harvest*

The journey to success in Purnia and Katihar has not been devoid of hurdles. The initial cost of adopting raised bed technology was substantial, and access to hybrid seeds posed challenges. Mechanization remains difficult in certain areas, while knowledge gaps persist in remote villages. Nevertheless, these challenges have served as catalysts for growth. With support from BISA and programs like the Climate Resilient Agriculture Program and Climate Smart Village initiative, these challenges are being systematically addressed. This narrative transcends agriculture; it embodies resilience, adaptability, and transformation. From the decline of banana plantations to the rise of maize as a staple crop, the farmers of these districts have transformed challenges into opportunities. Raised bed technology has played a pivotal role, but the true agents of change are the farmers themselves—their determination, ingenuity, and adaptability. Today, Purnia and Katihar exemplify how small innovations and unwavering resolve can pave the way for a brighter future in agriculture.

Acknowledgments

BISA gratefully acknowledges the funding support by the Bihar government and the wholehearted participation of all partners and farmers. The editing by Prof. Arun K. Joshi, MD BISA is gratefully acknowledged.

Strengthening the Model of “Adaptation Clinic” through Data-Driven Local Level Adaptation Planning in Bangladesh

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in Feature.

Driving climate resilience through locally-led adaptation supported by data-driven local level agricultural planning

By Tausif Ahmed Qurashi, BRAC, Bangladesh, and Md. Abdus Salam, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces multifaceted climate challenges, including rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, increasing temperatures, and erratic rainfall patterns. These factors, compounded by frequent climate-induced disasters, threaten food security, with potential crop yield declines of up to 30%. This risk is underscored by the UN World Food Program’s report, which highlights that approximately 25% of the population, largely in disaster-prone districts of Bangladesh, remains food insecure. The challenge is further intensified by 455,000 hectares of fallow land, whose cultivation is hindered by limited access to stress-tolerant technologies, irrigation, and effective extension services.

To address these pressing challenges, BRAC—a Bangladesh-based international organization renowned for its integrated development approach—has implemented innovative programs to enhance the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. Through its climate change program, BRAC has reached over 36,964 agricultural households and established climate-resilient farms in at-risk districts. Central to these efforts is the Adaptation Clinic model, a one-stop agricultural service center that serves over 50,000 households by providing stress-tolerant crop varieties, training, and resources to build agricultural resilience.

The Adaptation Clinic model stands out for its holistic approach. It combines locally led adaptation strategies with science-driven technologies, ensuring community acceptance and long-term sustainability. The process begins with profiling farmers at the local level, assessing their vulnerability, agro-ecological conditions, and market demands. With this information, participatory, year-round climate-adaptive agricultural plans are developed with inputs from farmers, government officers, local leaders, and sectoral stakeholders. Farmers are then trained in climate-adaptive and regenerative agriculture and provided with resources like seeds, bio-pesticides, rental machinery services, and soil-testing facilities.

BRAC’s commitment to creating open and inclusive community spaces is reflected in its co-creation approach, making Adaptation Clinics accessible and participatory. Farmer groups, trained and equipped as change agents, help transform agricultural practices in their regions.

In its mission to strengthen the Adaptation Clinic model, BRAC has partnered with BISA-led ACASA to leverage its cutting-edge climate data platform. This collaboration enables Upazila (sub-district) level data analysis and mapping, providing precise insights for planning and decision-making. The ACASA platform is instrumental in training officials and stakeholders on its application, ensuring the integration of data-driven solutions into local adaptation strategies.

Together, BRAC, BARC, and ACASA aim to create informed, localized agricultural adaptation plans that align with broader Upazila development strategies. This alignment will streamline efforts to bolster the resilience of farming communities, enhance productivity, and mitigate climate risks.

The synergy between BRAC’s grassroots outreach and ACASA’s scientific insights exemplifies the potential of collaborative, data-driven approaches to climate adaptation. By empowering communities and fostering cross-sectoral partnerships, this initiative not only strengthens resilience in Bangladesh’s agricultural sector but also serves as a scalable model for other climate-vulnerable regions. Through the Adaptation Clinic model, BRAC and ACASA are creating pathways to sustainable livelihoods and food security in the face of evolving climate challenges.

ACASA for Empowering Women-Led Social Entrepreneurs in Nepal: Building Climate-Resilient Forage for a Sustainable Livestock Ecosystem

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in News.

Strengthening women-led cooperatives and entrepreneurs to tackle climatic risks, ACASA and Heifer International, Nepal, collaborate to develop resilient forage systems for sustainable livestock ecosystems.

Bhola Shrestha, Heifer International, Nepal, and Sunita Sanjyal, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Nepal

*Image credit: Heifer International, Nepal*

Livestock forms a crucial pillar of Nepal’s agricultural ecosystem, contributing 24% to the agriculture GDP. However, Nepal’s diverse and fragile geographical ecology places it at significant risk from climate change. Rising temperature and erratic precipitation patterns threaten livestock productivity, with notable impacts such as declining forage production, pastoral degradation, and the proliferation of invasive species. These changes severely challenge rural livelihoods, especially for women farmers who form the backbone of Nepal’s livestock sector.

Women in Nepal play a pivotal role in livestock management, from feeding and breeding to disease prevention and product marketing. However, climatic stressors—ranging from feed shortages to the rise of vector-borne diseases—directly affect their responsibilities and incomes. Women-led cooperatives, such as the Social Entrepreneurs Women Cooperative (SEWC), bear the brunt of these challenges. Beyond the immediate impacts on animal health and production, climate-induced risks exacerbate social vulnerabilities, making adaptation strategies all the more critical for ensuring sustainable livelihoods.

Heifer International, Nepal, guided by its Values-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) framework, has been instrumental in empowering women farmers. Through targeted programs, Heifer is committed to helping rural women of Nepal to enhance income to meet the living income benchmark. . A critical focus is building resilience, and one such effort involves working with SEWC to develop drought-resistant forage for a sustainable livestock ecosystem.

In collaboration with the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) under the ACASA project, Heifer is planning to take significant steps to sensitize women farmers to climate risks and equip them with adaptation strategies. This partnership will integrate ACASA’s digital tools and resources with Heifer’s programs to map climate hazards and adaptation options. Women farmers will benefit from enhanced training on climatic risks, hazards, and access to innovative adaptation technologies, enabling them to better prepare for climatic uncertainties in livestock production.

A major highlight of this planned partnership is piloting adaptation technologies in a model dairy village identified as a high-risk climate zone. With women farmers leading these efforts, this initiative promises to strengthen community preparedness and improve the sustainability of livestock systems. Maps from the ACASA portal and Heifer’s geographic data will help identify spatial hazards and link adaptation measures through platforms like Geo-Krishi, ensuring targeted interventions.

Heifer also envisions long-term collaboration with ACASA to improve livestock productivity and secure year-round forage supply. By working with regional and global institutions such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Bioversity International-CIAT, Heifer plans to localize climate-resilient forage varieties for Nepal. Women farmers will play a central role in testing and adopting these solutions, supported by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and feed-expert companies.

This proposed partnership between ACASA and Heifer International underscores the importance of placing women at the heart of climate-resilient agricultural strategies. By empowering women with tools, knowledge, and technologies, this collaboration not only enhances livestock productivity but also secures livelihoods against the uncertainties of climate change. Together, we move closer to a sustainable and equitable future for Nepal’s agricultural communities.

Building Capabilities of Medium and Large-Scale Sri Lankan Maize Growers in Agricultural Risk Management

Written by rpuri on January 22, 2025. Posted in News.

Fostering agribusiness resilience: Equipping Sri Lankan maize farmers to tackle agricultural risks

By ASM Roshan, Agribusiness Development Centre, Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, and WMUK Rathnayake, Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC), Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka

Maize, ranked second only to rice, plays a critical role in Sri Lanka’s agricultural landscape. In addition to its significance in terms of cultivated area, foreign exchange, and agro-industrial applications, maize has become indispensable as a primary input for the growing livestock feed industry, particularly the poultry sector. Furthermore, maize-based food items such as Thriposha and Samaposha have seen a rise in local consumption, underscoring the crop’s increasing demand. However, only 60% of the country’s maize requirement is met through local production, presenting a vast opportunity for maize to contribute to food, feed, and nutritional security, while improving the incomes of cultivators. Encouraging local investors to enter maize farming is, therefore, a strategic priority.

To support this vision, the Agribusiness Development Centre (DoAgBIZ) of the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, has initiated agripreneurship development programs targeting medium and large-scale investors. These programs aim to transform farming businesses into commercially oriented ventures by enhancing productivity, efficiency, and quality through the introduction of advanced technology, entrepreneurial skills, and improved management practices.

However, despite maize’s potential, many local investors are hesitant to enter agriculture due to the heightened risks posed by climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns, rising temperatures, and erratic rainfall have created barriers to investor confidence. Although current extension programs cater to medium and large-scale commercial farming, they fall short of addressing climatic risks adequately, largely due to the lack of reliable, accessible, and user-friendly climate data.

This is where ACASA offers a transformative solution. By leveraging the platform’s science-driven climatic risk data, DoAgBIZ can overcome these challenges and significantly enhance its support for maize farming. ACASA provides the data required to develop high-quality materials, project proposals, and cropping plans for commercial farms. This enhanced quality can bolster investor confidence, increasing the acceptance rate of farming business proposals.

Through collaboration with ACASA, DoAgBIZ envisions profitable and sustainable commercial maize farming ventures that incorporate climate-resilient practices. This collaboration aims not only to mitigate farming risks but also to increase return on investment (RoI) for investors, contribute to the agro-food and poultry industries, and enhance the availability of raw materials.

DoAgBIZ has already begun identifying potential investors and is developing comprehensive awareness sessions to educate both its internal project proposal development teams and prospective investors on ACASA’s technical aspects. These sessions will ensure that all stakeholders are equipped to utilize ACASA’s data effectively in developing farm business proposals aligned with Sri Lanka’s district adaptation plans. Moreover, the tool will play a key role in identifying suitable geographies for implementation and creating sensitization materials tailored to investor needs.

This strategic partnership between DoAgBIZ and ACASA is a step forward in empowering Sri Lankan maize growers to tackle agricultural risks posed by climate change. By combining DoAgBIZ’s agripreneurship development expertise with ACASA’s robust data capabilities, this collaboration seeks to create resilient farming systems that benefit not only farmers and investors but also the broader agricultural sector. Together, they are paving the way for sustainable growth, ensuring that maize farming thrives amidst challenges and meets the growing demands of Sri Lanka’s economy.