Climate volatility a grave challenge: Agro-meterology experts

The three–day Annual Group Meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project on Agro-Meteorology (AICRPAM), organised by the Department of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Change (DAMCC), concluded at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today.

Agro-meteorologists from Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal had congregated at the PAU to attend the AICRP meet.

This will be followed by a five-day capacity building programme from December 1-5 at the agri-varsity.

On the occasion, AICRPAM Centres, based in Samastipur of Bihar, Bengaluru of Karnataka and Ludhiana of Punjab, were conferred with the “Best AICRP Centres Award” for making outstanding contributions to agro-meteorology research and development.

The chief guest Dr AK Nayak, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR, New Delhi, gave a special impetus to the research and development of climate-affected niche areas, evolvement of micro-climatic strategies, and development of forecasting and forewarning weather-based models, alerting the farmers against the rains, drought, hailstorms, heat and cold waves, as well as the insect, pest and disease attacks, thus, sustaining their agriculture and livelihood on a whole.

Making a call for transforming India into ‘Viksit Bharat,’ the guest of honour Dr VK Singh, Director, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad, stressed on adopting holistic approach to combat the after-effects of extreme climatic conditions.

Prior to this, he voiced serious concern over volatile climate, impacting crop productivity and extreme cold wave, impacting livestock sector. Dr Singh urged the scientists to study meteorological apprehensions, rather than remaining confined to a unique phenomenon of focusing only on crop production.

Another guest of honour Dr AS Dhatt, Director of Research, while tracing the state’s glorious agricultural history, stated that PAU and Punjab have been the ‘Mother of Green Revolution,’ enabling the state to be the strongest and the largest contributor of wheat, rice and maize. But the monoculture has depleted the natural resources, he pointed out, saying that the pressing challenge of climate change was worsening and affecting the agri-productivity and sustainability. Citing the examples of whitefly attack in cotton in 2015, and flood fury in Punjab in 2023 and 2025 as a result of fluctuating weather, Dr Dhatt underlined the need for working in collaboration, rather than isolation, for the refinement of technologies and the development of climate-based models to address the problems of natural resource depletion and for the sustainability of food production.

Dr CS Aulakh, Dean, College of Agriculture, who was also the guest of honour, expressed concern over changing weather patterns posing a great risk to the farmers, thus, resulting in economic and agrarian losses. Since agriculture has to undergo the positive and negative impact of seasonal rains, these climatic conditions were undermining the efforts of the agriculturists, he observed.

Further, Dr Aulakh called for evaluating the hazardous effects of climate volatility and financial losses to farmers as well as developing farmer-centric climate resilient technologies for the joint welfare of agriculture and agriculturists.

Dr SK Bal, Project Coordinator (AICRPAM), while presenting an overview of AICRPAM and objectives of the workshop, shed light on the future research priorities comprising preparation of agro-climatic atlas of India, weather-based decision support system, and research backstopping for improving agromet advisories. Spreading a network of 25 regular and five voluntary centres, covering 21 states and one UT of India, the AICPRAM has developed micro-level agromet advisory services and prepared state-wide agro-climatic atlases and agro-meteorological information, he informed the climate experts.

Earlier Dr PK Khingra, Head, Department of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Change, observed that ups and downs in weather were adding to the woes of the farmers and their farms, thus, leading to socio-economic uncertainties. It was vital to combat climate and economic volatility for the food-secure future of the nation, she added.

At the meet, four publications relating to Annual Report on Agro-Meteorology, Broad Spectrum of Climate Change in Assam, Climate Change in West Bengal, and 40 Years’ Achievements of Ludhiana AICRP Centre, were released on the occasion.

A brainstorming session, presenting the guidelines for the prevention and management of cold waves, heat waves and hailstorms in agriculture, was also held today.