From forecast to farm: Himachal’s agro-advisories empower growers

In Solan, tomato growers are reaping the benefits of adopting weather-based agro-advisories, reporting a 10-12.4% increase in yield and 4.8-10.5% reduction in cultivation costs, with pesticide usage alone reduced by 2.1-14.7%. This success story highlights how the intersection of meteorology, technology and agriculture is transforming farming practices in Himachal Pradesh.

These agro-advisories are proving to be crucial tools for climate resilience and smart agriculture, helping farmers adapt to changing weather patterns. Dr Satish Bhardwaj, Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, emphasises that such services are not only helping farmers increase productivity but also enabling them to access crop insurance benefits more effectively. He adds that scaling up these advisories with improved precision and inclusivity is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger).

Studies by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have shown that timely adoption of such advisories leads to 2-5% cost savings and 10-25% higher yields across various crops, especially perennial fruit crops, which see the highest gains. In Himachal Pradesh, with its diverse agro-climatic zones and dependence on rain-fed horticulture, agro-advisories have proven especially valuable.

Both the state’s agricultural universities — Dr YSP UHF Nauni and CSK HPKV Palampur — collaborate with IMD to issue region-specific advisories through their Agrometeorological Field Units (AMFUs). The state currently has four AMFUs, two under each university. These units provide timely information on frost and fog alerts for apple orchards, rainfall-based sowing plans and pest/disease outbreak predictions. According to Dr Bhardwaj, field-level feedback confirms that farmers who act on these advisories have significantly reduced crop losses due to hailstorms, frost and pest attacks.

To ensure maximum reach, AMFUs use modern ICT tools such as WhatsApp groups, the Meghdoot and Mausam apps. Around 5,000 farmers in Himachal Pradesh receive updates through 50 dedicated WhatsApp groups. Further, dissemination at the grassroots is supported by the State Rural Livelihood Mission via local outreach workers like Krishi and Pashu Sakhis. Regular training sessions are also conducted to help farmers interpret and act upon advisory messages.

Agriculture remains particularly vulnerable to weather variability and agro-advisories offer a science-backed solution. These advisories are based on short (1-2 days), medium (3-7 days), and long-term (seasonal) weather forecasts and cover key farm operations like sowing, irrigation, fertilisation, pest control and harvesting. This allows for proactive planning and efficient resource use.

India’s institutionalised approach through the Agromet Advisory Services (AAS) programme ensures advisories are issued twice a week and reach over 43 million farmers through SMS, mobile apps, print and electronic media. In essence, weather-based agro-advisories are not just helping farmers grow better crops—they are sowing the seeds of resilience, empowering rural communities to thrive amid climate uncertainty.

Himachal Tribune