Dimapur: The on-going Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) project at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Nagaland Centre has reached a very large section of the farming community in almost all the districts of Nagaland. ICAR Nagaland Centre has been providing various services through this project to the rural mass and in particular to the farming community, like agro-advisories, bulletins, meteorological data etc.
To review the functioning and receive feedback from the farmers about the project, field visits, expert-farmers interactions and awareness programmes are conducted time to time at different locations. Likewise, day long awareness programme was conducted under the project at Dhasiripar village and Dhomokia village under Dimapur district. KMAS – Kisan Mobile Advisory Service an initiative under GKMS provides location – specific and crop, livestock specific farm advisory services to the farming community. It improves farmers’ decision making ability so that they may increase their production and productivity. Altogether 67 farmers had participated in the programme, wherein they were told and demonstrated use of the KMAS. Farmers were encouraged to utilize the service to overcome the vagaries of climate, prevent crop failures, yield loss and for betterment of their livelihood.
Sessions began with brief introduction about the project and KMAS by Imtisenla Walling, Technical Officer (GKMS). She highlighted the usefulness and benefit of KMAS, mentioning that the services will help farmers not only increasing productions but also reducing losses due to changing weather patterns and other associated problems. Dr. Ebibeni, SMS, KVK Dimapur, delivered talk on the impact of climate change on livestock and their mitigation strategies. Hifzul Hoque, SRF, NICRA explained about the role of weather in relation to crop diseases. Organic remedial measures were suggested to the problems faced by the farmers for managing crop pests and diseases. Apong, SRF. NICRA and Masters in Extension, facilitated discussions between the farmers and the experts by focusing and prioritizing the actual problems faced by the farmers in these villages.
