Tool to help farmers prepare for climate change launched

The free online tool will help farmers plan their activities based on climatic conditions. It will be developed into an application later

To combat the risks and challenges of climate change, the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with the National Agro Foundation (NAF) has developed a free online tool to help farmers plan their activities based on climatic conditions, both regionally and internationally.

Through AgriAdapt, farmers can understand the conditions that impact their facilities to make more informed business decisions. The tool comes at a time when food production is forced to keep up with population growth. A beta version of the tool was launched on Tuesday. It was followed by a training session to explain its nuances to on-field users and value-chain stakeholders.

At present, AgriAdapt can be accessed through a website. It will be developed into an application later. “The aim of this project is to orient farmers towards potential changes in climate and stabilise their operations,” said Ramasubramaniyan, Executive Director, NAF.

According to a press release, AgriAdapt communicates its data to farmers through maps in the regional language, which allow customised analysis by each user. The maps allow users to visualise and overlay dozens of scientific datasets with a single click, and by just clicking on a specific region, the user gets information on its climate and conditions. A Multi-Location Analysis Tool presents risk, exposure and vulnerability indicators by selecting multiple locations and getting aggregated results.

“Most of the data is derived from satellites and international organisations, who collect information on climate and land suitability,” Tea Tüür, Project Manager, WRI’s Data Lab said, adding that what starts as a low-resolution global dataset is downscaled by WRI data experts to provide concise localised information.

AgriAdapt‘s beta version targets three crops, which are important commodities globally — rice in Tamil Nadu, cotton in Andhra Pradesh and coffee in Colombia. The tool provides information on how the value-chains of these crops can be impacted by climate change.

“By using this tool, we are in a position to make more precise predictions for businesses and ensure that farmers are taken care of,” said T. Venkatakrishna, Chief General Manager, NABARD.