Nuapada to be Developed as a Climate-Resilient Agriculture Laboratory: District-Level Kharif Planning Workshop Held

Nuapada, July 8: With the objective of strengthening climate-resilient agriculture and preparing farmers to effectively cope with climate change-induced uncertainties during the upcoming Kharif season, a District-Level Climate Outlook Forum and Kharif Seasonal Planning Workshop was organised under the ADAPT4R (Adaptation for Resilience) project at Sadbhavana Sabhagruha on Tuesday. The workshop was chaired by Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash. Addressing the gathering, the Collector stated that Nuapada will be developed as a “Laboratory for Climate-Resilient Agriculture.” He stressed the need for integrated efforts among various departments to promote sustainable and profitable farming practices through the use of organic manure, water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation, and climate-smart agricultural interventions. Divisional Forest Officer and ADAPT4R District Nodal Officer Aziz Khan said the project aims to safeguard farmers from climate-related uncertainties and make agriculture more resilient ahead of the Kharif season. He emphasised that close coordination among different departments would be the key to transforming Nuapada into a model district for climate resilience. Junior Agrometeorologist Tapas Panigrahi from the Regional Meteorological Centre presented a detailed seasonal rainfall and monsoon forecast. He also highlighted how agriculture and allied departments could undertake timely preparedness measures based on weather predictions. Representatives from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Nuapada, the project’s technical partner, shared information on climate-resilient farming technologies, farmer training programmes, modern agricultural advisory services, and awareness initiatives aimed at improving farmers’ adaptive capacity. The workshop featured detailed discussions on weather-based crop planning, coordinated action among agriculture, allied sectors, forestry, water resources, and other line departments. Participants also prepared a joint action plan to ensure timely dissemination of weather information to farmers and minimise the impact of climate-related risks on agriculture. Among those present were Additional District Magistrate (General) Subash Chandra Rait, Chief Development Officer-cum-CEO, Zilla Parishad Lambodar Dharua, Sub-Collector Surmi Soren, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Sameer Sahu, Block Development Officers, district-level officials, representatives of agriculture and allied departments, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and the World Food Programme (WFP). It is noteworthy that ADAPT4R (Adaptation for Resilience) is a five-year project being implemented initially in Nuapada district. The project primarily aims to enhance the climate resilience of vulnerable farming communities, with a special focus on empowering women farmers to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.