Guwahati: A two-day field visit reviewed Assam’s efforts to promote climate-resilient agriculture under the Norway-funded UPSCALE-INDIA Project.Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat, organised the visit to project sites in Nagaon and Darrang on Sept 14 and 15. The visiting team included Arvinn Gadgil, deputy head of mission, Royal Norwegian Embassy, New Delhi; Gauri Bandekar, an adviser at the embassy; Dr Uday Shekhar Nagothu, director, CID-NIBIO, Norway; and Dr R Rajkumar, principal scientist, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.The team reviewed interventions including smart seed production of climate-resilient rice varieties, integrated farming systems, and integrated pest and disease management. The project promotes judicious pesticide use, sustainable crop protection and timely, need-based agro-climatic advisories through information and communication technology-based tools.The visits also focused on strengthening agricultural value chains from production to marketing. Initiatives included promoting the purple rice variety Labanya to improve production, market linkages and farmers’ income opportunities.Led by Dr Sanjay Kumar Chetia, director of research (agriculture), AAU, the project brings together NIBIO, MSSRF, OUAT, ICAR-NRRI and AAU.The collaboration, ongoing since 2018, focuses on food security and climate-resilient agriculture. The programme concluded with a stakeholders’ meeting in Guwahati on Sept 16, attended by Madhu Sudan Nath, secretary to Assam govt.
