AdaptNET

Farmers’ Awareness Workshop (Nov 23, 2021 – Dec 2, 2021)

The DBT-North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology, AAU, Jorhat joins Kristir Kothia to reach the farmers’ fields at Majuli

A farmers’ awareness workshop was organised by the DBT-North East Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology, AAU, Jorhat, on November 23, 2021 in association with the NGO Kristir Kothia. The Director, DBT-NECAB, Prof. B K Sarmah appreciated the NGO Kristir Kothia for initiating the programme involving thirty women farmers at Bijoy Chapori, Majuli from Nov 23, 2021 – Dec 2, 2021 covering integrated farming towards climate-resilience under ERASMUS+ AdaptNET project, funded by the EACEA of the European Commission. The ten-day workshop was designed to discuss the impacts of climate change and the need for climate-resilient agricultural practices. The workshop began with an introductory lecture on climate change highlighting the stark evidence in Majuli. As arranged by Kristir Kothia, the subsequent classes dealt with scientific methodologies for starting duck and poultry farming, piggery and hatcheries for added income.

Reaching Majuli is a challenge due to lack of proper transportation facilities. The river island, Majuli, suffers from continual soil erosion and frequent floods which challenge the implementation of any project. The farmers of Bijoy Chapori, informed that no workshops or training was conducted before and expressed their willingness to participate in similar events in the future. They also sought the help of the scientific community to help them tackle the problem of rising incidences of pests in their horticultural fields. The biopesticides developed under the DBT-NECAB were provided to the farmers and their feedback will be collected after the trial period. A farmer database for agro-advisory is being developed at the Centre to follow up and continue the association with the farmer groups.

Dr. Moloya Gohain, Project Scientist from DBT-NECAB, communicated with the farmers and assessed their awareness of climate change and the impacts in the region. Dr. Gohain is also one of the master trainers trained under the ERASMUS+ AdaptNET project for strengthening climate-smart agriculture in India.

AdaptNET Webcon 2021 (July 28, 2021)

The AdaptNET webcon on Climate-Smart Technologies for Agriculture and Industry: Challenges and Prospects funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission was jointly organized by E-labs of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, University of Agricultural Sciences Dharwad (UASD) and Tezpur University (TEZU) with the European partners of AdaptNet programme and coordinated by the DBT-North East centre for Agricultural Biotechnology, Assam Agricultural university, Jorhat on July 28, 2021.

Press Release AdaptNET Webcon

European Commission funded Webcon on "climate resilient agriculture" at AAU, Jorhat

An International webcon on Climate-Smart Technologies for Agriculture and Industry: Challenges and Prospects funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission was jointly organized by E-labs of Assam.

Agricultural University, Jorhat, University of Agricultural Sciences Dharwad (UASD) and Tezpur University (TEZU) with the European partners of AdaptNet programme and coordinated by the DBT-North East centre for Agricultural Biotechnology, Assam Agricultural university, Jorhat on July 28. Inaugurating the webcon, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and the chief guest of the webcon Dr Bidyut Chandan Deka emphasised on the need to utilize the positive aspects of Climate Change and mine the potential of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK).

Earlier, the Indian Coordinator of AdaptNET, Dr. B. K. Sarmah, Director DBT-NECAB welcomed the Chief Guest, the European Coordinator of AdaptNET, Dr. Andreas Voloudakis from Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, dignitaries, partners in India and Europe and participants and media persons. Dr. Sarmah informed that under the AdaptNET twenty-nine scientists from India trained in Europe designed courses on climate smart agriculture and served as “master trainers'' in the e-learning labs and 16 Indian students are scheduled to visit Europe post pandemic relaxations. It was highlighted that the Webcon was aimed to sketch a roadmap to translate climate-smartness at the farmers’ level in collaboration with startups and NGOs besides scientific institutions in an interdisciplinary manner. In his remarks, the European coordinator Dr. Voloudakis listed the completed goals of AdaptNET and plans ahead and hoped to visit India for the next AdaptNET meeting scheduled at AAU, Jorhat. The technical sessions were chaired by Dr. Prasanna K Pathak, Director Extension Education AAU, Dr. Debendra C Baruah, PI, AdaptNET, Tezpur University, Dr. I S Katageri, PI, AdaptNET, UASD and Dr. Arup Kumar Sarma, B P Chaliha Chair Professor of Ministry of Water Resources, IITG. Four deliberations were led by eminent national and international experts viz., Dr. Shalander Kumar, ICRISAT, Dr. Dimitrios Voloudakis, Academy of Athens, Greece, Dr. Carlo Pozzi, University of Milano, Italy, Dr. Dionissios Kalivas, Agricultural University of Athens on topics ranging from socio-economic impacts of Climate Change, management of natural resources & green energy to intervention of precision agriculture, AI, IoT and advanced molecular technologies for climate smart agriculture. A brainstorming session was also hosted where all ideas for sustainability of AdaptNET goals were shared by the scientists trained under AdaptNET, AgSpert Technologies Pvt Ltd (Start-up) and Kristir Kothia (NGO). The ceremony ended with a vote of thanks by the coordinator of the Webcon, Dr. Moloya Gohain, Project Scientist at DBT-NECAB, AAU, Jorhat.