In Assam, farming is the principal means of livelihood involving more than seventy percent of the population. Agriculture in the State is a combination of peasant and tenant farming, where the majority of the farmers belong to marginal (62.2%) and small (20.9%) categories. Rice, being a staple food, is an important crop for the millions of people in the state. However, the productivity of rice-based systems in this region is low, mainly because of prevalent biotic and abiotic stresses due to rainfed farming. Out of the total 2.5 million ha rice area of the State, about 0.8 and 0.2 million ha are frequently affected by flood and drought, respectively. Rice production in these stressed regions is not only low but also fragile. Farmers in these areas use little inputs for fear of losing not only crop but also inputs, in case of flood and/or drought occurrence, further adding to low productivity and profitability. Besides, farmers of the region are also affected by the rising scarcity and cost of labor, high production-cost and change in climate. Enormous potential exists in these challenging and fragile environments to bridge the yield gaps and improve the income and livelihood of small and marginal farming communities by appropriate technological solutions.
IRRI is providing technical assistance to the Department of Agriculture--Agricultural Technology Management Agency (DoA-ATMA) and Assam Agricultural University (AAU) for implementation of the World Bank-funded, Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) in Assam. The project aims for ‘Increasing productivity and profitability of small and marginal farmers in rice-based cropping systems’.
On March 16, 2018 the project agreement was signed between Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services (ARIAS) Society and IRRI for achieving the following objectives:
Strengthening seed systems and adoption of high-yielding stress-tolerant rice varieties
Raising productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiencies of rice-based cropping systems in Assam through improved crop- and natural resource management, and scale-appropriate mechanization.
Strengthening post-harvest management by introducing improved practices, including post-harvest mechanization and supporting a service-economy to reduce losses, increase efficiency and profitability, and improve the rice value-chain.
Developing extrapolation domain (Identifying geographical areas by Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing) of cropping systems for efficient targeting of technologies in low-productivity rice-fallows and stress-prone areas
Developing knowledge materials, fostering strategic partnerships and capacity development of the various stakeholders (public, private and developmental partners) of extension functionaries in Assam.
Accelerated varietal adoption rates for increased impact in the form of better resilience against climatic stresses and improved food security. Through targeted awareness-raising, across multiple stakeholders in the seed value chain, a better varietal and seed replacement rate in the region is expected to be achieved.
Ensured access, production and supply of quality seed of introduced Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties (STRVs) through strengthened formal, informal and semi-formal seed systems in the State.
Increased productivity and profitability of rice-based cropping systems in Assam with the introduction of high yielding rice varieties in conformance with best management practices like seed treatment, healthy nursery management, integrated nutrient-pest-weed-management and water management.
Addressed cost and availability of labor through the alternative resource-efficient crop-establishment methods, such as mechanical transplanting of rice, and wet and dry Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR).
Accelerated and intensified impact of knowledge availability and dissemination across the region with the Rice Knowledge Bank (RKB) for Assam in multiple Indian languages including, Assamese, Bodo, Bengali and English, with ready-to-use content in-line with the IRRI’s globally established Rice Knowledge Bank.
Improved harvesting, threshing, drying, storage and post-harvest management practices by rice farmers in Assam.
Supporting the creation of more opportunities for entrepreneurship, suited to the local agricultural landscape of Assam.
Establishing a ready-to-use spatial database and knowledge base of extrapolation domain maps targeting improved technologies (cultivars and cropping systems) in low-productivity rice-fallow areas and stress-prone cropping areas.
Developing web-based GIS for enabling open access of spatial databases to key stakeholders for a wider usage of the knowledge base for targeting technologies in site-specific situations.
Jorhat, PIN - 785013 Assam