The Bhutanese farming system is predominantly rain-fed and is highly sensitive to climate variability and extreme weather events triggered by climate change. Changing rainfall patterns and climate related hazards pose high risks to the farming communities. Farmers frequently experience crop losses due to droughts, windstorms, hailstorms, disease outbreaks and erratic summer monsoon. Such crop losses to these elements could be adapted and mitigated through effective agro-meteorology services.
As a result, the Agro-meteorology Program was formally instituted under the Agriculture Research and Innovation Division (ARID) of the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in 2019. Agrometeorology in general deals with meteorology, hydrology, pedology and biological factors that influence agricultural production as well as the interaction between agriculture and environment.
The program will mainly collaborate with the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) and other relevant stakeholders in providing weather and climate services to farmers to promote sustainable agriculture development, increase crop productivity and contribute to household food security.
The (NCHM) is the nodal agency to generate and maintain weather data and provide weather and climate services. However, weather data and forecasts generated by NCHM is generic and is of limited use to the agriculture sector as the data is not converted to usable form to provide timely agriculture related weather advisory services to the farming communities. Translating weather/climate information for location specific agriculture needs, communicating and disseminating them to the farming communities is necessary. As a result, the agro-meteorology program was established with the specific goal of tackling the aforementioned objective. Its purpose is to not only address this need but also to foster the development of a sustainable and economically viable farming system that can thrive amidst a changing climate.
For details please visit;
www.agromet.gov.bt
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