Hyper-local weather advisory services offered to about 5000 climate-impacted families in Bankura and Purulia, supported by international climate funding agency Adaptation Fund Board, have led to a major turnaround to their livelihood as it reduced the input cost of cultivation by about 35 percent; pointed out a report released in Kolkata on Friday.

The project, the first Indian project to be sanctioned in India under the adaptation fund through NABARD, has been executed by a non-profit DRCSC. “Under the project, we have been developing the adaptive capacities for 5000 climate –impacted families across 40 villages in two of the driest districts in the state of West Bengal, Purulia and Bankura,” said a representative of the organisation.

The report claims that “… 84 percent of the target households are practicing agriculture for at least two seasons now (as compared to only 2 percent in 2015) and 86 percent of the target households do not experience any hunger period (as compared to only 2 percent in 2015)”.

“While no households were practicing fisheries and nutrition gardens before, today 62 percent and 68 percent of the target households practice them respectively. Furthermore, hyperlocal weather advisory services, one of the key interventions in the programme areas, have helped reduce farm input costs by 35 percent among the target households,” further reads the report.

“We are happy with the outcome of the project which is the first one in the country to be sanctioned by the Adaptation Fund Board in 2018; even the adaptation fund experts have also monitored it at ground level. Our challenge is now to explore options to scale it up” said A R Khan, chief general manager of NABARD to this reporter.

“Presently we are the national gatekeeper for 6 projects sanctioned by Adaptation Fund Board and two projects by Green Climate Fund” added Khan.

In the report, several major lessons have been laid out based on findings over the last five years; out of which some key ones are listed;

• Leverage local knowledge of the community supported by IT tools like Geographical Information System
  
  
• Set up hyper-local weather stations, one for about 10 sq km area
• Emphasise switch over to climate resilient farming
• Develop agroforest with multiple kinds of trees
• Encourage revival of traditional grain banks with women in the lead

Clearly the local population are happy. “After I participated in the project, I can now practice farming for thrice in a year even under water scarce conditions, compared to only one (kharif) before,” said Padmabati Mandi from Chingri village in Bankura.