National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate weather and climate information into DiCRA (Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture).
The partnership will make timely weather information available to farmers, financial institutions, policymakers and researchers, helping them take better decisions related to agriculture, rural finance and climate risks.
Weather Information Through DiCRA
Under the agreement, IMD will provide through DiCRA:
- District- and block-level weather forecasts
- Agrometeorological advisories
- Weather alerts
- Seasonal risk information
- Weather observations
This information will be accessible through a dedicated Weather Portal and will complement DiCRA’s existing datasets on soil moisture, crop conditions, vegetation health and climate vulnerability.
NABARD will use DiCRA’s digital infrastructure and open APIs to make this information available through its web portal, mobile interface and other digital platforms.
Benefits for Farmers and Rural Finance
The initiative will help farmers make better decisions regarding agricultural activities based on expected weather and climate conditions.
The data can also help financial institutions and credit officers assess climate-related agricultural risks and make more informed lending and credit decisions.
What is DiCRA?
Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) is a collaborative digital public good providing open access to important geospatial datasets for climate-resilient agriculture.
Key features:
- Curated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and partner organisations.
- Provides climate-resilience intelligence covering around 50 million hectares of farmland in India.
- Follows digital public good principles of open access, open software, open code and open APIs.
- Uses data science and machine learning to identify farms that are relatively resilient to climate change as well as those highly vulnerable to it.
NABARD
NABARD is India’s apex development financial institution for agriculture and rural development.
- Established: 12 July 1982
- Legal basis: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981
- Ownership: Wholly owned by the Government of India
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Origin: Established following the recommendations of the B. Sivaraman Committee (CRAFICARD)
Major Functions of NABARD
- Provides credit and refinance support to institutions financing rural and agricultural activities, including RRBs, cooperative banks and commercial banks.
- Performs an apex supervisory role over Regional Rural Banks, State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks.
- Promotes microfinance, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and rural infrastructure through initiatives such as the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
- Advises the RBI and Central Government on agricultural credit and rural development policies.