Usage of Agromet Advisory Services among the Farmers of Y.S.R District of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Weather is one of the most important factors determining the success or failure of agricultural production. It affects every phase of the growth and development of a plant. Extreme weather events like heavy rains, cyclones, heat waves, cold waves, drought, etc cause considerable loss in crop production every year. Because of the above, Agrometeorological Advisory Services (AAS) are being rendered by India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS). Under this scheme weather information-based, crop/livestock management strategies and operations are dedicated to enhancing crop production and food security. To understand the response of the farmers about weather based weather-based advisories disseminated through mobile phones a survey was conducted by the District Agromet Unit (DAMU) by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Utukur, Andhra Pradesh. A sample size of 200 respondents was selected by employing a proportionate random sampling method. Among the farmers surveyed, the majority of the farmers fully adopted harvesting practices (87.5 %) followed by pest, disease management, and irrigation management practices. Nearly half of the farmers followed nursery management, selection of varieties, and post-harvest management practices. Farmers had a medium level of information processing (47.0 %), storage (60.0 %), and sharing (52.5 %) behaviour.