Assam hosts 2nd monsoon forum to boost climate-smart farming

Staff reporter

Guwahati: In a concerted push towards climate-resilient farming and weather-based planning, the second edition of the Assam State Monsoon Forum was held. The event was jointly organized by the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Government of Assam, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP).

Bringing together stakeholders from agriculture, disaster management, water resources, and allied sectors, the forum aimed to enhance the delivery and use of climate information for vulnerable farming communities—particularly women and smallholder farmers.

The initiative is part of the ENACT project (Enhancing Climate Adaptation of Vulnerable Communities through Nature-based Solutions and Gender-Transformative Approaches in Assam), supported by the Government of Norway and globally promoted by the World Meteorological Organization.

“This platform must be institutionalized and held annually ahead of the monsoon. It empowers communities by improving access and utilization of simplified and localised weather data,” said Uday Praveen, Director and Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam. He commended WFP’s bottom-up planning model and its emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices.

WFP India’s Deputy Country Director, Nozomi Hashimoto, highlighted the central role of women farmers in the climate adaptation process. “We are proud to work with the Assam Government. The Monsoon Forums and Last Mile Climate Services empower women with timely and actionable information,” she said.

Dr. K. N. Mohan, Head of IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati, presented the seasonal outlook for the 2025 South-west Monsoon and reviewed climatic trends over the past year. He stressed the IMD’s commitment to improving forecast precision and accessibility in collaboration with sectoral partners.

A dedicated session on LMCS (Last Mile Climate Services) showcased WFP’s efforts to simplify, localize, and disseminate climate advisories using tools like Seasonal Livelihood Mapping and community-level climate forums.

Senior officials including Tej Prasad Bhusal, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Sanjay Kumar Chetia, Director of Research (Agri), Assam Agricultural University, underscored the importance of extending climate-smart tools and technologies to grassroots users.

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