India Reviews 50 Years of Northeast Farm Research, Eyes AI and Climate Resilience

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare on Sunday reviewed five decades of agricultural research in India's Northeast, with officials calling for a sharper push on climate-resilient farming, artificial intelligence tools, and better access to markets for small farmers.

The review centred on the work of the ICAR Research Complex for the North Eastern Hill Region and was addressed by Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary, alongside senior scientists and institutional heads.

50 Years of Research — and the Gaps That Remain

ICAR's Northeast complex has spent five decades working through some of the region's most persistent agricultural challenges — shifting cultivation, acidic soils, land degradation, and post-harvest losses.

According to Dr Sandeep Ghatak, the institute's Director, the results have been substantial. Jhum (shifting) cultivation has been reduced by 75 per cent, more than 50 Integrated Farming System models have been developed, and several farmer-friendly digital tools are now in use across the northeastern states.

But Dr Ghatak was clear that the work is far from over. He reiterated the institute's commitment to science-driven innovation and stressed the need to continue supporting farmers' livelihoods across all eight northeastern states.

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The Case for AI in Local Languages

One of the sharper observations of the day came from Dr G. Kadirvel, Director of ATARI Zone-VI, Assam, who argued that AI-based advisory systems need to be built in local languages if they are to be genuinely useful to farmers on the ground.

The point cut to a core problem in agricultural extension work: scientific knowledge often exists in institutions long before it reaches the farmers who need it most. Region-specific, timely, and language-accessible advisories, he argued, could help close that gap.

Minister Calls for Less Chemical Dependency, More Collaboration

Minister Choudhary praised ICAR's contributions but used much of his address to push for a change in direction at the farm level.

He called on farmers to reduce their reliance on chemical fertilisers, pointing out that fertiliser imports place a significant economic burden on the country. Natural farming, he said, needs to become a more mainstream practice across the region.

Choudhary also called for stronger working relationships between scientists and farmers — particularly around the development of crops and techniques suited to a changing climate.

Government Schemes in Focus

The minister outlined several central government programmes he said were directly relevant to the Northeast's agricultural needs.

The Per Drop More Crop scheme was highlighted as a tool for improving water-use efficiency, while the Vocal for Local initiative was framed as a way to build demand for indigenous agricultural produce and reduce import dependency.

Choudhary also flagged the urgent need for better cold storage and post-harvest infrastructure in the region, which he said was critical to reducing food losses and improving what farmers actually earn.

He mentioned a recent government initiative to help farmers market vegetables — including potato, onion, and tomato — across the country, with the government bearing transportation costs to ease market access.

KVKs Getting an Upgrade

Dr A.K. Mohanty, Director of ATARI Zone-VII based in Umiam, highlighted the role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) — the network of farm science centres spread across the region — in disseminating technology and training farmers.

He confirmed that efforts are underway to upgrade all KVKs with modern infrastructure and the latest technologies, with the goal of making them more effective hubs of agricultural support at the district level.