In a significant push towards modernizing agriculture, the Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) in Sabour has rolled out an innovative, AI-powered weather forecasting service. This initiative, delivered through daily video bulletins, is designed to equip farmers with precise, localized weather data and actionable farming guidance to combat climate uncertainties.
Harnessing AI for Smarter Farming Decisions
Supervised by BAU Vice Chancellor D R Singh, the new service aims to transform how farmers in the Bhagalpur region plan their activities. The AI-based forecasts provide detailed parameters including rainfall predictions, temperature trends, cloud cover, humidity levels, and wind speed and direction. This granular data forms the basis for tailored advice on critical farm operations.
Farmers can now receive science-backed recommendations on the optimal time for applying fertilizers, scheduling irrigation, controlling pests and diseases, and planning harvest and storage activities. The service is not limited to crop cultivation; it also extends benefits to ancillary sectors like fisheries, animal husbandry, and poultry, creating a holistic support system for the rural economy.
Reaching Farmers Through FM and Digital Channels
The AI-driven agro-advisory bulletins are already being broadcast to the farming community. Ishwar Chandra, in-charge of the Community Radio Station (CRS), confirmed that the forecasts have been airing for the past 2–3 days on BAU’s FM Green channel. This accessible medium ensures that vital information reaches farmers directly, helping them adopt climate-smart practices and formulate effective contingency plans against adverse weather.
The initiative is poised to make a substantial impact on the ground. It is expected to directly assist over 92,000 cultivators and nearly 2 lakh agricultural workers across the region. The advisory support covers a wide range of crops, including staple cereals like rice (including the local Katarni variety), wheat, and maize, as well as pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, horticultural crops such as mango, litchi, and banana, and seasonal vegetables and commercial flowers.
A Step Towards Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Vice Chancellor D R Singh emphasized that the core objective of this AI initiative is to empower farmers, whose primary livelihood depends on agriculture, by enabling confident planning and better risk management. By providing timely and accurate weather updates coupled with practical farming guidance, BAU Sabour is actively working to make agricultural practices more climate-friendly and sustainable.
This move marks a critical integration of cutting-edge technology with traditional farming, positioning the farmers of Bihar to navigate the challenges of climate change with data-driven resilience and improved productivity.
