The Hindu Business Line : Icrisat, TeNeT to set up rural kiosks to gather Met data

INTERNATIONAL Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) will collaborate with the Telecommunications and Computer Networking (TeNeT) Group of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, to establish a new system to gather weather data from rural India and provide agricultural advisories to dry land farmers.

The TeNeT Group, led by Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, has set up more than 1,000 rural information kiosks with the participation of private companies and non-Government organisations. These kiosks linked to information hubs through the wireless in local loop technology.

It is proposed to use Icrisat's technical expertise to the network of rural information kiosks and personnel created by the TeNeT in rural areas. To start with, Icrisat will work with the Group in Tamil Nadu.

Icrisat will help TeNeT identify and source cost-effective weather probes that can continuously feed data on temperature, humidity and rainfall to a computer at the rural information kiosks. This data can be easily accessed and compiled at the information hubs, according to an Icrisat press release.

The modalities of the collaboration were worked out a workshop held recently. The Icrisat Director-General, Dr William Dar, said: "The project will bring the three strands of information and communication technology, open and distance learning and agricultural research".

At the workshop, experts suggested that special programmes on weather, water, crop and livestock management should be designed for the para-professionals managing the kiosks. Dr Nachiket Mor, Executive Director of ICICI Bank, said private banks are faced with an emerging need to enter agri-extension to protect their investments.

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