On March 29 and 30, a team from the Norwegian Embassy visited the Resilience project sites in Ganjam and Cuttack, Odisha. The team were: Ms Beate Langest, Counsellor at the Norwegian Embassy, Dr Udaya Sekhar Nagothu, Funding partner and Project Coordinator, and Ms Katrine, Communication officer NIBIO, Norway, and Mr Suresh Mathavan, Advisor at the Norwegian Embassy. They were accompanied by project partners M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Odisha University of Agricultural Technology (OUAT), National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), and International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

A farmers’ interaction and feedback meeting was organised in Chikarada village, and around 100 farmers (70 women) and stakeholders participated. The team interacted with the farmers and got a sense of the climate-smart technologies adopted by them, while also observing how solar sprayers, solar pumpsets, solar traps, and solar-powered wild boar prevention techniques are used. The Plant Clinic model was demonstrated to show the visitors how farmers are assisted to overcome climate change challenges while adopting agricultural practices for better yield and income. During engagement sessions with farmers, training modules on tomato value-added products and enhanced finger millet farming techniques developed by MSSRF were released.

The team visited the Village Knowledge Centre (VKC) and interacted with its members. Dr R. Rajkumar, Principal Scientist, MSSRF, and Mr Rabindra Behara, field coordinator, described activities at the VKC. So far, 4200 farmers have visited the VKC for advisories and guidance on agriculture, animal husbandry, health and nutrition, also information on Government entitlements. The team commended the VKC’s work and proposed leveraging ICT technologies to link farmers beyond the project village, improve VKC’s sustainability, and strengthen partnerships with other stakeholders, including line departments. The visit was an opportunity to demonstrate outcomes from the Resilience project and the VKC’s role in disseminating information to farmers.