**2.3 Objectives**

To overcome the climatic constraints interventions under National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) under All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture are being implemented under adaptive strategies for adaption to the climate change effect from 2011 to 2012 to evaluate the technology options for adaptation to the climatic vulnerability through on-farm interventions. The interventions are categorized under two heads viz., real-time contingency planning (RTCP) and preparedness. Under RTCP, interventions are implemented to cope with delayed onset of monsoon, early season/mid-season/terminal drought through the demonstration of proven technologies. As preparedness, interventions are being demonstrated under different themes, such as rainwater management, crops and cropping system, alternate land use, and energy management. With more than 150 participants farmers with the following objectives -.


#### *2.3.1 Real-time contingency plan (RTCP) implementation*

#### *2.3.1.1 Interventions in case of delayed onset of monsoon*

In Assam, the monsoon starts in the first week of June. However, delayed onset of the monsoon was observed in 2011 and 2014 by 15 days and 14 days, respectively, in the village. The villages receive an average rainfall of 400 mm during the pre-monsoon months (March to May). Farmers used to sow the rice seeds in nursery beds depending on the monsoon rainfall. But delay in monsoon affects timely sowing of long-duration rice varieties (more than 150 days) before 15th June. It leads to delay in transplanting and hence affects the production. Farmers were advised to use harvested rainwater in farm ponds during pre-monsoon months to prepare the rice nursery beds in time using water lifting pumps of custom hiring center (CHC). This helped in the timely transplanting of rice seedlings, which facilitated a better establishment, better growth, and better yield of long-duration cultivars as compared to fields of other nearby villages where transplanting was delayed due to delay in sowing. An increase in yield from 12 to 30% has been observed among the rice varieties (*Ranjit, Gitesh, Mahsuri*, etc.) when sown in time (before 15th June) over late sowing conditions (after 20th June).

#### *2.3.1.2 Interventions in case of early season drought*

The villages experienced early season droughts of 14 days, 19 days, 11 days, 21 days, and 8 days in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018, respectively. In 2015, in the month of

August, the NICRA village Chamua received 63% less rainfall than a normal one. The rainfall activities in the month were reduced substantially, and the village experienced two dry spells of 6 (10 to 15 August 2015) and 13 (17 to 29 August) days' duration. The effect of dry spell was not prominent in the case of long and medium duration varieties, which were grown in the lowlands, however, short duration cultivars (*Dishang, Luit*) and farmers' varieties, which were cultivated in the uplands of the village and were at early tillering/PI stage affected considerably. Even rice varieties grown in the medium lands (tillering stage) were affected to some extent. The effect of a dry spell on short-duration varieties grown in the medium land situations was comparatively lower than those grown in the upland situation. As the real-time response, farmers of the village were advised to irrigate short-duration cultivars (*Dishang*), which were in tillering or PI stage with supplemental irrigation of 5 cm depth from harvested rainwater. There is an increase in yield of 59% (*Dishang*) over non-irrigated fields.

### *2.3.1.3 Interventions in case of mid-season drought*

The village experienced a mid-season drought of 12 days, 21 days, and 25 days in 2015, 2016, and 2018, respectively. Though the effect of a dry spell on *Sali* paddy was not very much prominent in lowland, early transplanted short-duration varieties grown in the upland situation (active vegetative, early tillering, and PI stage) were affected considerably. During 2016 and 2018, in the medium land situation, long dry spells affected the PI stage of medium duration varieties. In real-time response, farmers were advised to irrigate (2 cm depth) the crop by harvested rainwater in the farm ponds using water lifting pump from the custom hiring center.
