A pilot study was conducted to assess the economic impact of weather forecast-based advisories issued to 15 of the 127 Agrometeorological Advisory Service (AAS) units of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. Six seasons comprising three Kharif (summer) and three Rabi (winter) during 2003–2007 were chosen. The major crops chosen for the study included food grains, oilseeds, cash crops, fruit and vegetable crops. The sample set consisted of 80 farmers, comprising 40 responding and 40 non-responding farmers.
Agriculture in India depends heavily on weather and climate conditions. Weather forecasts are useful for decisions regarding crop choice, crop variety, planting/harvesting dates, and investments in farm inputs such as irrigation, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide etc.
