ISRO took important steps for the farmers of drought affected areas

There is good news for farmers in the drought-affected areas. NITI Aayog has released a new Bhuvan-based portal using data from ISRO satellites to promote agroforestry across India. 

According to ISRO, the portal allows universal access to district-level data identifying land suitable for agroforestry. In preliminary assessments, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan have emerged as the largest states for agroforestry suitability.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in collaboration with NITI Aayog, has prepared a plan to make India's barren areas greener. Forest cover in India will be improved through satellite data and agroforestry. 

Under the scheme, thematic geospatial data such as wastelands, land use land cover, water bodies, soil organic carbon and slope are being collected to establish the Agroforestry Suitability Index (ASI) through satellite data available on ISRO's Geoportal Bhuvan.

In preliminary assessments, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan have emerged as the largest states for agroforestry suitability. According to the information, NITI Aayog has released Bhuvan-based Grow-Portal on February 12. 

Called Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW), the portal is exploring the possibilities of greening and rejuvenation of wastelands along with agroforestry in the country.

Also read : 1277 farmers register on portal for natural farming in Khandwa

Through this portal, state and district-level agro-forestry data is available to all. This data also invites agribusinesses, NGOs, start-ups and researchers for initiatives in this area. 

"An analysis revealed that about 6.18 per cent and 4.91 per cent of India's land is highly and moderately suitable for agroforestry, respectively. 

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana emerged as the top large-sized states for agroforestry suitability, while Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland ranked highest among medium-sized states.”

According to NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand, agroforestry can help India reduce imports of wood products, address climate change through carbon sequestration and promote optimal land use. 

Through agroforestry, fallow and barren lands can be converted to make them productive.

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