The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate IMD’s agro-meteorological information with DiCRA (Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture), an open-source digital platform supported by NABARD and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The partnership is aimed at making reliable weather information more accessible and useful for farmers, financial institutions, policymakers and researchers across the country.
The MoU was signed by Sanjeev D. Rohilla, Chief General Manager, Department of Climate Action and Sustainability, NABARD, and Bikram Singh, Scientist-G and Head, Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai, IMD. The signing ceremony was attended by Dr Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, senior officials from both organisations and representatives of partner institutions.
As part of the agreement, IMD will provide a range of weather and agro-meteorological products through DiCRA. These will include district- and block-level weather forecasts, agrometeorological advisories, ground-based observations and weather alerts. The information will be brought together through a dedicated Weather Portal within DiCRA, alongside existing geospatial information covering soil moisture, vegetation health, crop conditions and climate vulnerability.
The integration is expected to help users move from raw weather information to practical, location-specific insights. Farmers can use timely forecasts and advisories to support decisions related to crop management and weather risks, while financial institutions and field teams can use climate information to strengthen risk assessment and rural financing decisions.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman, NABARD, said climate risk needs to be considered as part of development and financing decisions. He highlighted the importance of converting available information into intelligence that can support timely action and said the partnership between NABARD and IMD could help strengthen both rural livelihoods and climate-resilient finance.
Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, noted that improvements in forecasting have significantly enhanced the accuracy and reach of weather information in recent years. He emphasised the importance of ensuring that forecasts reach farmers in a timely and usable form, particularly at the local level.
NABARD will leverage DiCRA’s open APIs and data infrastructure to make IMD’s weather products available in formats suited to different users. The information will be accessible through the DiCRA web platform, mobile interface and API-based integrations. District advisories, seasonal risk alerts and weather-linked vulnerability assessments will also support researchers, policymakers, credit officers and field personnel. The collaboration further strengthens the Weather Portal being developed within DiCRA and marks a step towards wider use of weather intelligence in climate-resilient agriculture and rural finance.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is India’s apex development financial institution for agriculture and rural development. Established on July 12, 1982, through an Act of Parliament, NABARD works to promote sustainable and equitable rural development through financial and non-financial interventions, innovation, technology and institutional development.
Established in 1875, the India Meteorological Department is India’s national meteorological service and operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. IMD provides weather and climate services, forecasts, warnings and agrometeorological advisories for agriculture, water resources, aviation and disaster management.
Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) is a Digital Public Good offering open access to geospatial datasets and analytics supporting climate-resilient agriculture. Developed through UNDP’s Accelerator Lab India and its wider partner ecosystem, DiCRA was recognised as a Digital Public Good in 2022. NABARD hosts and maintains the platform under its partnership with UNDP.
