A weeklong training programme (December 16–21) on “Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS for Land Resource Management” organized for 10 officers of Directorate of Agriculture, Jammu, concluded today at the National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), IARI campus, PUSA, New Delhi.
This training programme was conducted under the Capacity Building Component of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), Project 19 (JKSLRI) for the year 2024-25 and sponsored by the Directorate of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare, Jammu, under the Divisional Soil Survey Scheme.
The initiative was carried out under the guidance of Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Production Department, J&K UT and S. A. S. Reen, Director of Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare, Jammu. The valedictory session was presided over by Dr. P.S. Brahamanand, Project Director, WTC IARI New Delhi.
The programme covered various aspects of Remote Sensing and GIS in agriculture, with sessions, practical, and field visits conducted by experts from NBSS&LUP Nagpur, RC Delhi, and other divisions of IARI. Notable resource persons included Dr. G.P. Obi Reddy (Principal Scientist and Head, RSA), Dr. R.N. Sahoo (Principal Scientist, IARI), Dr. Chander Mohan Adhikari (Expert, ESRI India), Dr. Nirmal Kumar (NBSS&LUP Nagpur), Dr. Jaya N. Surya (Head, RC Delhi), and Dr. Vinay Sehgal (PS, IARI). The training also included a field visit for soil profile study, led by Dr. Jaya N. Surya, where officers learned techniques for soil profile characterization.
The Director of Agriculture Jammu addressed the valedictory function via video conference. He expressed his gratitude to Dr. N.G. Patil, Director of NBSS&LUP Nagpur, for approving and facilitating the training programme. He also thanked Dr. P.S. Brahamanand for being the chief guest at the session.
In his address, the Director emphasized the importance of Remote Sensing and GIS technologies in agriculture, particularly in areas such as soil mapping, crop monitoring, yield predictions, water resource management, climate change, and precision agriculture.
He highlighted the need for upskilling officers in these technologies to ensure the department remains at the forefront of agricultural advancements. "I am hopeful that the officers, after attending this training, will be better equipped to utilize these technologies for improved project planning and land resource management, benefiting the farming community," said Director Agriculture.
Additionally, he requested Dr. N.G. Patil, Director of NBSS&LUP Nagpur, to consider a project for Jammu Division for conducting land resource management mapping in collaboration with the Directorate of Agriculture Jammu. He suggested a more detailed mapping scale of 1:10,000 for more effective local-level planning, as previous soil resources mapping conducted between 1985 and 1995 at a scale of 1:250,000 has proven less effective for block and village-level applications.
Director Agriculture also extended his appreciation to Dr. Jaya N. Surya, Head of the NBSS&LUP Regional Centre in Delhi, for successfully conducting the training programme.