Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (27 May 2026) - As rice farming continues to face climate risks, water scarcity, and labor costs, scaling the adoption of climate-smart technologies has become increasingly more urgent to safeguard livelihoods and strengthen farmer resilience.

The IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project (UPDASP) and the Department of Agriculture, facilitated a field day at village Ghosila of Sewapuri block in Varanasi district, showcasing mechanized Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and other sustainable rice cultivation practices.

These efforts were conducted under the World Bank-supported Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening (UPAGREES) project implemented by UPDASP, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Field Demonstration on DSR Technologies

The field day showcased UPAGREES project interventions on climate-resilient rice-based cropping systems for the kharif 2026 season, particularly the DSR cluster demonstration in the Ghosila village of Sewapuri block in the Varanasi district.

Dr. R. K. Malik, ISARC Senior Consultant briefed participants on initial activities under the cluster demonstrations of the UPAGREES project, including live demonstrations of DSR focusing on field preparation using laser land levelling and mechanized DSR sowing operations aimed at improving water-use efficiency, reducing labor dependency and cultivation costs, and promoting sustainable rice cultivation practices.

While addressing the farmers, Dr. L. B. Yadav, ADA (Rice), Agriculture Department highlights how the UPAGREES program helps in promoting modern, sustainable, and climate-resilient farming practices across Uttar Pradesh through technologies such as DSR. He further stated that the Department of Agriculture has digitized all its services and encouraged farmers to apply and avail of the various services and benefits offered by the department online.

Echoing this, Dr. V. P. Singh, Agriculture Expert, UPDASP shared that the UPAGREES project aims to enhance farm productivity and reduce cost of cultivation through modern technologies, improved crop management, and scientific guidance. If productivity is increased and cost is reduced, farmers’ incomes will increase.  He encouraged farmers to adopt these technologies and leverage the benefits.

“The project is bringing world-class agricultural technologies to farmers in a simple and practical manner to help increase productivity and reduce cultivation costs,” said Dr. Vikas Kumar Singh, ISARC Interim Director. He added that advanced rice varieties, including drought- and flood-tolerant, with high-zinc and low glycemic index, are also being developed to benefit both farmers and consumers.

Meanwhile, Dr. Vikram Patil, IRRI-UPAGREES Project Lead, highlighted IRRI’s role as a knowledge partner, particularly in providing technical support on improved technologies and varieties, training and capacity building, and hands-on support for the adoption of different climate-smart agricultural practices.

During the interactions, farmers were encouraged to adopt technologies such as DSR, laser land levelling, mechanized crop establishment methods, and adoption of improved and resilient, low input responsive rice varieties for water saving, better climate adaptability and resource use efficiency, sustainable crop production, and higher farm income.

Rice-nursery demo kits were also distributed among the farmers to promote the adoption of improved rice varieties and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

The UPDASP team also visited Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Varanasi and interacted with its scientists regarding the activities being undertaken at KVK mainly on institutional convergence, farmer outreach, and capacity-building for wider dissemination of sustainable rice production technologies.

Mr. Amit Jaiswal, (DDA), concluded the field day by expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, officials, scientists, and farmers for their active participation and support in making the programme successful.

The event was graced by Chief Guest Dr. L. B. Yadav, ADA (Rice), Agriculture Department; Guest of Honour Dr. V. P. Singh, Senior Agriculture Expert, UPDASP; Dr. Vikas Kumar Singh, Interim Director, ISARC; Dr. Swati Nayak, Interim Country Manager; Dr. Vikram Patil, Project Lead; Mr. Shailendra Kumar (JDA); Mr. Amit Jaiswal (DDA); Dr. Naveen Singh Senior Scientist & Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Varanasi; Mr. Sangam Singh District Agriculture Officer; Mr. Rajesh Singh, Block Development Officer of Sewapuri; IRRI scientists Dr. Panneer, Dr. Anthony, Dr. Suryakant Khandai, Dr. Ashish Srivastava, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Vivek Kumar and Dr. Deiveegan; other officials from Agriculture Department, Teghbahadhur, progressive farmer and village lead; and other men and women farmers.