Space technology to aid in selection of areas in Meghalaya to cultivate boro rice, which is sown in winter and harvested in spring/summer.
Boro refers to a special type of rice cultivation on residual or stored water in low-lying areas after the harvest of kharif (winter) rice. Space technology has zoomed in on potential stretches and offered a bird’s eye view of tracts best suited for growing boro rice.
This will help bridge the demand-supply gap in Meghalaya, where 81 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture but the net cropped area is proportionately quite less: only about 10 per cent of the total geographical area of the state, reports The Assam Tribune.
So, to identify areas for expansion of boro rice in Meghalaya, the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) at the request of the Meghalaya’s Directorate of Agriculture, tapped into a suite of geospatial technologies.
These technologies such as remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems are a range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of a range of data about people, such as population, income, or education level and also about landscapes.
The move to expand area of rice grown in the boro season comes under the Meghalaya State Rice Mission (MSRM) aimed at narrowing the gap between rice production and consumption by doubling the production of rice – a major staple food of the north-eastern state, accounting for over 80 percent of the foodgrain production.