Frequently Asked Questions 

Project Launching

1.   What is the significance of conducting Launch workshop?

A launch workshop essentially creates awareness among the NICRA villagers and people of surrounding villages. Besides, the district administration and the line departments will come to know about the on-going development initiative. This will create a platform for promoting convergence with the development programmes of other departments.

2.   Can we conduct the Launch workshop at the KVK?

No. Launch workshop should be conducted in the selected NICRA village only.

3.   The project activities have already begun. Is it necessary to conduct the Launch workshop now?

Yes. In that case Launch workshop may be renamed as Convergence and Awareness Workshop.

4.   How to conduct the Launch workshop/Convergence and Awareness Workshop?

The following steps are recommended for organizing Launch/Convergence and Awareness workshop.

• Meet the district collector and inform her/him about the NICRA project
• Take his/her convenient date for organizing the workshop
• Inform your ZPD, Director of Extension of the SAU & NICRA-TDC coordinator of the date of the workshop.
• Inform & invite all the key officials of the district such as Joint Director of Agriculture/animal husbandry/horticulture, Project Director of ATMA, authorities of integrated watershed management programme, NABARD, NGOs of the district.
• It is not possible to get all invited functionaries to attend. Whoever attends, make one the prominent person as Chief guest and proceed with the function.
• Choose a prominent venue in the village where the event can be conducted.
• Arrange for exhibition of the custom hiring equipments near the venue of the event.
• Invite the local press and media to cover the event.
• Work out the detailed programme of the event in consultation with ZPD and DE.
• Keep room for short field visits and community interaction.
• Conduct the event.
• Report the event to the Coordinator along with the press cuttings and photographs.

Installation of Weather Stations

5.     Where to install Automatic Weather Station (AWS)?

  AWS must be installed in the KVK premises.

6.     We are experiencing delay in the installation of AWS. Who should be contacted in this?

 Contact: Dr.VUM Rao, Project Coordinator (Agromet), CRIDA, Hyderabad, phone # 040-24534909,  email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

7.     Where to install Small Weather Station (SWS)?

  SWS should be installed in the NICRA village.

8.     Can we buy equipments for Small Weather Station from any vendor?

  No. The SWS equipment must have been approved by India Meteorological Department (IMD).   These are approved vendors. Please contact Dr.VUM Rao, Project Coordinator (Agromet), CRIDA, Hyderabad, phone # 040-24534909, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who can guide you.

9.     The AWS has been installed. But we are not getting regular data from the AWS.

 It takes a while for installing AWS at all the 100 KVKs. Once the installation is completed, a web  based application through which you can login to get data for your AWS will be enabled. Till then you can contact Dr.VUM Rao (Address as mentioned above) for receiving data for your KVK.

10. KVK already has an automatic weather station. Is it necessary to install small weather station at NICRA village?

  Yes. The Small Weather Station needs to be installed in the selected NICRA village and it is a part of promoting weather literacy among the village community.

Baseline Survey

11.  Is it mandatory to conduct baseline survey?

Yes. It provides a benchmark for assessing the impact of the project.

12.  How is the baseline survey conducted?

Baseline survey is conducted by administering the prescribed format to at least 100 randomly selected households of the NICRA village. 

13.  Is there any format for baseline survey?

Yes. To download the format, click here.

14. Whether baseline survey should be conducted in the KVKs in which M/s.Mott Mc’ Donald is doing/has conducted the survey?

Yes. M/s.Mott Mc’ Donald has been assigned with conducting survey in non NICRA-KVKs. Hence, it is mandatory to all NICRA-KVKs to conduct the survey.

15.  How to report the data collected in baseline survey?

The data collected through baseline survey should be tabulated in the prescribed format. To download the format, click here.

 Determining climate resilient interventions

16.   How to know that a particular intervention is climate resilient?

It is important that the interventions taken up under this project must be justified in terms of their effect in reducing climatic vulnerability of the community. The following questions may be asked to decide about the appropriateness of climate resilient interventions.

• Whether the intervention helps the community to reduce loss due to climate variability?
• Can the impact of the intervention be measured in physical parameters?
• If the answer to the both the question is yes, then such an intervention can be taken up under the project.

17.   What is the order of preference for taking up interventions under technology modules?

NRM interventions followed by crops or livestock interventions depending on the relative    importance of crop or livestock in the selected village. The institutional intervention must get equal priority as of NRM or crops/livestock interventions.

 Project Intervention Modules

NRM Interventions

18.   How to take up NRM interventions like repair of check dams/digging farm ponds etc?

 The following steps may be considered for taking up NRM interventions.

• Discuss with the community to identify defunct/old rainwater harvesting structures.
• Visit the spots with the community and soil & water engineers or irrigation engineers of the panchayat department.
• Prepare and estimate in consultation with the engineers (mentioned above)
• Get the estimate approved by the competent authority and assign the responsibility of completing the task to the community leaders.
• Maintain your supervision on the progress of the work.

19.   What is organic resource inventory?

Organic resource inventory is a record detailing the quantity of various organic resources available  in the village such as crop residues, FYM, green manures, Greenleaf manure, poultry manure, tank silt, sheep manure, household waste/kitchen waste, vermi compost, biofertilizers and many others as listed in the proforma. Click here for the proforma.

20.  How to prepare an organic resource inventory?

Organic resource inventory can be prepared based on village survey. Total acreage in the village, no. of households, crops grown, average yields, harvest index (grain/straw ratio), individual household survey for no. of animals livestock/poultry/sheep etc. Dung availability can be calculated based on the number of livestock present in the village. Multiply the no. of cows/buffalo/poultry/sheep etc. with average dung produced. Similarly, crop residue can be calculated based on average yield of each crop and the acreage under each crop. Green manure/leaf manure can be computed from acreage and average yield/biomass/unit area. Crop residue such as maize cobs, rice husks, remains of crops can be computed based on average crop residue produced by each crop. Tank silt availability can be computed from number of tanks being desilted in a year and number (average) of tractor/ truck loads of silt transported from each tank. This is also related to size of each farm pond. Crop residue availability in each village should be made for both kharif and rabi crops. For vegetable crops also crop residue can be computed based on average biomass remaining after harvest of vegetables. FYM/compost/vermi compost can be computed from village survey with each household of farmers.

21. Is it mandatory to do soil sample analysis?

Yes.

22.  How many samples should be collected for soil sample analysis?

A minimum of 100 samples should be collected.

23. Where are the soil samples collected from?

Soil samples should be collected from a depth of 0-15 cm from the farmers fields. Each sample should be taken from a place which is reference by GPS making use of the GPS.

24. How to geo reference the soil sampling site?

Every soil sample should be collected with GPS reading. GPS means Geo Positioning System (GPS) with longitude and latitude values. This enables to identify the exact field location to study the same located soil after initial sampling, may be after 5 years/10 years.

25. What is the procedure of soil sample collection?

While collecting soil sample from farmer’s fields, about 250 grams of soil should be sampled by using a spade from a depth of 0-15 cm. Each sample should be placed in a polythene bag with proper label inside as well as outside written by water proof pen. Air dry the soil sample and sieve it through 2 mm sieve before sending it for analysis.

26. Is there a format that needs to be filled for soil sample collection?

Yes, there is a format. Please Click here for the format.

27. We don’t have soil analysis lab in the KVK. Where do we get the soil samples analyzed from?

The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) and its Regional Stations located across the country have offered to facilitate the NICRA-KVKs with soil sample analysis. The soil samples are analyzed for both micro and macronutrients on cost basis (1000/sample). Click here for the addresses of the laboratories where you can send your soil samples for analysis.

Crop Production Interventions

28. Whether we need to address/plan interventions for all crops grown by farmers in the NICRA village?

No. You may address 3-4 most important food crops of the region.

29. Whether inputs under NICRA are to be distributed free of cost to the community?

No. This is not a project for input distribution. New inputs like improved seed or any other input required for crop production must be made available to the farmers on cost sharing basis. A minimum of 25% of the cost must be collected from the farmers during the first year; 50% during the second year and 75% during the third year. Money thus collected should be deposited in the bank account of the VCRMC.

Livestock Interventions

30. Can we distribute poultry birds in NICRA village?

No. Unless a new breed of poultry which addresses climatic challenge currently faced by poultry farmers. However, only backyard poultry needs to be promoted and that too on cost sharing basis (at least 50%).

31. Can we distribute goats/sheep in NICRA village?

No. Unless the new breed of goat/sheep has a distinct advantage over the local breed in terms of climate variability challenge. This intervention should be promoted on cost sharing basis only (at least 50%).

     32.   What are the important livestock related interventions to reduce mortality/morbidity and increase   productivity?

The below mentioned interventions may be followed as a thumb rule with refinement/ improvement as required by local conditions.

• Insure the animal as soon as it is procured.
• De-worm the calves and small ruminants regularly.
• Vaccinate for endemic diseases.
• Provide feed supplementation with locally available resources.

For achieving these, regular animal health camps can be used as a platform by involving the local animal husbandry department.

Institutional Interventions

33.  Is it mandatory to form Village Climate Risk Management Committee (VCRMC)?

Yes.

34. How VCRMC should be constituted?

VCRMC must be constituted by including 12-20 members having representation from all sections of the community, particularly women. It will have a President, Secretary and Treasurer either by selection/election.

 35.  Is opening of bank account for VCRMC mandatory?

Yes.

36.  Who should operate the VCRMC bank account?

Any two of the three signatories viz. President, Secretary and Treasurer. Each transaction of money withdrawal must be accompanied by a resolution clearly stating the purpose for which the withdrawn money would be used.

37.  What are the sources of revenue for VCRMC?

Contributions from the village community towards their share of payment for inputs like seeds, fertilizers, animals etc; and the amount collected by renting out custom hiring equipments.

38.  Where the VCRMC is to be located?

It is should be located in the NICRA village. The office of VCRMC should be setup in a building hired for the purpose. The project name and the name of the village should be prominently written on the hired building.

39. How should the account for VCRMC be maintained?

The VCRMC will have multiple sources of revenue as mentioned above. It will also have items of expenditure. A sub-committee within VCRMC should be assigned with the responsibility of bookkeeping. Monthly statements are to be prepared and displayed in the notice board of the VCRMC building. The revenue and expenditure details must be shared with the general body periodically.

40. Can we purchase chairs and table for VCRMC building?

The VCRMC may be furnished with minimum furniture such as 15-20 plastic chairs & a table or durries/jamkhanas may be procured to spread in the building premises. The expenditure towards this should not exceed 10,000/- for chairs & tables and 5000/- for Jamkhanas. This may be met from the recurring contingencies.

41. How is the custom hiring center set up and run?

Custom hiring centre (CHC) is set up by procuring the required agricultural machinery by utilizing funds under non-recurring contingency. The following steps are prescribed for running the custom hiring center.

• Each implement/machinery procured should be pasted with the NICRA sticker
• Organize a training in handling of the machinery and conduct demo of the equipment in farmers’ fields.
• Fix rent for each equipment in consultation with the community. Ideally rent should be decided in a meeting of the VCRMC. While fixing the rents, competing rates in the local market may also be taken in to consideration. CHC rates should have clear advantage over prevailing rates.
• The revenue collected  must be deposited in the bank account of VCRMC

42. Where should be the custom hiring center located? Can we keep the custom hiring equipment in the KVK premises?

CHC should be located in the village. The CHC equipment should not be kept in the KVK.

43.  Where should be the custom hiring equipment stored?

Ideally all the machinery purchased under CHC should be stored in the VCRCMC building. If there is no space in the hired building, the machinery may be kept in some other location within the village in consultation with the community so as to protect from rain and sun.

44. Who should maintain the custom hiring equipment?

A subcommittee of VCRMC must be assigned with the responsibility of overall management of CHC.

45. How is the custom hiring center account maintained?

A separate register should be maintained to record the renting of equipment. Click here for the format

46. Who should pay for repair/maintenance of custom hiring equipment?

Expenditure for repair and maintenance of the custom hiring machines must be met from amount collected as rent

Project Management

47. How frequently are physical and financial progress reported?

Physical progress of the project should be reported once every six months. Financial progress should be reported once every three months. Click here for format.

48. Under which head the expenditure for NRM interventions are booked?

Under recurring contingency head.

49. Can we procure camera or computer from the recurring contingencies?

No.

50. Can we purchase furniture for KVK?

No.

51. Can we hire vehicles for NICRA work?

Yes.

52.  Can we book vehicle hire charges under TA?

No. Vehicle hire charges should be booked under Operational expenses.

53.  Can we recruit SRFs from Non Agri. disciplines?

Yes. Post-graduates from life sciences and social sciences (such as rural development/social work) can be recruited

54.  Can we change the NICRA village?

Yes. A proposal with full justification must be sent to the concerned ZPD after getting endorsement of the DE. A committee consisting of ZPD, DE and Coordinator (TDC-NICRA) will take a considered opinion on the matter and recommend the same to competent authority for approval. Only after receiving the approval, further action may be initiated.