User Consultation Workshop on SukhaRakshak AI for Drought Management in India

Bhaduri, Tanmoy; Amarnath, Giriraj; Bhatpuria, Dhyey; Kapoor, Sanya; Sikka, Alok

User Consultation Workshop on SukhaRakshak AI for Drought Management in India

Autores

Editor

International Water Management Institute
CGIAR Climate Action Program

Descripción

A one-day User Consultation Workshop on SukhaRakshak AI—India’s first anticipatory, AI-powered drought advisory system—was jointly organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and ICAR–Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA) at Hyderabad on August 13, 2025. The workshop aimed to present the SukhaRakshak AI platform to key stakeholders, gather user and decision-maker feedback, and co-design strategies for field-level deployment and scaling. Developed by IWMI in collaboration with ICAR-CRIDA, SukhaRakshak AI integrates artificial intelligence, satellite-based earth observation, probabilistic weather forecasts, and localized agricultural contingency plans to deliver personalized drought advisories in over 20 Indian languages. The system supports anticipatory decision-making by farmers, including crop diversification, water-saving practices, and livestock preparedness. The workshop brought together senior scientists, policymakers, and practitioners from IWMI, ICAR-CRIDA, the National Rainfed Area Authority, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), state governments, NGOs, and research institutions. Key sessions highlighted the urgency of holistic drought management, the importance of quality data, and opportunities for integrating SukhaRakshak AI with national decision-support systems such as Krishi DSS. Focus group discussions addressed local relevance, advisory design, delivery mechanisms, data integration, institutional operationalization, and scaling pathways. With participation from 60 stakeholders, the consultation provided a critical platform for validating system features, refining local applicability, and strengthening pathways for institutional adoption and national scale-up of AI-driven drought resilience solutions.