Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: To develop a Decision Support System (DSS) for climate smartening tea production system in North East India. Methods/Statistical analysis: A database, model base, knowledge base and user interface are used as components. Database consists of historical and future climate data which are future climate projections, model base includes research findings to be used in DSS and knowledge base includes expert knowledge. The user interfaces interact with the database, model base, and knowledge base to generate an effectual environment to make quality decisions towards a resilient tea production system. Findings: The study brings out better understanding about the impact of the climatic parameters on tea yielding over the past years and also the future projections of their impact in spatio-temporal manner. The DSS also provides the user friendly tools to make decisions on adaptable measures (e.g. irrigation) that need to be adopted by the stakeholders, decision-makers and policy-makers so as to sustain tea production in the wake of climate change. Further, the DSS Framework developed in the study has multiple usages and provides instant decisions based on real-time data for tea plantations management with an insight into future. Since a web–based approach has been taken up, it provides an insightful and user-friendly appearance of data that can be accessed by an ample range of users at diverse geographical locations. Visual representations of the data facilitate communication of climate information among stakeholders and decision-makers in a much easier and comprehensible manner. Application/Improvements: The DSS has the scope to add further modules/ interfaces to further refine the DSS as and when additional information/data becomes available in future.

Keywords: Climate Change, Decision Support System, North East India, Resilient Tea Production, Tea Plantation