A two-day field visit to the UPSCALE project sites in Nagaon and Darrang districts was organised on  14th  and 15th  September 2026. Mr. Arvinn Gadgil, Deputy Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Dr. Gauri Bandekar, Advisor, Royal Norwegian Embassy, New Delhi, Dr. Uday Sekhar Nagothu, Research Professor and Director, Centre for International Development, NIBIO, Norway visited and observe the field activities along with Dr. Sanjay Kumar Chetia, Director of Research (Agri.), AAU facilitated the visit. 

The team visited and observed key project interventions, including smart seed production of climate-resilient rice varieties implemented under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) through the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)/ Farmer Producer Company (FPCs) along the Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) and Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) practices, including various demonstrations of biopesticides and biofertilisers for reducing the use of chemicals in lieu of environmental sustainability. The dissemination of timely and need-based agro-climatic advisories to farmers was also highlighted during the visit.

The team further visited the Digital Knowledge Hub and Virtual Village Knowledge Centres (VVKCs) and observed various ICT-enabled extension initiatives demonstrated at different project locations. These included the CABI-model Plant Clinic and Farmers’ Helpline Services, audio and video conferencing facilities and ICT-enabled tools supporting agricultural value chains from production to marketing. 

The field-level interventions and activities were explained by Dr. Pompi Dutta, Assistant Professor, AAU; Dr. Parinda Barua, Scientist, AAU;  Dr. M. J. Konwar, Scientist, AAU and by Dr. R. Rajkumar, Senior Fellow, MSSRF.

Following the field visit, a Stakeholder meeting was organised in Guwahati on 16 September 2026 with the objective of sharing the project details and involvement of the stakeholders for the upscale the project interventions beyond the project implementation locations. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Chetia, Director of Research (Agriculture), AAU delivered the welcome address and explained the objectives of the meeting. The meeting was addressed by Mr. Madhu Sudan Nath, IAS, Secretary to the Government of Assam, Mr. Arvinn Gadgil, Deputy Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Dr. Gauri Bandekar, Advisor, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Dr. Uday Seekhar Nagothu, NIBIO addressed in the stakeholders meeting.

Dr. Pompi Dutta, Assistant Professor, AAU. Dr. Parinda Barua, Scientist, AAU, Dr. M. J. Konwar, Scientist, AAU and Dr. R. Rajkumar, Senior Fellow, MSSRF presented the progress of the UPSCALE project interventions.

The meeting concluded with stakeholder interactions and discussions on the way forward and follow-up actions. Dr. Niranjan Deka, Principal Scientist, AAU Zonal Research Station, Shillongani, proposed the vote of thanks.