With climate change and changing weather patterns having an impact on crop cycles, the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad (UAS, Dharwad) is trying to hand-hold farmers through the difficulties faced by them arising from the changing weather patterns. This is set to be reflected in the UAS, Dharwad’s Krishi Mela-2014 scheduled to begin on Saturday.

The sprawling campus is decked up with stalls and exhibition halls.

Over 1.3 million people from various parts of North Karnataka and Maharashtra are expected to visit the agri festival and interact with agricultural scientists, and gain first-hand knowledge of new farming technologies and equipment.

The mela will also provide a chance to businessmen and financial institutions dealing in farm equipment, fertiliser, pesticides and insecticides, and agricultural sciences to showcase their products.

As a prelude to the mela, the UAS has organised seminars and symposiums on climate change and other relevant topics. Fruit, flower, vegetables exhibition will be a special attraction. The exhibition of various breeds of cattle and dogs will also be organised.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will formally inaugurate the four-day mela on Sunday at 11 AM. Several Karnataka ministers figure in the list of chief guests for the inaugural session.

Governor Vajubhai Vala will visit the festival on Tuesday, the last day of the four-day mega event.

UAS vice-chancellor D P Biradar told Business Standard that the seeds festival would begin on Saturday at 11 AM.

The annual event, in which the university showcases the latest farming technologies, cropping patterns and research, among other things, has been growing due to its popularity among farmers in the seven districts under its jurisdiction.

The previous mela which was organised in 2013 at the national level had become one of the biggest farm events in the country with nearly 1.09 million people thronging the venue. This year, the organisers expect nothing less than 1.3 million people at the event over the next four days.

The main gate now wears a bridal look with colourful pictures of lush greenfields, vegetables, grains, cereals and agriculture implements.

This year, the theme for the Krishi Mela would be ‘Drought and Flood Management’. The mela shall focus on four components — water conservation, watershed management, irrigation management and reclaiming of saline land.

The Krishi Mela has been invoking a positive response from the farming community and to disseminate among them need-based information on the latest agriculture equipment, huge stalls would be set up to demonstrate the latest agriculture machinery.

Apart from this, the agriculture fair will impart lessons on government schemes that help the farmers to procure their produce and sell at the right time. Emphasis has also been laid on disseminating information on group marketing so that the marketing cost could be kept low.

To introduce the farmers to the latest crop breeding techniques developed in the varsity, field demonstration ‘Kshethrotsava’ would be held on all the four days.

This year as many as 550 stalls displaying seeds, crops, agriculture implements and traditional foods would be set up. The varsity, for the benefit of the private companies manufacturing farm equipment has set up fabricated stalls, economy stalls and open spaces for demonstration.