<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">GANGTOK,: </span></b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">A series of
training and pilot-testing programmes for a site-specific AI-enabled WhatsApp
chatbot was conducted recentlyto support farmers and local communities across
the Sikkim-Darjeeling region. The programmes were held at Sittong III in
Darjeeling district on September 12 and ZeelSangadorjee in Soreng district,
Sikkim, on September 15, with more than 50 community members participating.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The programmes were organised by Ashoka Trust for
Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Gangtok, as part of its
initiative to develop a site-specific chatbot for communities in the
Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalayas, informs a press release.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The training was facilitated by Srijana Sharma,
who is involved in content development for the chatbot, along with project
manager Seena Narayanan and Chatbot developerSmrithiGaneshwarfrom the ATREE
Bengaluru team. The initiative is being developed with support from the
Rainmatter Foundation to the Biodiversity Collaborative.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">According to the press release, chatbot is
designed as a conversational assistant that provides farmers and local
communities with timely and locally relevant information through WhatsApp. “The
term “site-specific” means that the chatbot is developed using information
relevant to the particular landscapes and communities where it is being tested.
It combines domain-specific and local information to respond to questions
related to agriculture and the environment, including pest and disease
management, live weather information and soil preparation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">During the programmes, participants were
introduced to the chatbot through a live demonstration and were supported in
registering and using the platform. One-to-one assistance was provided to help
community members understand how to frame questions and access information
through WhatsApp. During the pilot testing, participants actively interacted
with the chatbot and asked questions related to crops already covered in the
chatbot's knowledge base, including large cardamom, mandarin orange and
avocado, allowing the project team to observe how users engage with the tool
and identify areas for further improvement. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The next phase will focus on integrating
additional crops and developing information on government schemes, market
linkages and human-wildlife conflict mitigation practices. An image-based
feature is also being explored to support users in sharing images for more
practical, crop-related queries. Continued engagement with communities will
help refine these features before the chatbot's expected launch later this
year, the organisers said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The information provided through the chatbot is
developed through a structured content-development and verification process.
The project team conducts literature reviews and prepares frequently asked
questions (FAQs) and knowledge resources based on information relevant to the
target landscapes. Agricultural information is cross-referenced with reliable
institutional and scientific sources, including resources and technical
information from organisations such as ICAR, the Spices Board and Sikkim
University, along with other relevant research and extension materials. This
process helps ensure that information incorporated into the chatbot,
particularly agricultural advice, is based on credible and contextually
relevant sources. Weather-related information is pulled from a verified open
source – Open-Meteo through an API, allowing users to access information
relevant to their location.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Participants expressed curiosity and enthusiasm
about using the chatbot, particularly because information could be accessed in
Nepali. One community participant, Sadhana Limboo shared: “Earlier, we did not
know that fruits fallen on the ground due to pest infestation should be removed
and that the field should be kept clean. The chatbot helped us understand this
and gave us information that we could use in our field.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Language accessibility is an important component
of the chatbot because many farmers and community members prefer to communicate
and access information in Nepali. Providing information in a familiar language
can make digital tools easier to understand and use, particularly when seeking
practical information on farming, weather, pests and other livelihood-related
concerns. The chatbot therefore aims to help address information gaps by
bringing relevant knowledge directly to users through a platform they already
use-WhatsApp.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The pilot testing also highlighted the need for
continued community-level training and support to familiarise users with
AI-enabled tools and help them frame effective questions. The sessions provided
an opportunity to identify areas where the chatbot's responses, language,
content and usability can be further improved. The pilot also highlighted the
importance of expanding the knowledge base to include additional locally
relevant crops and information, while continuing to assess the accuracy and
relevance of chatbot responses during community use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Based on the insights from the pilot testing, the
project team plans to expand the chatbot's knowledge base to include additional
crops and information on human-wildlife conflict mitigation, government schemes
and market linkages. “Further community engagement and testing will be
undertaken to improve the tool before its wider rollout.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Bookman Old Style","serif"">The chatbot is expected to be launched later this
year, providing farmers and local communities with an accessible digital
platform for timely, locally relevant information and assistance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
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