By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 25 Mar: ICAR – Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation organised a three-day training programme from 23 to 25 March for Boxa tribe farmers under the Scheduled Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) of the Government of India for their livelihood security and to double their income. This programme was organised for farmers of Shahpur-Kalyanpur, Aduwala and Judli villages at Shivalik Anushuchit Janjati Adarsh Vidyalaya, Shahpur-Kalyanpur, Dharmawala, here. The main objective was doubling of farmers’ incomes and securing their livelihoods. A total of 25 male and female farmers from Shahpur-Kalyanpur, Aduwala and Judli villages actively participated. Various experts apprised the farmers about the nuances of agriculture.
On the first day, Dr RS Yadav, Director, ICAR-IISWC, inaugurated the training programme and made the participants aware of the various activities of the institute. Information about projects funded by the institute was also provided. Dr Harsh Mehta, Head of Department, Plant Science Division, gave a talk on the minor millets based agro-forestry and emphasised on increasing agricultural income through Manduwa, Jingora, etc. Dr Charan Singh, Coordinator, Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), described the TSP of the Government of India and also reviewed the work done over the last three years in the village. He also lectured on agro-forestry based land use. Dr AC Rathore emphasised on horticulture and mushrooms to double the income of farmers, as also strawberry.
On the second day, Dr M Murganandam spoke about fisheries, poultry, animal based options for enhancing income of farmers. Dr Lekh Chand demonstrated the method of making of vermi-compost. The farmers asked a lot of questions on this subject. Dr Indu Rawat taught farmers how to make biscuits and snacks from manduwa. She also gave a demonstration on making jams, jellies, pickles using the farm produce, thus providing value addition. Dr Anand Kumar Gupta, Scientist (Environmental Science), emphasised cultivation of aromatic plants for livelihood security and the cultivation of Tulsi. With the cultivation of aromatic plants, farmers can increase their income at less cost.
On the last day, Dr J Jayaprakash informed the farmers about the ongoing research at the institute. He spoke about mushroom production. The farmers actively involved themselves in the discussion with the scientists of the Institute. Participants were awarded certificates on completion of training. Dr Harsh Mehta, Head of Department, Plant Sciences, distributed certificates to the participants and motivated the farmers to become Atmanirbhar. Satish Kumar, Principal, Shivalik Anushuchit Janjati Adarsh Vidyalaya, Shahpur-Kalyanpur, Prachi Sharma, Sanjay Kumar and Tarun Kumar also participated. The training was coordinated by Dr AC Rathore and Dr Anand Kumar Gupta.
