Dharamshala: Under the USAID program to support the Agriculture Development in Tibetan Agricultural settlements, the Agriculture Extension Officers (AEO) of 3 southern Tibetan settlements of Kollegal, Bylakuppe and Mundgod conducted training on specific topics and organised exposure visits for the progressive farmers in the respective settlements to model farm and government agriculture institutes.
Thirty farmers of Kollegal Dhondenling settlement visited Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chamrajnagar on 1st of August, 2017. They received training on integrated pest management (IPM) and soil management from the experts of KVK who have vast experience and knowledge in these fields.
Again on 7th August 2017, twelve progressive farmers visited Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chamrajanagar to see the KVK plant health unit, soil test laboratory, bio fertilizer production unit and bio fuel processing units. They also visited KVK research plot of cotton, sugarcane, garlic and other demonstration crops. On the way back from the KVK, they visited a progressive horticulture farm at Mangala village near Chamrajanagar where they had an opportunity to see the guava and mango plantation.
On14th Sept, 2017,thirty-six farmers of Bylakuppe along with four staffs including the settlement officer Mr. Lhakpa Tsering visited the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Gonikoppal. Dr. Prabhakara, a soil scientist and Dr. Devaiah, experts on coffee and black pepper spoke on the theoretical aspect of the coffee and black pepper cultivation and management.They also spoke on integrated farming system, detail planning before cultivation, soil and water conservation, and diversification of crops.
Later, visited a working coffee plantation site under the Coffee Board where pruning and grafting of the coffee plants were demonstrated, followed by visit to a nearby award winner progressive farmer Mr. Subash’s estate. They witnessed integrated farming system in his 30-acre estate with a successful dairy farming system, silviculture, coffee and black pepper cultivation.
On 23rd September, 2017,Sixty Three farmers from Mundgod settlement visited the Krishi Mela at Dharwad Agriculture University. The Krishi Mela is considered to be the one of the biggest agricultural event in Karnataka State on agriculture related activities where large numbers of progressive farmers take part.
Later on 30th September, 2017, a day long training was conducted on horticulture plantation and Package of Practice for 30 progressive farmers in the settlement. The participants also had the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges related to horticulture and other agricultural activities.
These training programs and exposure trips have made a significant contribution towards improving farming system and motivating young farmers to engage in sustainable agricultural practices. The participants expressed their appreciation to the respective AEO’s for organising the program.
-Report filed by Home Department-