PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
Under the Traditional Agriculture Development Scheme, a group of 40 farmers was sent to the Agricultural Science Centre, Chinyalisaur, to help them collect information on modern and scientific farming. The district chief development officer Jai Bharat Singh flagged off the group at a programme held in the Vikas Bhawan complex on Tuesday.
Addressing the farmers present, he said that adopting scientific techniques and innovations in agriculture is the need of the hour. “This will not only increase farmers’ productivity but also their income,” he said, adding that the traditional agriculture is a strong foundation of the state’s rich heritage and rural economy, which can be made more profitable by combining it with modern techniques.
He specifically encouraged the women farmers to adopt scientific farming while informing them about the schemes and possibilities available in the agricultural sector.
At the centre, farmers will be trained in advanced agricultural techniques, soil health management, crop diversification, improved seed selection, organic and natural farming, pest and disease management, water conservation, agricultural mechanisation and agriculture-based innovations. Experts will also provide farmers with practical information on scientific farming, which will help reduce production costs and increase agricultural productivity.
The district chief agriculture officer S S Verma said that this programme, conducted under the direction of the district magistrate Prashant Arya, aims to empower farmers through a better balance between traditional agricultural knowledge and modern technology, empowering them to become self-reliant and capable. “Along with developing agriculture as a more profitable business, special emphasis is also being placed on connecting women farmers with new technologies and agriculture-based livelihood opportunities,” he added.
