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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
IIVR scientists reach out to 2,000 farmers across 6 dists under ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan'
1 2 Varanasi: In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to revamp and energize the agriculture sector, the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) in Varanasi organised a comprehensive farmer awareness programme on Thursday as part of the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025'. According to the IIVR authorities, the programme reached 2,063 farmers across 33 villages in six districts of Uttar Pradesh. Over 50 scientists from the institute engaged in direct technical discussions with farmers through face-to-face interactions. The campaign was conducted in Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Bhadohi and Kushinagar districts, with the highest participation of 462 farmers recorded in Kushinagar. In Varanasi district, 160 farmers from villages Pratappatti, Edilpur, Karaulli, and Daulatiya in Harahua and Sevapuri blocks participated in the programme. During the programme, farmers shared major challenges including Nilgai menace, irregular rainfall, water quality issues, soil health problems, market prices, high water table, urbanisation pressure, and availability of quality seeds. Scientists provided detailed information on natural farming, integrated pest management, new varieties, soil health management, crop diversification, direct seeded rice cultivation, summer ploughing, and govt schemes. IIVR director Rajesh Kumar, who was present at the Karaulli village programme in Varanasi, said, "This campaign is a significant initiative towards doubling farmers' income and promoting sustainable agriculture. Establishing direct dialogue with over 2,000 farmers today is extremely encouraging. Our responsibility is not limited to research alone, but extends to delivering scientific techniques to farmers and solving their problems. The positive response received from this campaign is highly inspiring for us." The institute has also announced regular follow-up programmes and establishment of demonstration plots. Lauding Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, a national campaign aimed at educating farmers about modern and sustainable agricultural technologies as well as practices, CM Yogi Adityanath had on Thursday said that this was the first time when agricultural scientist would come out of their labs and other big institutions to take stock of the agricultural land at the ground level and devise strategies to meet the challenges the farmers face. Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Yogi said that the initiative will prove to be a foundation of the 'Viksit Bharat Abhiyan' envisioned by PM Modi. He said that agriculture scientists, officials from the agriculture and the allied sectors and farmers would come together to wheel in measures for higher agricultural productivity and growth.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from May 29, to benefit 47k farmers in 6 UP districts
Varanasi: The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, under the leadership of Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), is set to be launched on May 29. Under the ambitious campaign, IIVR scientists will reach out to approximately 47,000 farmers across six districts in the next 15 days, to discuss modern agricultural production and protection technologies. Appealing to scientists to dedicate themselves to this campaign, IIVR Director Rajesh Kumar said that the campaign is not just an opportunity to provide information to farmers, but also an opportunity for trust and guidance, which is an important step towards recognising farmers as nutrition providers and bringing stability to their income. This will also provide scientists an opportunity to establish their identity in the field of agriculture. Nodal officer Neeraj Singh said this campaign will be conducted in Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, and Kushinagar districts until June 12. During this period, scientists will not only provide farmers with information about the latest technologies but will also understand the problems arising in their farming and provide practical solutions. During the campaign, scientists will discuss major topics with farmers, including vegetable research and development, where information about early-maturing, disease-resistant, and nutritious varieties will be provided while encouraging farmers to adopt nutrition gardens and kitchen gardens. To address climate change challenges, farmers will be encouraged to select resilient crop varieties, water conservation techniques, and mixed farming. The impact of changing weather on farming, such as untimely rains, temperature increases and prolonged droughts will be explained in simple language. Information will be provided about the damage caused to soil, water, and health due to the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Advice will be given to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM), biological methods, pheromone traps, and neem-based pesticides. Special attention will be given to post-harvest management in the campaign. Farmers will be informed that 30-40% losses in vegetables occur after harvesting. For this, advice will be given to adopt low-cost techniques like zero energy cool chambers, better packaging, and proper transportation. To strengthen the economic condition of farmers, information will be provided about collective marketing through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), value addition, and benefits of govt schemes like Operation Greens. A review meeting was organised at IIVR regarding the preparations for this campaign. It was informed that the data collected through this campaign and farmers' feedback will be analysed on a large scale, and research based on understanding the problems arising in farmers' fields will be promoted.
