Srinagar, Jan 1: The six-week Existing Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme on ‘Indiscriminate Use and Judicious Application of Pesticides by Vegetable & Fruit Farmers’ kickstarted on December 31 at Shuhama , Ganderbal campus of SKAUST-K, KVK.
A statement said that the aim of this ESDP is to increase awareness regarding environment friendly practices and encourage sustainability in Agriculture and Allied Sectors. The training is being sponsored by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. More than twenty participants registered for the E-SDP including fruit and vegetable farmers, entrepreneurs & educated youth.
Shahnawaz Shah, Chief Agriculture Officer Ganderbal who was guest of honour at inaugural session gave an overview regarding pesticide use by farmers leading to contamination of natural resources. He stressed on adoption of eco-friendly practices to ensure judicious & safe use of pesticides by the farmers. Shah appreciated the efforts of Team KVK Ganderbal. Zahoor Ahmad and Farooq Sofi, District Agriculture Officers gave an overview of District Ganderbal and pesticide use in vegetable & fruit farming.
Prof. Ishfaq Abidi, Chief Scientist and Head, in his inaugural address gave a comprehensive overview regarding the E-SDP & focused on Integrated Pest Management and Control through organic practices. Dr. Abidi appraised the participants on how indiscriminate use of pesticides has taken a toll on soil, water and air quality. The effects on human health are a major concern, which needs to be looked into before using and handling of these harsh chemicals. He stressed on the trainees to learn the basic skills of proper handling, storage and disposal of pesticides. Dr. Abidi informed the participants to utilize latest knowledge about farm machinery, spray guns and green technologies like crop rotation, integrated farming, use of green manure and biocontrol agents to ensure sustainable practices. During the technical sessions That followed comprehensive lectures on ‘Judicious use of Pesticides’ and ‘Empowerment of Rural Youth through IFP were delivered by Prof. Ishfaq Abidi & Dr. Zahoor A. Shah (FoA Wadoora) respectively. Further, Dr. S.N. Qureshi, Scientist KVK Ganderbal informed the trainees about current scenario of pesticide use in Horticulture sector and strategies to be adopted to ensure their judicious application. Dr. Shaheen Farooq, Scientist KVK Ganderbal deliberated regarding long and short-term effects of pesticides. Further, the participants were taken for an exhaustive field visit to IFS Model at KVK Ganderbal which was enlightening for them.
The day long proceedings ended with a comprehensive Interaction and Feedback session. The trainees appreciated the role of KVK Ganderbal in knowledge dissemination & promotion of Green Farming. The E-SDP is set to continue for six weeks, covering exhaustive lectures, practical demonstrations and exposure visits across different stations of the University by subject experts from various Faculties, Departments and Institutes. The aim of the programme is to inculcate new skills to utilize latest tools and farm machinery for handling new molecules & use of sustainable farming practices futuristic agriculture.
