Role of university in promotion of horticulture and natural farming discussed

Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni made a courtesy call on the Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Chancellor of the university Shiv Pratap Shukla at Rajbhawan on Tuesday. The Governor took information about the works of the university, especially in the natural farming movement in the state and country and the role being played by the University in its development.

Professor Chandel informed the Governor about the various initiatives which have been taken by the university in the promotion of natural farming. He informed that the national curriculum on natural farming for agricultural universities is being created along with a curriculum for schoolchildren through NCERT. The university has also played a leading role in designing the curriculum on natural farming for the agriculture universities of Gujarat.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has also nominated Prof. Chandel as a member of the National Mission on Natural Farming which is being chaired by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The university has been at the forefront of providing training to Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) scientists from across the country on this environmentally friendly methodology. Recently the scientists from the university acted as resource persons for training scientists from ATARI Zone II comprising 47 KVKs from Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The university also hosted a similar training for ATARI Zone I, Ludhiana for 72 KVKs from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The university’s resource persons have also trained 106 KVKs falling in Zone 5 (Kolkata) and Zone 6 (Guwahati).    

Prof. Chandel apprised the Governor that the university is in the process of establishing 48 demonstrations on natural farming with farmers to showcase its five-tier system and its advantages. He apprised the Governor of the novel initiative taken by the university in creating India’s first 100 percent natural farming-based Farmer Producer Company and how the university is handholding the company in processing and value addition of its products along with marketing. This successful pilot has helped to increase the income of the farmers by 2.9 times.  The university is also actively working with the State Government’s Prakritik Krishi Khushaal Kisan Yojana in order to maximize the reach of this novel farming methodology.

The Governor said that the Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promoting natural farming as an effective means to increase farm incomes along with environmental conservation. He instructed the university to ensure that the benefits of this methodology must reach the small and marginal farmers.

Professor Chandel invited the Governor to visit the university and see the different models of natural farming created in the state.