Karnataka   

6,000 farmers trained in scientific cultivation methods

DAVANGERE: Farmers’ Field Schools (FFS) have been successful in Davangere district wherein a large number of them have been trained in scientific methods of cultivation, integrated pest management and allied subjects.

Over 200 such schools have already been set up in the district and 6,000 farmers given practical training in various fields. The Government now hopes that over 10,000 farmers will be guided by those who have already received training.

Senior officials of the Agriculture Department, trained staff and farmers’ facilitators are involved in the programme, in which they impart training to farmers once a week. They guide them at every stage of cropping as well as field management. Surprisingly, mainly women farmers have evinced interest in the programme.

Farmers who had attended the FFS have now acquired great levels of professionalism and are easily able to diagnose problems in their fields, solving them without any external help. The farmers’ schools offer them hands-on training and is a completely field-oriented programme. Training lasts for an entire season with a definite schedule and curriculum.

Joint Director of Agriculture Shivamurthappa and Assistant Director Prema D. Kamble told The Hindu here on Tuesday that the FFS curriculum was designed in a very formal way to enable farmers learn cultivation and integrated pest management skills easily. They said the department had conducted a “baseline survey” and had identified different field problems they faced and explained to them methods used to solve them. The Agro eco-system analysis is also a part of the curriculum, which helps farmers acquire observation, analytical and decision-making skills. Mr. Shivamurthappa said such schools had been formed in the wake of a directive from the Union Government seeking reduction in the use of pesticides in agriculture and at the same time enhancement in crop production. Farmers have been educated in pest control without deteriorating the eco-system.

He claimed that most farmers who had regularly attended the FFS, were now in a position to assess plant health, water and fertilizer requirements, weather conditions, identify weeds, pests, defenders and diseases. Five persons including officials and farmers’ facilitators would manage each FFS to which a maximum 30 farmers would be admitted per batch.

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