Shimla: A 10-day course cum training on ‘Recent Development in Organic Production Systems and natural farming concluded at the Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni.
The course was funded by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and was planned and organized by the Department of Plant Pathology of the university. Seventeen scientists from different universities of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal took part in the training. The trainees were selected from among the several who had applied for the training.
Addressing the trainees during the valedictory session, Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor said that it was wonderful to see scientists from different institutions working in unison for the good of the agrarian community. He said that the country has taken a challenge at the right time to ensure the conservation of soil and water and provide healthy food to society. Prof. Chandel added that natural farming was a farmer-centric approach where the scientific community is learning along with the farmers. He urged the trainees to develop their own package of practices on natural farming for their areas using the natural items available in that region.
Earlier Course Director and HOD of the Department of Plant Pathology Dr HR Gautam thanked the participants for taking interest in the course and urged them to act as brand ambassadors and resource persons for natural farming in their institutions.
During the course, the participants were apprised about all the aspects of natural farming from basic principles, food production, plant protection and post-harvest and the overall economics of natural farming. Topics like Novel Microbes and their Potential Use in Organic and Natural Farming Systems, Multilayer Farming, Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Analysis, Effective use of Biocontrol Agents and New Insights in Diseases Management were some of the topics covered. It also included field visits to university farms in Mashobra and Nauni and hands-on training on the field. Dr. Sanjeev Chauhan, Director of Research, Dr. Manish Sharma, Dean COH, Dr. CL Thakur, Dean COF, Training coordinators Dr. NK Bharat and Dr. Bhupesh Gupta along with faculty engaged in natural farming in the university took part in the closing ceremony.