Over 100 farmers take part in Kisan Goshthi

Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, Vice-Chancellor Naveen Kumar was the chief guest of the Kisan Goshthi, recently organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sundarnagar, in Balh block. The programme was organised in Shali village, which was adopted by the KVK under the National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project.

Addressing about 100 farmers, Kumar emphasised the importance of adopting new technologies in agriculture to engage the younger generation, stating that youngsters were increasingly distancing themselves from farming.

He encouraged farmers to approach farming as a business, selecting crops and enterprises with the market demand in mind. Kumar talked about the numerous government schemes available to support farmers, and urged them to stay in touch with various departments to benefit from these initiatives.

Vinod Sharma, Director (Extension Education) at the university, provided insights on water conservation strategies in agriculture amidst changing climate conditions and informed farmers about the ongoing activities of the university designed to support them. Dr Pankaj Sood, Scientist In-charge of the centre, told the farmers about the objectives of the NIKRA Project. During the event, various scientists helped resolve various technical problems of the farmers.

The chief guest honoured Sneha Sharma, a progressive farmer from the Gohar area, whose success story was recently published in a national-level magazine.

An exhibition was also organised by the KVK, and a demonstration on agricultural drones was provided to the farmers. On this occasion, pea seeds were distributed to the farmers present on behalf of the ATMA Project.