KVK Ganderbal kickstarted six-week Existing Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme on ‘Indiscriminate Use & Judicious Application of Pesticides by Vegetable & Fruit Farmers’ on 31st December 2024 at Shuhama campus of KVK.
The aim of this ESDP is to increase awareness regarding environment friendly practices & encourage sustainability in Agriculture & Allied Sectors. The training is being sponsored by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, under the patronage of Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganie, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-K & Prof. Haroon A Naik (PPMO-SKUAST-K).
More than twenty participants have registered for the E-SDP including fruit & vegetable farmers, entrepreneurs & educated youth.
During the inaugural programme, Chief Agriculture Officer Ganderbal was the Guest of Honor. District Officers, Scientists & Supporting Staff of KVK, Scientists from SKUAST-K were also present during the inaugural session.
The inaugural session started with welcome address by Dr. Faiqa Syeed, Scientist KVK Ganderbal who also gave an outline regarding deleterious effects of pesticides on human health.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Ishfaq Abidi, Chief Scientist & Head, gave a comprehensive overview regarding the E-SDP & focused on Integrated Pest Management & 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 & handling of these harsh chemicals. He stressed on the trainees to learn the basic skills of proper handling, storage & 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 & biocontrol agents to ensure sustainable practices.
Mr. Shahnawaz Shah, Chief Agriculture Officer Ganderbal gave an overview regarding pesticide use by farmers leading to contamination of our natural resources.
He stressed on adoption of eco-friendly practices to ensure judicious & safe use of pesticides by the farmers. Mr. Shah appreciated the efforts of Team KVK Ganderbal under the supervision of Dr. Ishfaq Abidi, who are working tirelessly for the benefit of farming community of the district through entrepreneurship & skill development programmes. Mr. Zahoor Ahmad & Mr. Farooq Sofi, District Agriculture Officers gave an overview of District Ganderbal & pesticide use in vegetable & fruit farming.
First technical session started with comprehensive lectures on ‘Judicious use of Pesticides’ & ‘Empowerment of Rural Youth through IFP’ 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 & strategies to be adopted to ensure their judicious application. Dr. Shaheen Farooq, Scientist KVK Ganderbal deliberated regarding long & 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 & 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 & exposure visits across different stations of the University by subject experts from various Faculties, Departments & Institutes. The aim of the programme is to inculcate new skills to utilize latest tools & farm machinery for handling new molecules & use of sustainable farming practices futuristic agriculture.
