Training cum demonstration programme on “Income generation and nutritional security through livestock based integrated organic farming system”
Livestock based integrated organic farming system is one of the potential productive agriculture systems for the northeastern region. Integration of livestock is the way forward to promote proper utilization of available resources and environmental protection for economic growth. However this practice is still poorly adopted in farmer livelihoods of Meghalaya. To promote and convince the importance of livestock based integrated organic farming system, a training cum demonstration programme was conducted on 17th September, 2018 by the Division of Crop Production, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam at Umden Umbathiang village to sensitise the tribal farmers of this region to diversify their farm production to increase their farm income, improve the nutritional security and promote nutrient recycling.
In this field demonstration programme, Dr. Krishnappa R, Scientist (Crop Physiology) garner the attention on inextricable link between that crop husbandry and livestock farming which complement one another through mutual dependence as the farmers can use the waste material/byproduce of one enterprise at low possible cost as an input for other enterprise. He further explained that in livestock + crop system, the animal component is often domesticated on agricultural waste products and reared animal can be used to cultivate the land and to provide manure to be used as fertilizer or fuel for enhance the productivity of overall farm under resource poor condition. Dr. Utpal Dey explained the benefits of organic cultivation in terms of maintaining soil and crop health and also harnessing premium price for organic produce to boost the income and welfare of tribal farmers without the use or additional investment on agricultural chemicals. He also urged the farmers to incorporate improved production technologies of organic cultivation along with their traditional practices of farming to maintain a ideal balance between higher productivity, ecological health and enhance their income. In this regard, he emphasized the farmers to practice seed priming before sowing, root dipping in biocontrol agent or biofertilizer (@ 15-20g/l of water for 30 minutes), application of lime (@ 450-500 kg/ha in lines), neem cake (@ 3qt/ha in lines), spraying of fermented suspension (2 litre 10-12 days old cow urine, extration of 2 litre cow dung mixed with 2 litre vermiwash in 10 litres of water that ideally act as biopesticide and also liquid manure. At the end of the programme, seedlings raised in low cost polyhouse nursery, watering cane, watering pipe, vermibed etc were distributed among the interested tribal farmers.
