Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 16 2021: The first Organic Farmers Field School (OFFS) was opened today at Kangmong Langonjam Maning Leikai today.
The programme organised by the Green Foundation, Imphal was attended by Dr N Iboton, former Dean of CAU; Thangjam Thoiba Meitei, pradhan, Kangmong Gram Panchayat; S Jugeshwor, district Agriculture Officer, Imphal West and B Premjit, district Horticulture Officer, Imphal West as presidium members.
Speaking at the event, Urikhinbam Himmat, CEO of the Green Foundation said the farmers are facing an unprecedented amount of problems in recent times.
The varieties of pests in farms were limited to 5 or 6 types before 15 years or so, but now there are more than 20 different types of such pests invading the fields.
In addition to this, using new found and developed techniques and information for better productivity in fields is a must and for that opening of farmers field school was a one stop solution, he added.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which is a part of the United Nations, has been encouraging the opening up of farmers field school since the last 50 years and in the State too, KVKs and other relevant departments have opened and run such schools.
However, the Organic Farmers Field School being opened today at Kangmong Langonjam Leikai is the first Organic school in the State, he added.
The OFFS was opened at Kangmong as about 400 farmers of the area are registered under Mission Organic Value Chain Development of North Easter Region, added Urikhinbam Himmat.
He also assured that 7 such schools will also be opened in the coming future.
OFFS is a complex less school which works directly on the field and provides information and details about new technologies to young and old farmers alike.
The OFFS will be opened once every ten days, he added.
Prof N Iboton said earlier awareness programmes focus more on providing theoretical knowledge while OFFS is more practical and is conducted on the field providing first hand knowledge to the farmers.
He added that in fact it is already late in opening such a school.
As a part of the event, ways and means of controlling pests by using fluorescent pseudomonads in an organic way were also demonstrated to the farmers.