Doubling Farmers Income Through Diversified Farm Technological

Doubling farmers income

through diversified farm

technological package of

practices

Visva-Bharati University (A Central University) Santiniketan, West Bengal-731235

Visva-Bharat All Rights Reserved Best Practice technological package of practices for doubling farmers income in Birbhum 1. Title of the Practice district within stipulated period. The farm productivity and income Doubling farmers income through enhancing technologies are promoted diversified farm technological among the farmers following package of practices participatory approach. 2. Objective of the practice 4. The Practices An increase in farmers income has RKVK has taken several initiatives been the National priority after towards productivity enhancement declaration of Prime Minister of India and profitability increment of the to doubling the farmers’ income on farmers in Birbhum district. Package 28th February, 2016 during a Rally at of practices include innovation of low- Bariely, UP. Since then Rathindra cost machinery, cultivation of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (RKVK) Palli remunerative crops like Ekangi Siksha Bhavana (Institute of (medicinal plant) and Elephant Foot Agriculture), Visva-Bharati has been Yam, breed upgradation of rural focusing on enhancing farmers’ poultry bird, inclusion of Bhetki (fish) income through several measures like in composite fish culture, and reduction of farming cost by use of integrated farming system. innovative low-cost local machinery, crop diversification in rainfed mono- While considering the low-cost cropped upland situation, innovation innovative machinery to reduce the in poultry and fish farming, integrated cost of transplanting in SRI (System farming system model, etc. following of Rice Intensification), an improved participatory approach with water saving technology of rice involvement of farmers in Birbhum cultivation, a local made marker was district. innovated by a farmer, Sri Tapan Kumar Ghosh, village- Bishnubati, 3. The Context P.O. Sattore, after getting idea and In view of achieving the target of inspiration from RKVK. doubling farmers income by March Ekangi (Kaempferia galanga L.), a 2022, Indian Council of Agricultural medicinal plant, was introduced to the Research (ICAR) has constituted a farmers by RKVK in the village State-wise Coordination Committee Kartikdanga, P.O. Raipur in mono to suggest appropriate means and cropped paddy area under crop prepare detailed action plan for the diversification. Ekangi has several same. It has been decided that the medicinal properties. Its rhizome committee may study the existing powder is used as appetite enhancer, productivity and income levels in the stomach-ache. The rhizome extract is respective State, to develop strategy largely used as for rheumatism, needed to double the income of the repellent of mosquito and nematode. farmers by March 2022. Area specific A package of practice suitable for technology modules for various agro Birbhum district for cultivation of ecological sub-regions as well as for Ekangi is developed and the plants in different socio-economic backgrounds small plots are maintained in RKVK are followed as the strategies by ICAR medicinal plant garden. and implementing through different KVKs. Cultivation of Elephant Foot Yam with improved variety Gajendra and In this context, RKVK has Bidhan Kusum has also been initiated implemented diversified farm under crop diversification programme

Visva-Bharat All Rights Reserved since the year 2015 in village village and surrounding villages. Kankutia by few farmers lead by Sri National Rural Livelihood Mission Abdul Majid in upland mono cropped (NRLM) named “Anandadhara” of area, where paddy cultivation is very Govt. of West Bengal has approached less remunerative. The seeds Sri Tapan Kumar Ghosh for (planting materials) are given to the fabrication and supply of 100 farmers for the first time with proper numbers of the Innovative 4 Row SRI training by RKVK. Marker. ICAR awarded him with the Innovative Farmer Award by the Breed upgradation in backyard Honourable Union Cabinet Minister of poultry farming by improved breed Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Vanaraja was implemented in 7 Welfare, Govt. of India, Sri Radha villages with 15 farmers in the year Mohan Singh on 21.03.2016 at the 2015 for increasing farmers income in Krishi Unnati Mela – 2016 organized poultry farming; 20 numbers of by the ICAR-IARI, Pusa, New Delhi. improved poultry breed of Vanaraja This practice was also awarded the were distributed to those farmers. Second Best “State Level Innovative Farmer Award” by the Director Cultivation of Bhetki with composite Extension Education, Uttar Banga fish culture was one of the important Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, initiatives by RKVK towards the Coochbehar at State Level Innovative increasing farmers income within the Farmers’ Meet – 2019 organised by existing infrastructure. In the year the National Innovation Foundation – 2017 training and demonstration India, Dept. of Science and programmes were conducted with 10 Technology, Govt. of India on farmers of 10 different villages. RKVK 06.09.2019. supplied the Bhetki fingerlings to those farmers first time and also Before cultivation of Ekangi, farmers trained for pond preparation and feed used to grow paddy (variety MTU- preparation for Bhetki in composite 7029) and earned net return of Rs. fish culture. 22,500.00 per ha in their rainfed mono cropped area. After crop Fish based integrated farming system diversification with Ekangi cultivation model has been implemented in the the farmers gained an increase in farmers field in 7 villages in the year profit by 3.46 times. Staring with 2016-17 to increase the profitability. three farmers in 2015-16 at 5. Evidences of success Kartikdanga village, Ekangi cultivation is presently done in 6.7 ha The innovative portable marker for land by 25 farmers. It is also being transplantation of paddy under SRI is adopted by another 60 farmers of 12 a very low cost locally made villages of the district. implement costing about Rs. 2,400.00 only. The savings in cost of The farmers got benefit cost ratio of transplantation by using this 6.24 by cultivation of Elephant Foot implement is Rs. 3,570.00 in one ha Yam in comparison to 1.82 in paddy area. The trainee farmer of RKVK, Sri cultivation in the same mono cropped Tapan Kumar Ghosh, has already area under rainfed situation. After made available the 4 Row SRI Marker seeing initial success being part of to 232 numbers of farmers of his own front-line demonstration and training village at free of cost for programmes of RKVK, 185 farmers demonstration purposes which is adopted it. It has also been adopted proved to be the key factor for by 118 farmers of another 20 villages converting 62 ha of traditional paddy in Birbhum district, 30 farmers of area to improved SRI area in his nearby villages of Bardhaman district

Visva-Bharat All Rights Reserved and 10 farmers of the neighbouring different blocks in Birbhum district Dumka district of the Jharkhand are trained and adopted this state. Sri Abdul Majid (a trainee profitable practice. farmer of RKVK) was awarded for Excellence in Agriculture Sector for Thus, RKVK has promoted location the commercial seed production of specific technologies as part of high yielding improved varieties of package of practices to doubling the Elephant Foot Yam by the Honourable farmers income by 2022, one of the Union Cabinet Minister of Agriculture most important missions of our and Farmers’ Welfare, Sri Radha country. Mohan Singh on 22.02.2016 at 6. Problems Encountered and Foundation Day Celebration of ICAR resource required: Eastern Regional Research Complex at Patna. To disseminate the aforesaid practices, a greater number of field Among the trained farmers, Sri Tapan staffs is required to reaching the Ghosh of village Bishnubati farmers of distant places. ICAR is performed very well in breed supporting with finance at their level. upgradation of backyard poultry Financial supports from University farming. He earned more than double level are also required for replicating by adopting the technology. After the practices throughout the district. seeing his success, more than 185 farmers adopted this technology in 7. Notes (Optional) the subsequent years in different villages of Birbhum district. Shri Few relevant photographs related to Tapan Kumar Ghosh was conferred the initiatives for doubling farmers the Innovative Farmer Award for his income through diversified farm pioneering role in breed upgradation technological package of practices are of back yard poultry farming with given under. rural improved poultry breed by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh on 22.02.2016 at the ICAR Eastern Regional Research Complex, Patna, Bihar.

Introduction of Bhetki in composite fish culture has increased net return by more than 7 lakhs rupees from one ha pond in one year. Initial success has resulted in adoption of this practice by 30 farmers in different villages in the district.

Fish based integrated farming system has resulted an increase in farm profitability by many folds. Many farmers and rural youth from different Sri Tapan Ghosh assembling the blocks have adopted the IFS model of Innovative Portable SRI Marker and RKVK. Presently 45 farmers and rural Fellow Farmer Sri Monotosh Ghosh is youth from 45 different villages of 5 operating the same

Cultivation of Ekangi (a medicinal plant) under crop diversification at Kartikdanga village

Introduction of Bhetki in composite fish culture