Farmers successfully cultivate vegetables on land which was barren for 18 years at Shelpe in Khotoda-Sattari. Captured by : Uday Sawant
VALPOI
After lying fallow for 18 years, land measuring nearly 20,000 sqm is now being used to cultivate vegetables, thanks to a community farming initiative at Shelpe in Khotoda-Sattari.
The agriculture department has been focusing on developing community farming initiatives and had also announced a subsidy for farmers to unite and cultivate fields.
Commenting on their community farming project, a farmer Vithoba Gaonkar said efforts had been made in the last few years to cultivate land which was fallow in the village.
“However, these efforts were not successful. Due to certain conditions and lack of other facilities, we encountered difficulties in reviving agricultural practices,” said Gaonkar.
“The situation changed when Sattari ZAO Vishwanath Gawas, Assistant Agriculture Officer Ranjit Mhapsekar and other department staff had a meeting with farmers regarding cultivation of land.”
“It was decided to make a concerted effort towards community farming, to revive farming activities in the village. We received good support from the ZAO and a group of 18 farmers began cultivating 20,000 square metres of land which had been fallow for 18 years. A wire fence was erected around the field after benefiting from the community farming system fencing scheme,” said Gaonkar.
The results were successful and the farmers cultivated groundnuts and other vegetables. A large number of crops have been sold to the Goa Horticulture Corporation.
“This community farming scheme has generated profits and we are confident of a good crop on this land in future as well,” Gaonkar added.
Khotoda Sarpanch Santosh Gaonkar, who is also one of the farmers in the collective farming initiative, said the experiment had been a success.
Sagun Gaonkar said paddy had been cultivated in the village for ages but there had been a decline in paddy cultivation over the years.
“Farmers have now made a concerted effort to revive the cultivation of lands in the village,” he said.
The farmers involved in the community farming initiative have now appealed to other farmers to undertake similar projects in the village.
Vithoba Gaonkar admitted that wild animals, especially bison, had earlier posed a threat to their crops .
“A wire fence has been erected around the land to prevent the entry of wild animals and there is no danger to our crops, thanks to grants from the agriculture department.”
The farmers acknowledged the support of officials from the ZAO and to both Sattari MLAs. Vishwajit Rane and his wife Deviya Rane.
