MARGAO
After forming the Water User's Association in Velim, the department has now set out on a mission to upgrade the training needs of farmers, especially in the field of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - a concept now being exposed to command area paddy farmers with aim to increase farm income.
Agriculture officer Sharrif Furtado said the department has chalked out a plan to create interest in farming amongst member farmers of the newly formed Water User's Association (WUA) at Velim and the proposal group at Gudi-Paroda with Farmer Field School FFS).
"The FFS is a group-based learning process. During the FFS, farmers carried out experimental learning activities that helped them understand the ecology of their rice fields. These activities involve simple experiments, regular field observations and group analysis. The knowledge gained from these activities enables participants to make their own locally specific decisions about crop management practices," Furtado said.
A two and half month Farmers Field School in association with Central Integrated Pest management Office, Govt of India was coordinated by Furtado and his team of Agriculture Foreman from CIRCLE -IV, WRD. The work of formation of new Water User Association ( WUA's) in command area was managed by Ramesh Naik, Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies based in the Agriculture wing of Circle-IV, of WRD. The resource person Dr Baburao Thombre, IPM Officer was requisitioned especially and his technical expertise was made available to the paddy farmers from Velim and Gudi Paroda in Salcete taluka and will continue till the end of the programme.
He said the Integrated Pest Management field school will acquaint the farmers to cultivate paddy crop and other crops in an ecofriendly way and maximise farm income.
