Kupwara :Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) project entitled “Transforming Tribal Agriculture, a Comprehensive Vegetable Development Initiative” sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, an input distribution and farmers’ awareness programme was successfully organized at Machil area of District Kupwara in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kupwara, with the objective of strengthening vegetable-based livelihood opportunities among tribal farming communities.
A team of five scientists from the Division of Vegetable Science, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir lead by Head, Division of Vegetable Science Prof. Ishfaq Abidi, Prof. Faheema Mushtaq, Dr. Asima Amin, Principal Investigator (PI) of the project, Dr. Ummyiah Masoodi and Dr. Berjes Zehra, along with technical staff, participated in the programme. Scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kupwara, including Prof. G. M. Bhat, were also present during the event.
As part of the programme, more than 100 tribal beneficiary families were provided with vegetable cultivation input kits comprising quality seed material and other essential inputs required for scientific vegetable production. The intervention aims to promote the adoption of improved vegetable cultivation technologies, enhance household nutritional security, and augment farm income in the remote tribal areas of Machil.
A comprehensive training and awareness programme was also conducted for the participating farmers focusing on scientific cultivation practices of vegetable crops, improved crop production technologies, nutrient and pest management, and the role of vegetable cultivation in livelihood enhancement and sustainable agricultural development.
The experts highlighted the adoption of new innovative approaches for quality seed production, establishment of protected structures, harnessing of solar energy and utilization of organic village concept to move forward for sustainable production in Machil area.
The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from the local farming community, who appreciated the efforts of the whole team of SKUAST-K, Division of Vegetable Science and ICAR for supporting this initiative and expressed keen interest in adopting modern vegetable production technologies for improving productivity, income generation, and socio-economic upliftment in the tribal region.
The programme was framed under the guidance of Prof. Nazir A Ganie, Vice Chancellor SKUAST-K, Prof. Raihana Habib Kanth Director Extension and Director Research who have been advocating for wider outreach programmes for tribal belts.
The participants appreciated the efforts of Division of Vegetable Science and Tribal Sub Plan project team for this endeavour in these high altitude areas.
