Poultry birds distributed among beneficiaries under livelihood promotion initiative
Shopian : Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) has stepped up efforts to promote poultry farming as a source of household income among tribal communities, organising a training programme and distributing poultry birds among beneficiaries in Shopian.
The programme was held at Balapora under the ICAR-AICRP on Poultry Breeding, Poultry Seed Project, DAPST (Tribal Sub-Plan) and the Division of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Shopian.
The initiative focused on familiarising tribal women and farmers with scientific poultry management practices and encouraging them to take up poultry rearing as an additional source of income.
Professor Raihanna Habib Kanth, Director Extension, SKUAST-K, interacted with the participants and highlighted the livelihood potential of poultry farming. She stressed the importance of adopting scientific practices to improve productivity and make poultry rearing a sustainable economic activity for rural households.
Professor Azmat Alam Khan, Registrar, SKUAST-K, delivered a lecture on the care, conservation and management of poultry birds, emphasising practices required to maintain healthy and productive poultry units.
Poultry birds were distributed among tribal farmers from Shopian as part of the programme. The beneficiaries were also sensitised about proper feeding, care and scientific management to help them rear the birds effectively and generate income at the household level.
Dr Mir Shabir Ahmad, Programme Coordinator, KVK Shopian, underlined the role of farmer-oriented training programmes in strengthening rural livelihoods. He highlighted poultry farming as a potential supplementary income source for farming families.
Professor ZaffarAfroz Badri provided an overview of the initiative, outlining its objectives and the role of poultry development programmes in supporting tribal communities.
The programme is part of SKUAST-K’s extension efforts to take scientific knowledge and practical farming support to rural beneficiaries, with a focus on improving livelihood opportunities through livestock-based activities.
