KVK-Leh's Endaveour towards Self-Reliance
Dr. Parveen Kumar
Experiences of past from the agricultural sector have shown that our dependence on external inputs have only added to the woes of our farming community, threatened our ecosystem and degraded our natural environment. The gains from the use of external inputs were short lived and all our efforts are now directed towards making ‘Atmanirbharta' i. e Self reliance as an integral part of holistic sustainable development. Self reliance besides conserving our natural resources largely avoids the use of external inputs and focuses on recycling of waste products. Government of India is also focusing on promoting different resource conserving technologies. One such resource conserving, self reliant approach is vermi composting. Vermi composting besides recycling of the waste can also be taken as an enterprise and a small scale cottage or a village industry.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh is promoting this activity both as an enterprise as well as a sustainable agricultural practice among the farming community of this region. Dr. Feroz Din Sheikh, Head at KVK-Leh told that under Mission Organic Development Initiative, whole of Ladakh is to be made organic by 2025 and for this the UT administration is already working in a phased manner to achieve the target in time. KVK-Leh as a leading institute in this cold arid zone is contributing a lot by taking various interventions including vermicomposting to the farmer fields.
Dr. Parveen Kumar, Subject Matter Specialist (Ag. Extension) at KVK-Leh said that as a result of the motivation, awareness and trainings conducted by KVK-Leh in different villages many youths and large no. of farmers have now become successful vermi preneurs. The farmers effectively recycle their farm, livestock and home waste into high quality vermi compost and sell it in the market. The sale of vermi compost as well as vermi worms has also increased their income considerably. Dr. Kumar also talked about the National Mission of Doubling Farmers' Income by 2022 and explained how the use of vermi compost as a substitute for costly chemical fertilizers has reduced the cost of cultivation of farmers by 15-20 per cent. This reduced cost of cultivation ultimately helps the farmers to increase their net income. Dr. Feroze further informed that KVK-Leh has also distributed many vermi bags to farmers' in different villages of this region under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP).
Vermi compost, an organic manure rich in many nutrient, according to Dr. Parveen is made by a special type of worm called as Esina Foetida. The worm is multiplied at vermi compost demonstration unit of KVK-Leh at its farm at Stakna. Many of the farmers after taking the worm from KVK-Leh have successfully multiplied the worm even at -25 degrees Celsius and sold them in quintals to agriculture and allied department, NGOs and other farmers of the region. He also informed that farmers are also using vermi compost in liquid form as an insecticide. Head KVK-Leh also cited the names of Urgain Phuntsog, Akbar Khan, Sonam Odpal, Ishey Dorjey and Rigzin Tsering as the successful entrepreneurs of the region who are successfully recycling their kitchen, farm and animal waste into high quality manure. He also assured all type of support to the farming community of the region in their endaveour to make the region totally organic by 2025.
Akbar Khan, a successful entrepreneur Vermi worms being packed for sale
The author is a scientist at KVK-Leh
