JAMMU: SK University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology- Jammu is going to organise two day Innovative Farmers’ Conference on “Farmer Led Innovations for Enhancing Farm Income” from February 23, 2021 here at Baba Jitto Auditorium of the University to harness the first-hand experiences of innovative farmers.
Prof. J.P. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu and Chief Patron of the conference hopes that the conference will address the emerging challenges of agriculture like declining farm size, deterioration of soil health, groundwater depletion, increase in cost of production, labour scarcity and climatic shocks etc, which is essential for efficient, sustainable and inclusive development of agriculture and to realize Prime Ministers’ vision of doubling farmers’ income.
Prof. Sharma further pointed out that in recent years, a number of farmers and other stakeholders interested in agriculture have come out with location-specific and field tested innovations for their technical and economic feasibility. These innovations are of greater importance to farming communities, especially small land holders, who are often unable to afford costlier technologies because of the lack of access to finances and information. These innovators can be an effective and reliable source of information and inputs for other farmers in the vicinity. There are several success stories of innovative farmers, who have achieved more than double income compared to other farmers in similar resource situations. These farmers proved that income can be enhanced manifold by innovations in their existing farming situation.
The conference will provide a platform to farmers for sharing the innovative models and success stories. The vision of the Vice-Chancellor is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences among participating farmers and learning from each other.
Giving detail of the conference, Dr. S.K. Gupta, Director Extension and Dr. Jag Paul Sharma, Director Research Co-Chairs of the conference, said that the primary objectives of the two days conference is to facilitate knowledge sharing among innovative farmers for faster and comprehensive replication of innovations in similar agro-ecological situations and to recognize the contribution of innovative and awardee farmers for motivating other farmers and stakeholders in agriculture and allied sectors. This conference will give impetus to the research and extension programmes of the farm universities for meeting out the expectations of farmers and to suggest suitable measures to policy planners for achieving faster growth in agriculture alongwith sustainable income.

KR Desk