Agri Univ encourage multiple farming

Ludhiana, Aug 7: Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) has decided to adopt one vilage in each district of the state for showing the importance of multiple farming system to farmers.

PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr K S Aulakh said this here today while chairing a meeting of the review commitee of the extension education workers and scientists.

The villages will be adopted under the Farm Advisory Service Scheme (FASS) and Krishi Vigyan Kendar (KVK).

Single point demonstration centres will be set up in the operational area of each KVK for educating the farmers on various aspects related to agriculture and socio-economic development.

Under the proposal, district extension specialists will be coordinators and carry out a bench-mark survey of each adopted village to evolve startegies for its agricultural and socio-economic development. On the proposed demonstration centres in the operational area of each KVK, there will be a switch over from demonstration of ''single practices'' to ''multiple'' approach under the farming system concept, where a composite demonstration of the production and prevention technologies evolved by PAU will be demonstrated.

The single practice approach involved determining the ''viability and local compatibility'' of crop varieties, whereas, in the multiple approach, a composite farming system will be demonstrated.

This approach, Dr Aulakh said, was intended to give the best to the farmers. This holistic approach will be supplemented by introducing an element of ''social transformation'' under which health, education, drug abuse and the skewed sex ration will also be taken up, he added.

UNI