Innovative practices in agriculture

Bhopal, Jan 30 (UNI) With the objective of highlighting the need for a discussion between civil society and the government on scaling up innovative practices in agriculture, a workshop came up with a set of recommendations that will be shared with Madhya Pradesh's Commissioner (Agricultural Production).

Today's event took place at the RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration and Management and was facilitated by the non-government organisation Action for Social Advancement (ASA), a release said.

The key recommendation is to undertake planning for agricultural productivity enhancement, including extension, at the block level to meet local requirements more effectively.

Madhya Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project Director Ravindra Pastor, other government officials, representatives of NGOs working in this state, West Bengal and Jharkhand were present.

Discussions took place on participatory varietal selecton; farmer-led producer companies; the system of rice intensification; participatory plant breeding; production, certification and marketing of organic cotton and sloping agricultural land technology.

According to ASA, these innovations were tried and tested in the field and are emerging as effective strategies for the sustainable improvement of rain-fed and resource-poor agriculture.

''The area under this technology is very limited. We need to generate a debate around their scaling up,'' claimed ASA Director Ashis Mondal, the release added.

UNI