Pasighat, Feb 7: A series of training programs on mushroom cultivation, vermicompost, value addition and ICT application in agriculture were conducted at the border villages of Bona, Nyaming, Norbuling and Gelling in Upper Siang district from Jan 29 to Feb 1 last.
Organized by College of Agriculture, Pasighat under the project funded by National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the initiative aimed to enhance the livelihood of tribal farmers by penetration of modern agricultural practices in border villages i.e. to reach to the unreach and ensure sustainable productivity, uplift the economic status of tribal communities.
The training program consisted of technical and practical demonstration sessions. Altogether 120 farmers were trained. Farmers were educated on Oyster mushroom cultivation, opportunities and constraints in mushroom cultivation, demonstration on mushroom cultivation, usage of information and communication technology (ICT) tools to improve farming practices. Waste to wealth conversion by vermicomposting, value addition of horticultural product by preparation of Cassava chips, millet laddu, orange juice etc.
At the end of the programme, mushroom spawn, vermibed were distributed to the farmers for demonstration. The entire event concluded with positive feedback from the participants and they expressed eagerness to implement the knowledge gained during the training.