ITANAGAR, 1 Mar: About 50 farmers, including members of women’s SHGs from Arunachal Pradesh participated in a field training and demonstration programme at Pithaguri in Assam’s Lakhimpur district on Sunday.
The programme, themed ‘Fodder and livestock-based interventions for livelihood improvement of NEH farmers’, was organised by the forestry department of the NERIST, and supported by Jhansi-based IGFRI.
The coordinator of the programme, Prof PR Gajurel, highlighted the importance of fodder plants to support livestock management, livelihood improvement, and revenue generation. He explained the potential and importance of various fodder crops like alfalfa, cow pea, napier grass, jack fruit, kanchan, figs, wild neem, etc.
Prof B Singh highlighted the importance of cultivation of horticultural crops like black pepper, ginger, pipali, banana, baer, guava, etc. He also explained the different crop management practices for the benefit of the farmers. Tools and techniques of nursery propagation and plantation were also presented, and detailed methods of propagation and cultivation of crops, particularly napier grass and black pepper, were demonstrated.
Researchers Dr Soyala Kashung and Muskan demonstrated nursery and plantation techniques.
Seedlings and saplings of different plants like jack fruit, litchi, kanchan, jamun, napier grass, etc, were distributed to the farmers.
