HAYULIANG, 13 Mar: The Anjaw Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) here organised a five-day skill development vocational training programme on ‘Sustainable agriculture with waste to wealth creation’ at Hoiliang village from 9 March.
During the inaugural session, KVK Head Dr Debasis Sasmal highlighted the importance of rural entrepreneurship among women SHGs, and encouraged the use of locally available natural resources for generating additional income.
Subject matter specialist Pooja Singnale covered value addition of locally available fruits and crops, such as preparation of pineapple jam, banana chips, king chilli pickle, orange squash, and millet-based products.
She also conducted hands-on training on compost preparation using kitchen waste and nutrigarden residues, promoting eco-friendly fertiliser production through waste recycling.
Another subject matter specialist, Dr Soibam Peter demonstrated the cultivation of oyster mushrooms using large cardamom straw as a substrate, presenting it as a viable alternative to paddy straw.
As part of the practical session, 34 bags of oyster mushrooms were prepared by the SHG members. Each bag is expected to yield approximately 2.5-3 kg of mushrooms, offering a promising income-generating opportunity for the participants.
ACTO (Agronomy) Naveen Khoisnam delivered a lecture on the cultivation practices of millet crops, particularly finger millet and foxtail millet, highlighting their nutritional value, climate resilience, and potential for livelihood enhancement.
Horticulture expert Satveer Yadav spoke on the importance of horticultural crops, and demonstrated essential crop management practices such as training, pruning, and maintenance to improve productivity and quality of fruits and vegetables.
The final day’s programme included an awareness and interaction session on the management and maintenance of mushroom units, composting techniques, packaging and labelling, and nutrigarden practices.
The participants actively engaged in the discussions and shared their experiences of the hands-on sessions conducted during the training.
Members of 22 women self-help groups attended the training programme.
