ICAR-CCARI organized a Farmer – Scientist interface on Coastal Agriculture at Kumarakom, Kerala

    ICAR-CCARI, Goa, organized a farmer-scientist interface at Kumarakom, Kerala in collaboration with Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Kumarakom under the Scheduled- Caste- Sub- Plan, Govt. of India on 3 January 2025. The program was chaired by Dr. Sheeba Rebecca Issac, Associate Director of Research, RARS Kumarakom. Dr. Sreekanth G B, Senior Scientist, CCARI Goa provided a brief description of the programme. Most of the farmers in Kuttanad-Kumarakom region have small farm holdings, and practice homestead vegetable gardens, small units of duck rearing, poultry and fish farming. Thirty SC farmers who follow agriculture and allied activities attended the programme (12 males and 18 females). A session on organic pest and disease management in vegetable crops was delivered by Dr. Pallavi Nair K, Assistant Professor (Agricultural Entomology), RARS Kumarakom. An exposure visit to research farm, small scale cage fish farming, feed unit, and public aquarium complex was arranged for the participants. Farmers deliberated on their constraints on the current farming practices and the scientists from CCARI and RARS provided scientific advisories for the specific problems. The main challenges reported were the increase of disease incidence in vegetable crops and livestock due to the climate change. The inputs such as vegetable seedlings, seeds, tissue culture banana, pheromone traps, bio-control agents, enriched compost, barrels and feed were distributed to the farmers. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Simi Rose Andrews, Assistant Professor (Aquaculture), Dr. Sini Thomas K, Assistant Professor (Plant Physiology) from RARS and Dr. Sreekanth GB from CCARI, Goa.