Jhum farming
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 15 2017:
A oneday National workshop cum brainstorming session on "Jhum improvement for sustaining farm livelihood and natural resource conservation: Vistas and frontiers" was held today at Hotel Classic Grande, Imphal.
The inaugural function was gaced by Professor M Premjit Singh, Vice ChancelFor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Dr UC Sharma, former Assistant Director General, ICAR, New Delhi and Member, International Commission on Water Quality, Dr KR Dhiman, former Vice Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar, Uni versity of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, Dr BC Deka, Director, Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone VII, Umiam, Meghalaya, Dr AK Tripathi, Director, Agricultural Technology .
Application Research Institute, Zone VI, Guwahati and Dr SK Dhyani, Principal Scientist, NRM Division, ICAR, New Delhi and former Director, ICAR-Central Agro forestry Research Institute, Jhansi as the chief guest, guests of honour and president respectively.
Speaking at the event,Premjit contended that farmers in the North East region are hesitant to accept new technologies and mechanism of farming invented by scientists and researchers due to high costs and lack of proper knowledge or know how.
He noted that technologies and farming models adopted by scientists and researchers should be of cost-effective and farmers friendly.
Observing that proper mapping of Jhumias (farmers who do jhum cultivation) by analysing various aspects, including economic perspective, is vital in improving the jhum cultivation, the Vice Chancellor also underscored the need to give emphasis on the stakeholders while considering methods for improving jhum cultivation in the region.
Premjit also opined that the findings and knowledge obtained from seminars should be disseminated to the farmers at grass root level.
He also explained that the awareness about the stories of successful farmers who take up alternate model of farming like agro forestry is also a must to improve jhum cultivation as well as to preserve and conserve the natural resources in the North East region.
He further stressed on inventing feasible alternative means for jhum cultivators and added that forming clubs for jhum cultivators is becoming the need of the hour to create awareness.