Agri dept to motivate farmers to adopt eco-friendly practices

Visakhapatnam: Mitigating climate change effects, bringing in multiple strategies to address climate concerns, identifying best practices from neighbouring regions and adopting them as quick as possible will help the farmers derive good results.

At the day-long orientation programme organised by the Department of Agriculture at Dr Y V S Murthy Auditorium, Principal Secretary of Agriculture Department B. Rajasekhar emphasised the need to tap natural and chemical-free methods for increased yields.

Addressing the gathering, Rajasekhar underlined the need to embrace zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) that aids in putting an end to agricultural distress and changing the lives of farmers.

Special Commissioner of Agriculture D. Muralidhar Reddy said the forum would help exchange best farming methods through a series of lectures and presentations.

A presentation on Anantapur-based farmer Vishnu Vardhan Reddy's 365 days green cover strategy focused on yielding remarkable crop results. "Adopting ZBNF and investing as less as Rs 8,000, he has come up with the idea of adopting the strategy. Such natural methods which are unaffected by dry spells will certainly enhance the welfare of farmers. This apart, the consumers will get chemical-free food and the quality of soil is also maintained," explained Rajasekhar. Best practices like mulching, pest management, climate-resilient farming, improving soil fertility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions were explained in detail at the orientation programme attended by a team of experts.

The agriculture department would soon come up with an action plan to help farmers in 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh adopt eco-friendly farming practices such as 365 days green cover strategy and ZBNF as experimented in Anantapur district. Soon, key challenges will be addressed as the department aims to work towards bringing down crop losses by strengthening cost-effective measures.