Keeping in line with its promise of spreading awareness among farmers about the latest farming trends, Gram Unnati, an integrated agritech solutions company, organised a one-day training programme on pest and disease management for soybean farmers along with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Anta) in Baran, Rajasthan.
With the support and guidance of Noida-based DS Spiceco, Gram Unnati is running an advisory project in Rajasthan’s Baran district to help 1000 farmers build capacity. Additionally, Gram Unnati is also enabling 15 farmers to establish demonstration plots of soybean where scientifically recommended good agricultural practices are being adhered to.
Talking to farmers at the camp, Dr. DK Singh, Agriculture Director, KVK Anta, said, “Such training sessions are the need of the hour. Framers will benefit by learning the latest and the best practices that are being shared by Gram Unnati for them to improve their production practices.”
Speaking on the awareness camp with KVK, Aneesh Jain, CEO & Founder, Gram Unnati, said, “Gram Unnati has been focusing on bringing good practices and partnerships to all smallholder farmers especially ones in aspirational districts. The KVK Anta and DS Spiceco have been very kind in their support and guidance which gives us the confidence to transform the lives of farmers in Baran.”
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Soybean, belonging to the legume family, is recognised as golden or miracle bean due to its high nutrition value and various uses such as for feed, oil, and soy food products. Soybean is a major crop belonging to the Kharif season. Importantly, Baran is one of the main soybean-growing regions in Rajasthan, which is one of the largest soybean-growing states in India.
Farmers have brought up the problem of pest and disease infestation in soybean during interactions and meetings with the Gram Unnati field team on several occasions. This problem affects the quality and productivity of the crop, which makes it difficult for the farmers to sell their produce at a profit.
As mentioned, in this region, Soybean is a very important crop of the Kharif season, making it one of the main sources of income for the farmers. Taking this into consideration along with the feedback from the farmers, the team from Gram Unnati along with specialists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Anta) made the decision to organise a training session on soybean with an emphasis on the agronomical practices to be followed for effective and timely management and control of pests and diseases in the crop.
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During the workshop, farmers obtained knowledge about the proper agronomic procedures to implement in soybean to improve the crop’s quality and overall productivity with an emphasis on integrated pest and disease management such as usage of yellow sticky cards and pheromone traps that are also environment-friendly and part of sustainable agricultural practices.
The farmers were also shown a demonstration plot in KVK of soybean where they got exposure to how the crop is being raised by experts. This will in turn lead to better returns from soybean. Even after the training, farmers will continue to receive timely advice and guidance from the Gram Unnati field team to guarantee a robust soybean crop.
The recently held awareness camp was attended by Dr. DK Singh, Agriculture Director, KVK Anta; Dr. Hari Shankar, Agronomist, KVK Anta and Sumit Kumar – Deputy Regional Manager, Rajasthan, Gram Unnati.
