India-Organic farming.

INDIA-ORGANIC FARMING TAKES OFF.

President of the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat Deerghakeshi Shivanna on Friday called upon women farmers to repose faith in organic farming which helped in maintaining soil fertility and resulted in increased yields.

She was inaugurating a district-level technical meet at P.I. Belliappa Memorial Hall on the Kodagu District Cooperative Union premises here, involving women farmers in the district who have availed themselves of benefits under the Woman and Youth Training Extension Programmes (WYTEP).

The programme is being carried out with the DANIDA (of Government of Denmark) assistance in Kodagu. Ms. Shivanna, who herself is a progressive farmer, noted the difficult circumstances under which women had to play different roles as a farmer and as a housewife, especially in a heavy rainfall area such as Kodagu.

Recognition

Women farmers should also be counted as the backbone of the nation as they stood on equal footing with men.

Women had taken advantage of several government-assisted programmes and joined the mainstream, she said. This was a programme particularly for women who formed an integral part of agriculture activities, she said. A woman’s involvement in agriculture started from the day of preparing seedlings, transplantation, weeding, harvesting and so on.

Women farmers had gathered here to share their experiences, which should benefit the farming community as a whole, Ms. Shivanna said.

She called upon the women to take up more agriculture-related activities such as poultry, piggery and sheep rearing to boost their economy.

As many as 204 self-help groups had availed themselves of the benefit from the Department of Agriculture under the WYTEP programme in Kodagu, Ms. Shivanna said.

Joint Director of Agriculture K.R. Krishnayya said only a few districts were chosen in the State under the WYTEP programme, which started with assistance from the Danish Government in 1984. All districts were covered in the later stages. . Participants exchanged views on the occasion.

President of the Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industry M.K. Nanjappa presided over the function.