Workshop to encourage farmers? participation in agri research

THE INSTITUTE of Agricultural Sciences (IAS) at Banaras Hindu University will organise a three-day ?Farmers? Participatory Research Workshop? at a hotel in Cantonment area from February 11 in a bid to encourage farmers? participation in agricultural research in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.Organising secretary of the workshop and faculty member at the Department of Plant Pathology at IAS Prof Ramesh Chand said the workshop would review the progress made by scientists in different countries in collaboration with farmers.

THE INSTITUTE of Agricultural Sciences (IAS) at Banaras Hindu University will organise a three-day ‘Farmers’ Participatory Research Workshop’ at a hotel in Cantonment area from February 11 in a bid to encourage farmers’ participation in agricultural research in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.Organising secretary of the workshop and faculty member at the Department of Plant Pathology at IAS Prof Ramesh Chand said the workshop would review the progress made by scientists in different countries in collaboration with farmers.

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He said the workshop would be organised in collaboration with the Department of International Fund (UK), University of Wales (UK) and Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. Scientists from India, Nepal and Bangladesh would participate in the workshop, he added.“The main objective of the workshop will be to discuss ways to bring about co-ordination with farmers in agriculture research so that an alternative could be created along with institutional research in which farmers will be part of the research system,” Prof Chand said.

“The basic idea is that we can create a substitute in institutional research,” he said, adding that this would help to maintain bio-diversity, natural resources and the use of local knowledge in the research system. “Moreover, it will reduce the cost of institutional research and many issues, which have not yet been taken up by agriculture institutes, will be discussed in the farmers’ participatory research session,” he said.

Prominent among other scientists who will participate in the workshop include Dr Sufian from the Bangladesh Wheat Research Centre, Prof John Witcombe from Welce University (UK), Dr DS Virk from University of Wales (UK), Dr Ortiz Ferrara, Dr Rodo Miro and Dr AK Joshi from CIMMYT.

Sikkim CM in city: Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Chamling, along with his family, arrived in the city on a personal trip on Wednesday. The CM went to several places of tourist interest in the afternoon and later, he was likely to participate in the Ganga Aarti at the ancient Dashashwamedh ghat in the evening.s