Horticulture-based Integrated Farming System and Nursery Rising: Way of Farmers’ Prosperity and Employment for Youth in Kashmir

Baramulla, largest district in the entire Kashmir valley, was a largest apple producer district of the country in 2012-13. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Baramulla assessed need to train farmers in modern agricultural technologies to enable them to carryout farming as more economically viable and employment generating enterprise. In these efforts KVK, trained the farmers and rural youths in all components of Agriculture through ‘learning by doing’ methods. The focus was more on practical rather than theory alone. The growing demand of quality planting material of temperate fruits the KVK has imparted training programme on ‘Establishing Horticultural Nursery’ as vocational enterprise to generate employment opportunity as well as ensuring availability of quality planting materials to the farming community. Seven participants of the training programme raised nursery at their field and they are planning to establish commercial horticulture nursery as Agri- enterprise.

The Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Baramulla identified Horticulture-based Integrated Farming System as a potential intervention for sustainable livelihood of farmers. During the implementation of different programmes of the KVK.

Considering keen interest of Tariq Ahmed Seikh and Abdul Samad Peray from Mulgam village of Kunzer block in Baramulla KVK imparted training programmes on different aspects of apple orchard management and conducted front line demonstrations on Horticulture-based Integrated Farming system at their field. In 2015-16, Trariq Ahmed Seikh earned an amount of Rs 1.05 lakh from 0.25 ha orchard land, and Abdul Samad Peray also earned Rs 2.15 lakh from 0.5 ha apple orchard area. They are expecting 20 % higher yield this year from their orchards by adopting technologies suggested by KVK. They along with other rural youth participated in vocational training programme conducted by KVK, Baramulla on establishing horticultural nursery and have established horticultural nursery at their farm to expend the area under apple cultivation and to replace old plants with new varieties.  They are also cultivating paddy, pulses crops and vegetables as inter-crop in the orchard for nutritional security as well as additional income generation. They also have grown grasses for year round availability of green fodder to improve livestock productivity.