The 21st Parthenium Awareness Week transformed a nationwide awareness campaign into a collective movement for the sustainable management of Parthenium hysterophorus, reaching approximately 4.75 lakh people across the country.
Spearheaded by ICAR–Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, the campaign mobilized a nationwide network of 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 113 ICAR Institutes and 75 State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) under the guidance and leadership of Dr J. S. Mishra, Director, ICAR-DWR.
Adopting a multi-stakeholder and multi-platform approach, the campaign engaged farmers, students, local communities, environmental enthusiasts, NGOs and other stakeholders through awareness rallies, Kisan–Charcha, brainstorming sessions, webinars, workshops and community-level programmes focused on integrated management of P. hysterophorus.
The campaign placed particular emphasis on youth outreach, using social media, digital platforms and direct interaction to connect with the next generation. The national online webinar series alone reached more than 1,00,000 participants, with the AICRP-WM Centre, Hyderabad, recording over 35,000 participants.
Awareness was complemented by action. Approximately 2.5 lakh Zygogramma bicolorata beetles were distributed to farmers, strengthening the adoption of biological control as an important component of integrated Parthenium management.
By bringing together scientific research, institutional outreach and farmer-level adoption, the 21st Parthenium Awareness Week strengthened nationwide efforts towards the sustainable and environmentally compatible management of Parthenium hysterophorus.
4.75 lakh people sensitized nationwide | 1 lakh+ webinar participants | 2.5 lakh Zygogramma bicolorata beetles distributed | 918 institutions across the national network
(Source: ICAR–Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur)
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