Farmers' Training Programme on "Soil Health Management and Use of Farm Equipment’s" for farmers of Vidisha district jointly Organised by ICAR-IISS & ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal

22–23 September 2026, Bhopal

ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, in collaboration with ICAR–Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, organized a two-day farmers' training programme on "Soil Health Management and Use of Farm Equipment’s" for farmers of Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh, on 22–23 September 2026.

The programme was addressed by the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who interacted with the farmers. He emphasized on crop diversification, soil testing, and balanced and optimum use of fertilizers for sustaining soil health and crop productivity. He encouraged farmers to use organic manures such as vermicompost, include pulse crops in crop rotations, and adopt scientific soil health management practices. He also highlighted the utility of the e-FARMS application developed by ICAR-IISS for crop-based precise fertilizer application and encouraged farmers to adopt modern farm machineries developed by ICAR-CIAE to reduce labour, save time and lower cultivation costs.

The programme was attended by Dr Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR; Dr Rajarshi Roy Barman, Assistant Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR; Dr M. Mohanty, Director, ICAR-IISS; Dr C. R. Mehta, Director, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal along with scientists and officials of the Institute.

During the training, the farmers visited the experimental fields of ICAR-IISS and received practical exposure to organic farming, natural farming, integrated nutrient management and conservation agriculture. They were also introduced to alternative fertilizer sources and nutrient management technologies, including green ammonia and Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM).

The programme aimed to strengthen the farmer–scientist interface and take scientific knowledge and modern technologies from laboratories and experimental fields to farmers' fields, thereby promoting healthy soils, sustainable crop production, efficient input use, reduced cultivation costs and improved farm livelihoods.

A total of 25 farmers participated in the programme and interacted with scientists and experts on various aspects of sustainable and profitable farming.

(Source: ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal)