National Workshop on Strategies and Approaches for Greening Rice Fallow Area
National Workshop on Strategies and Approaches for Greening Rice Fallow Area

3rd–4th January 2025, Patna

A 2-day national workshop on ‘Strategies and Approaches for Greening Rice Fallow Areas’ was organized at ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, from 3rd-4th January 2025. The workshop aimed to design strategies and approaches for managing rice fallow areas while building a module for sustainable crop intensification.

The Chief Guest, Dr S.K. Chaudhari, Deputy Director General, Natural Resource Management, ICAR, stressed the urgent need for adopting an integrated & multidisciplinary approach to address the challenges faced by small and marginal farmers in rice fallow areas. He highlighted the importance of land digitization, linkage of village-level institutions, and minimizing the gap between groundwater potential and its utilization. He further urged the adoption of innovative resource conservation technologies like minimal soil disturbances, residue management, and weed control in rice fallows.

National Workshop on Strategies and Approaches for Greening Rice Fallow Area  National Workshop on Strategies and Approaches for Greening Rice Fallow Area

Dr Anup Das, Director, ICAR-RCER, Patna, shared the institute's activities in greening over 1000 hectares of rice fallow areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh through participatory efforts involving ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendras. He emphasized the potential of these interventions to bridge the demand-supply gap for pulses and oilseeds, contributing to self-sufficiency and improving farmers' incomes in the Eastern Region.

Dignitaries stressed prioritizing rice fallow regimes based on soil moisture and adopting sustainable practices like climate-resilient pulses/oilseeds to boost productivity. They highlighted integrated water management, rainwater harvesting, and climate-smart agriculture. Experts also called for an integrated approach involving crops, livestock, and socio-economic activities, alongside multi-location field trials by agencies to develop validated technologies for greening rice fallows.

Progressive farmers from rice fallow areas also shared their views on rice fallow management. The event featured the inauguration of an e-Rickshaw (Swarna Rath), a smart water management model, and an exhibition on innovative technologies for rice fallows. A field day for pulses and oilseeds was held on January 4, 2025, in Guleriachak Village, Gaya District, with over 100 farmers participating. A technical bulletin on "Greening Rice Fallow Areas in Eastern India" was released, and IARI Patna Hub students performed cultural programmes.

The programme was coordinated by Dr Rakesh Kumar, organizing Secretary along with the organizing committee of the event.

A total of 100 participants attended the workshop.

(Source: ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar)

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