Bhubaneswar: ICAR- Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar organized a one-day Farmer-Scientist Interface programme on Freshwater Aquaculture at Village: Turintira (Gram Panchayat: Turintira, Block: Balipatna, District: Khordha) on 15th January 2025. This program primarily aimed to enhance the skills of men and women under the Farmers FIRST Project. The active participation of approximately 150 beneficiaries, including a significant number of farm women, reflected a positive response from the community. Among the participants were around 120 farm women representing 20 WSHGs and 30 farmers from various villages.
On this occasion, scientists from ICAR-CIFA, including Dr. G.S. Saha, Dr. Husne Banu, and Dr. E. M. Chhandaprajnadarsini, along with Dr. S. K. Mishra Principal Scientist from ICAR-IIWM and Dr. B. K. Mohapatra, Professor and Head of the Department of Agronomy at OUAT, discussed various activities and schemes related to agriculture and allied sectors aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers and farm women. The programme also featured a field visit to a nearby beneficiary’s site.
Dr. Saha highlighted fish-based entrepreneurial ventures, urging farmers to diversify beyond Indian Major Carps (IMC) and explore ornamental fish farming and aquarium businesses. Dr. Chhandaprajnadarsini introduced farm women to pearl culture, encouraging its adoption as a livelihood option alongside IMC culture. Dr. Misra emphasized the benefits of linking with Farmer Producer Companies to secure better market rates without intermediaries and promoted practices like mulching, protected horticulture, drip irrigation, and climate-resilient crop varieties. Dr. Mohapatra discussed farming systems tailored to farmers’ livelihoods, resources, and microclimates, advocating repeated stocking and harvesting in aquaculture to boost incomes. Dr. Banu addressed fish diseases and their remedies, providing practical solutions to improve fish health and productivity.
The program also featured the participation of Ms. Sanghamitra Mohanty, CRP, SHG, who encouraged farm women to actively engage in agriculture-related activities to improve their livelihoods. Additionally, two progressive farmers, Mr. Yogendra Muduli from Turintira and Mr. Rama Chandra Behera from Aitalanga, were honoured for their achievements in mushroom and fish farming, respectively. The event concluded with Dr. Banu delivering the vote of thanks.
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