Kochi, Sep 3 (IANS) The upcoming Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) of the Union Ministry of Agriculture will focus on district-specific climate-smart advisories and farmer-centric innovations in Kerala.

The campaign will be held from October 3 to October 18 across 14 districts in Kerala.

Climate-smart advisories would help farmers to adopt precautionary measures in water management, pest and disease surveillance, soil health maintenance, and developing bio-inputs in agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries sectors, experts said at a state-level webinar held by ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Wednesday for preparing a road map for the campaign.

Apart from climate induced adversities, increasing attack of wild boars in farms is posing serious threat to the agriculture sector and dependent livelihood in the state, the webinar observed.

Representatives from Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, state departments of agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy development, ICAR research institutes including Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kerala Agriculture University, Veterinary University, Fisheries University, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras attended the webinar.

The roadmap focuses on diversification of crops across sectors, development of robust technology system and collaboration among various agencies.

The campaign will bring together agricultural scientists, government officials, subject matter specialists and resource managers in addressing issues and challenges faced by farmers in the state.

It also aims to popularise government schemes, disseminate commercially viable technologies, identify researchable issues and document farmer innovations.

Agricultural and allied enterprises in the state such as plantation crops, food crops, fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying will be expected to benefit from this two-week long campaign.

Speaking at the webinar, Dr Grinson George, Director of CMFRI and Nodal Officer of VKSA for Kerala said the primary objective of the campaign is to create awareness about innovative technologies and identify researchable issues from the field directly.

A collaborative effort, this campaign will have scientific expertise from ICAR research institutes, coordination from various state departments, technical support from state agricultural universities, and leadership at the district level from KVKs.

–IANS

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