ICAR-CIARI Conducts Coaching Programmes on Local weather-Resilient Farming and Innovative Technologies at Kakana Village in Car Nicobar

Tarun Karthick

Sri Vijaya Puram, 09 July 2025

ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI), Port Blair, in collaboration with its Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Car Nicobar, efficiently performed two coaching programmes at Kakana village from 4th to sixth July 2025. The programmes centered on “Backyard Vegetable Cultivation with Weather-Based Advisory” and “Innovative Technologies for Fly Management and Leaf Separation.”

Aimed at empowering tribal farmers with sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices, the trainings launched improved vegetable varieties equivalent to brinjal, okra, pumpkin, bitter gourd, radish, amaranthus, cowpea, and different gourds. The members have been additionally educated on the usage of weather-based advisories, built-in pest administration, post-harvest dealing with, and hygiene applied sciences.

Special emphasis was positioned on enhancing meals and dietary safety whereas bettering the adaptive capability of tribal farmers to deal with altering weather conditions. Practical classes included website choice, raised mattress preparation, software of natural inputs, and pure pest management strategies.

One of the highlights of the programme was the coaching on deciphering Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) advisories—a collaborative initiative by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and ICAR. These advisories equip farmers with essential info for making well timed selections on sowing, irrigation, and harvesting.

A complete of 53 tribal farmers acquired vegetable seed kits and coaching manuals titled “Island Kitchen Gardening – Sustainable Resource Utilisation and Self-Sufficiency.” Additionally, hands-on demonstrations of the Dweep Go-Fly and Dweep Leaf Separator applied sciences have been performed for 40 farmers.

The programmes have been carried out beneath the Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) schemes. The initiative was led by Dr. Abhilash Singh, Scientist, ICAR-CIARI, and Mr. T. Harshang Kumar, Scientist, together with Subject Matter Specialists Dr. Axay, Deepu Meena, Sanket, and Azamal from KVK Nicobar. They have been supported by Dr. I. Jaisankar, Senior Scientist, and Dr. Santosh Kumar, Head, KVK Car Nicobar.