The ‘Shashwat Bharat Krushi Rath’, a mobile knowledge centre, has been launched in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, to create awareness among farmers about globally-acclaimed sustainable, natural and chemical-free farming methods.
The mobile centre, inaugurated by Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, is a replica of the ‘Sustainable Farming and Rural Entrepreneurship Centre’ situated at The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF), a Maharashtra-based non-profit organisation, near Pune.
A statement by TEFF said the centre will also provide information on appropriate market linkages, post-harvest technologies, government schemes. and policies related to agriculture and allied businesses/ start-ups.
The centre aims to strengthen farmers’ economy by imparting education on sustainable agriculture practices and to establish sustainable farms.
It will demonstrate the worth of sustainable farming from the grassroots level. It will touch on points such as the calendar of the plantation – what crops and when to grow them, how to grow their produce with the available natural resources in their farm, market linkages – how to add value to their business in an efficient way, how to sell their produce in the market, and other aspects.
The statement said the idea is to take the mobile centre across the country. ‘Shashwat Bharat Krushi Rath’ will travel across the villages of India in the coming months, it said.
Quoting Anand Chordia, founder of TEFF, it said: “We are certain that this initiative will be a model project that will uplift the social and environmental morale and will bring economic viability to farmers. We wish to benefit the largest number of farmers with the takeaways of Sustainable Farming and Rural Entrepreneurship Centre.”