In Himachal Pradesh, approximately 1.5 lakh farmers practising natural farming will be certified under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y) in 2023-24.
According to a study, 28% of farmers have adopted natural farming techniques on their own through peer-to-peer learning without any training, and the focus of PK3Y in this fiscal year will be the consolidation of farmers practising natural farming, according to Agriculture Secretary Rakesh Kanwar. During a meeting of agriculture department officers to discuss the state’s cluster-based agriculture development programme, he stated that efforts would be made in 2023-24 to certify approximately 1.5 lakh farmers practising natural farming, according to a statement issued here on Friday. He stated that the emphasis should be on consolidating existing farmers, expanding their natural farming area, holding refresher workshops, capacity-building training, and exposure visits. The response and success on the ground show that everyone is convinced that natural farming techniques are beneficial, and “we just need to take the practise further for overall benefits in agriculture,” he added. Kanwar asked the department officers to identify clusters, prioritise the issues, and come up with a specific need-based budget for each cluster.
