Training programme to boost Organic Farming in Sikkim

Gangtok: February 10, 2012

An orientation cum training programme based upon Internal Control System for wider and successful effect of Sikkim Organic Mission was held at the conference hall of District Administrative Centre, Namchi from 9th to 10th February. This two days workshop was organized by the MR Morarka GDC Rural Research Foundation (Jaipur) in collaboration with Food Supply, Agriculture, Horticulture & Cash Crop Development Department.

The objective of this programme is to train the field supervisors, panchayat members and local farmers and equip them for successful and efficient implementation of the Sikkim Organic Mission in the rural areas. They were provided with training and information based on documentation of organic farming by the resource persons and officials of the department and Morarka Foundation.

Under this programme, the field supervisors have been selected from the State Livelihood Schools who have undergone three months training in certificate course of Agricultural Management. After this training programme, they will begin their field work from 13th February in the allotted Gram Panchayat Units (GPUs) of South District. The Panchayat members who have participated in the training will assist the filed supervisors in the proper implementation of the project in their GPUs and the rural farmers who have also participated will utilize the information and training in carrying out efficient organic farming in their lands.

Total number of participants in the programme was 70 and the selected 6 GPUs of south district where the project will be carried out are Tokal-Bermiok, Kewzing-Bakhim, Sorok-Shyampani, Namphing, Temi and Tarku. Information on other related matters like land details, regular field activities, crop details, crop rotation, inter crops, crop history and departmental schemes availed by the farmers during past years were discussed in the workshop. Other topics like risk assessment, production portion of field, parallel production, boundary problems, land ownership problem, parallel farming were covered in detail by the resource persons Project Manager Mohanlal Chowdhury, Project Officer Tilak Pradhan and Field Officer Kulman Chettri of Morarka Foundation.

Internal Control System (ICS) development is a process for certification of Organic Farming and this involves step by step procedures and record maintenance by farmers. These records are inspected by service providers of Morarka during internal inspection and then by auditors during external inspection. Therefore cooperation of farmers is essential to get the true information and records.

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