Project Components : Agriculture


Agriculture Training
Keeping in view the nature and amount of work involved, the Follow-on Project would support development of field level resource persons who would be vested with the task of providing technical assistance to the farmers. For this purpose, training of such resources persons at the rate of between 8 to 10 progressive farmers/resource persons would be incorporated in the assigned organisations involved in the agriculture programme. Such resource persons would also receive refresher training by assigned organisations periodically in order to enhance their technical skills/knowledge. The scope of the studies would also be widened to incorporate new areas where such interventions are necessary. The project would support the training programmes like (a) Training to JSYS Staff, (b) Trainers� Training, (c) Training for agricultural field staff, (d) Farmers Technical Training/Workshops, (e) Farmers Field Schools, (f) Farmers Study Tours as per annual action plan/ToR.
The training programme would have three sub-components, namely:
With a view to enhance and update the technical knowledge and skill of the Project implementation support personnel � both at JSYS and CFT levels, and also the farmers, a comprehensive training is necessary on wide ranging aspects. As in the case of the ongoing project, the training programme would have two parts � class room and on the farm Training A General Level Training using the Farmers Field Schools (FFS) approach would also be conducted along side the demonstration programmes. (iii) Study tours would be organised for selected progressive farmers with a view to affording them an opportunity of interactions with other farmers and experts in other taluks/areas to enhance spread effect technologies.
The main resource agencies for designing and imparting these programmes would be the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore and Dharwad, and the Department of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry and Agricultural Extension agencies, wherever necessary. These programmes are expected to enhance the technical skills and managerial abilities of not only the project support personnel but also the farming community in general and women in particular. General level farmer training, using the farmer field school training approach, would be conducted having demonstration programme in all tanks, in which the extension wings of the local line departments would participate. Topics covered by technical training programmes could, depending on a needs-assessment for each cluster of tanks, include: Water use efficiency at farm level and on-farm water management; Tank systems O&M; TUG organisational and administrative skills; Contract management; Construction supervision and quality control; Integrated cropping systems; Crop specific technologies (varieties, integrated nutrient management, IPM, cultural practices, pre-and post-harvest management, etc.); Horticulture development (vegetables and fruits); Intensive forage production; Intensive livestock production; Forestry; Fishculture.
Training of DPU Personnel/CFTs
Technical training courses would be provided for agricultural staff and assistant agricultural staff of the JSYS from each district and taluk, respectively, agriculturists from each CFT (50 teams), Research Assistants and field technicians on specialised topics during the first two years of project implementation. Separate technical training would also be provided for selected farmers and women groups. Technical farmer training is based on selected farmers from each tank attending a short-term (3 days), technical training course on improved field and horticulture crop production technologies, capacity building of Neerugantis, awareness programmes on corrective measures of saline patches etc. Thus on an average 30 farmers would attend all 8 Sessions of farmer field school. The FFS would be carried out in all tanks (in case of 2 or more tanks implemented by each TUG, FFS will be conducted in any one of the tank). A total of 240 farmer-days of training would be provided under the farmer field school. Opportunity would also be provided for selected farmers to benefit from the experience, results and outcome of demonstrations in other areas. Provision is made for farmer study tours based on two selected farmers from each tank travelling to other taluks and districts to view demonstrations, associated with field days cover two days travel and living expenses to attend appropriate field days in other areas. Training of Trainers/Resources Persons: The selected resource persons would be provided with a comprehensive training programme of the duration of 7 days in wide ranging technical aspects relating to water use efficiency, conjunctive use of water, integrated management practices, agronomical aspects, and related areas. They would be vested with the task of providing technical assistance and support to the local farmers in all aspects. They would further be covered under refresher courses so as to update their knowledge. This is intended to reduce on the work pressure on the UAS as also eventually develop local skills.
Special Research Studies
The ongoing project envisaged use of silt by farmers for their farm holdings. The silt so removed has economic value which needs to be assessed more scientifically so as to advise the farmers on the advantages of use of silt on their farm holdings. The Follow-on Project would support a few trials to study the impact of application of silt on the crops grown as also other tank-specific studies.