Agartala: To boost farmers’ technical skills and promote sustainable, chemical-free food production, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Tripura’s Sepahijala district has launched a Farmer Field School (FFS) at Chesrimai village in Charilam Block, engaging 100 cultivators.The initiative offers hands-on training on pest ecology, crop-pest relationships, and eco-friendly pest management techniques, said Utpal Dey, plant protection expert at KVK.Concerns are mounting over the excessive use of chemical pesticides, which has triggered pest resistance, resurgence of secondary pests, decline in beneficial organisms, and contamination of soil and water.Dey said the FFS fosters a participatory, experiential learning environment. In collaboration with the ICAR-National Research Institute for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi, KVK Sepahijala launched its inaugural FFS on Integrated Pest Management, underscoring the importance of adopting such technologies in the northeast.He said traditional farming practices often rely heavily on synthetic pesticides, degrading soil and water quality and posing chronic health risks to humans and livestock.The FFS is a key capacity-building effort aimed at encouraging integrated pest management practices and responsible pesticide use, ensuring sustainable and economically viable agricultural production.
