West Sikkim farmers learn from Wadi project implementation in South district

GANGTOK, 02 Dec [IPR]: Krishi Vigyan Kendra, South Sikkim, played host to a group of farmers from the recently inducted WADI villages of  West district on 25 November. The farmers were at Namthang on an exposure tour to the project areas where the WADI project was being implemented.
While the WADI project has been implemented by KVK Namthang in South district for the past three years in the villages of Rabitar, Rabikhola, Manghim, Kabrey, Kateng and Bokrong; in West district, it was launched recently with KVK West as Project Implementing Agency. The project in both districts is funded by NABARD.
The group led by Bhison Pradhan, Subject Matter Specialist (SMS) at KVK West, comprised of two panchayat members, 30 beneficiaries and 03 Field Assistants from the project area covering 227 acres in the villages of Nesurgaon, Jambudara, Magarjung, Lungthung, Arubotey, Upper Timburbong and Karthok under Soreng Sub-division in West district.
The main objective of the visit was to introduce the new WADI farmers to established orchards (Bagan) developed through WADI approach of NABARD in South district.
A function was organized at the training hall of KVK Namthang to welcome and brief the farmers. The programme was presided over by Binu Subba, Manghim ward Panchayat and also attended by Budhi Rani Lepcha, Panchayat Secretary and Jagmaya Limboo, Panchayat member of Karthok ward under Soreng subdivision. Field Assistants from the project areas in South district were also present to interact and share experience with their counterparts and farmers from West district.
Tracing the genesis of WADI project started in South district during year 2010-11 under the leadership of the then Programme Co-ordinator, SL Dorjee (presently Director SAMETI, Department of Food Security and Agriculture Development Department), IP Shivakoti SMS KVK Namthang presented a brief history of the project under implementation in South district by KVK Namthang as Project Implementing Agency.
Expressing gratitude to NABARD for the grant under Tribal Development Fund component, Tilak Gajmer, Programme Co-ordinator KVK Namthang highlighted important components of the WADI project and explained how a small mixed fruit orchard comprising of guava and orange plants could provide an opportunity for income generation and employment in addition to bringing about positive socio-economic change in the lives and livelihood of Tribal farmer beneficiaries in remote villages of the state.
He highlighted that WADI was a unique model of area specific development project aimed at holistic development  of the tribal households through activities such as plantation of fruit plant orchard, intercropping, soil and water conservation and management activities, health camp, women development, capacity building etc. which  ultimately helped in amelioration of poverty in the rural areas.
“We had never seen such a well maintained orchard. We should also adopt the same practices,” exclaimed the jubilant farmers Padam Singh Limboo of Jambudara-Suntalay and Kul Prasad Sharma of Karthok from West District.
Bishnu Ghising from Lungthung and Birbal Limboo of Nesurgaon in turn remarked, “It was possible to maintain the same type of plantation as in the orchard of Shri Mani Kumar Pradhan of Upper Kabrey in our Bagan too if the agronomic practices viz. manure schedule, training and pruning, soil and water conservation methods including stone mulching around the tree trunk were followed in Kabrey was adopted earnestly.”
Nar Bahadur Karki of Jambudara, Budhiman Subba of Arubotey endorsed that the orange plantation maintained organically was exemplary and expressed that they too would like to replicate it in West district.
Budhi Rani Lepcha, Panchayat Secretary of Karthok ward expressed gratitude to both KVKs for the opportunity to Bagan farmers of West district to visit the orange plantations.
To the Bagan farmers of West district, the exposure visit provided a unique opportunity for one on one interaction amongst farmers thereby facilitating interchange and exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience which in turn should help in motivation of the Bagan farmers and adoption of proven technology and in reinforcing the conviction of farmers.
It is hoped that such an informal learning experience through exposure visit and farmer-to-farmer level interaction should motivate farmers of West district to replicate and take up various activities under Wadi project effectively in West Sikkim too as in South Sikkim.