KIRAN PANDAY

Farmers in Surkhet have been reaping benefits from an agriculture training school that aims to implement integrated pest management (IPM) to fight the different diseases that plague vegetables and other produce.

At the school, the locals learn to plant according to the season, solve farming problems, and produce seedlings. Since the training began, more people have become interested in farming and the total produce of the area has increased.

According to the Agricultural Development Office, in the last fiscal year Surkhet produced 26,878 metric tonnes of vegetables while this year, 27,419 metric tonnes have been produced already. Prem Bahadur Chaudhary of Manikapur says that the training has been very fruitful. "Right now I am very satisfied with my vegetable farming. I am now earning Rs 1.25 million yearly and production has risen considerably since I took the training."

A hundred and twenty-five farmers have benefitted from the training, 70 per cent of whom are women. They say the training has helped them produce organic vegetables at lower cost.

The Directorate of Crop Protection and FAO have been jointly conducting IPM programs in various districts for the last four years.

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