Farmer Field School meetings organized
Bahadurjeet Singh/royalpatiala.in News/ Fatehgarh Sahib ,September 11,2025
Under the PRANA Project, implemented by Manav Vikas Sansthan (MVS) with the support of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a total of 500 Farmer Field School (FFS) meetings were successfully organized across the districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Moga, and Patiala in Punjab. These meetings brought together demo farmers and other farmers from nearby villages to learn and exchange practical knowledge on sustainable paddy cultivation. The initiative focuses on building farmers’ capacity through practical exposure, helping them adopt sustainable and climate-smart paddy practices under the PRANA Project. As part of this effort, 200 FFS meetings were held in Fatehgarhdistrict, engaging demo farmers along with other farmers from the village and adjoining areas.
The FFS meetings, conducted at demonstration plots, served as a platform for experiential learning where farmers could evaluate the performance of sustainable practices against conventional methods. Technical sessions highlighted water-saving technologies such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), balanced fertilizer application, and integrated pest and disease management strategies. The use of Trico cards for insect monitoring, Leaf Colour Charts (LCC) for precision nutrient application, and biological approaches to pest management were demonstrated to promote eco-friendly crop protection. Additionally, participants were briefed on weather forecasts and agro-advisories, enabling them to align field operations with prevailing and anticipated climatic conditions. By combining practical field observations with scientific guidance, the meetings helped farmers adopt step-by-step sustainable paddy practices while strengthening their preparedness for both present and emerging challenges.
Through these efforts, farmers are gaining practical knowledge that will help them achieve water saving, cost reduction, improved productivity, and reduced methane emissions, thereby supporting both their livelihoods and the environment.
District Coordinator Akshay said, “The Farmer Field School meetings are creating an excellent platform for knowledge sharing. This farmer-to-farmer learning is encouraging more farmers to adopt sustainable practices, ensuring better outcomes for farming communities while also contributing to environmental conservation.”
 with the support of The Nature){kind=link}