Hubballi: Students of the Karnataka State Rural Development Panchayat Raj University (KSRDPU) in Gadag are experimenting organic and self-sustainable model of agriculture at their new campus.
The experiment with least or zero investment is being conducted at the six acre plot of the university in an attempt to attract farmers of the district to natural farming.
In the first phase, 10 branches of the university have been allocated 20 guntas of the land each in the six acres of land.
“The department students under the guidance of their heads will do the organic and self-sustainable model of agriculture, and the initiative has been named as ‘ Demonstrable, sustainable, scalable initiative’ (DESSI),” said varsity vice-chancellor Vishnukanth Chatpalli.
“Agricultural activities play a significant role in the development of rural areas, but due to various factors farming has lost sustainability, be it excessive use of pesticides or climate change. Earlier, farmers could fulfil his 90% of the requirement through farming, but that’s not the case now. Under the project, the allotted piece of land will be an experimental ground for them to learn about all aspects of farming,” he said.
“Development of rural areas is possible only when the farmer turns towards natural and sustainable model of farming. To make farmers self-reliant, a comprehensive farming practice should be adopted. Our students will do the experiment and show the results. Based on the outcomes, the idea will explained to the farmers in Gadag,” said Chatpalli.
The VC added that all the department heads, students and staff will harvest crops grown using indigenous seeds, including medicinal plants, vegetables, millets, and spices.
“The objective behind this initiative is to attract farmers towards desi farming,” added the professor.