Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept 22: The ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Sri Vijaya Puram, organized a one-day training programme on “Natural Farming in Integrated Farming Systems” for farmers of South Andaman on 22 September 2026 at Gharacharma Farm, ICAR-CIARI, under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). The programme was aimed at enhancing farmers’ practical knowledge and technical skills in adopting natural farming practices within integrated farming systems, with special emphasis on the preparation and effective use of Beejamrutha, Jeevamrutha, Ghanajeevamrutha and Neemastra. The training focused on the scientific principles, preparation methods, quality considerations, storage and field application of natural farming inputs. The programme was conducted under the chairmanship of Dr. Jai Sunder, Director, ICAR-CIARI. The technical sessions covered an introduction to natural farming, integrated farming systems under island conditions, recycling of farm wastes for efficient nutrient management, and preparation of natural farming inputs. A dedicated hands-on practical session was conducted to provide farmers with first-hand experience in preparing the inputs, followed by an interactive session for discussion of farmers’ queries and field-level experiences. The training particularly emphasized the relevance of recycling locally available farm and organic resources for nutrient management and reducing dependence on external agricultural inputs. Such approaches are considered important for developing resource-efficient and ecologically appropriate farming systems suited to the fragile island agro-ecosystem of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Gurunath Raddy, Dr. Chaithrashree J., Dr. Abhilash, Dr. I. Jaisankar, Dr. Arkadeb Mukhyopadhyaya, Dr. Y. Ramakrishna and Dr. P. Prabhu, who served as course coordinators for the programme. The initiative is expected to strengthen farmers’ capacity to prepare and utilize natural farming inputs at the farm level and promote the integration of natural farming principles with integrated farming systems under island conditions.
