SEA-Solidaridad and Vodafone set up Farmers’ Training Centre at Bundi to support Mustard Farmers

Udaipur : To strengthen the support system to farmers, SEA- Solidaridad with the support of Vodafone idea and Indus Tower have set up and inaugurated secondFarmer’s Training Cum Resource Centre in Bundi by Shri Vijay Data- Chairman SEA Rapeseed- Mustard Promotion Council alongwith Dr. B V Mehta, Executive Director, The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, Shri Haresh Vyas- Chairman SEA Oilseed Development Council, Dr. Suresh Motwani ,General Manager, M/s. Solidaridad Network India Pvt. Ltd. in presence of lead farmers and stakeholders with the objective to facilitate technical know-hows, training and extension support to farmers with improved technologies. Different experts and technical institutions are associated with the resource centre for facilitating technical knowledge and expertise to the farmers. This resource centrewill act as hub for Farmer Producer Organisations and shall function as a knowledge and networking centre, a platform for skill development of Board of Directors, FPO staff, and its members, managing business activities, market linkages and financial linkages of the FPO. This centre is setting up demonstration trials of good agricultural practices, women friendly technologies through its field demonstrations and simultaneously undertaking the analysis and documentation of case studies of demonstrated trials for further promotion and sharing with multi stakeholders about well proven sustainable technologies and practices. Based on the learnings and case studies, best agriculture practices and technologies are promoted in the respective program areas under the coordination and facilitation of the resource centre.

The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) and Solidaridad are promoting sustainability in the edible oil industries through a joint mission. The objective is this mission is to work on the India’s self-sufficiency in edible oils and to enhance the productivity of oilseeds and particularly Mustard seeds, in order to improve income and livelihood of farmers.

Solidaridad and SEA Mustard Mission is an initiative that encourages and guides the smallholder farmers of Rajasthan to increase the production of Rape-Mustard by increasing the yield of the crop, diversification of land from wheat-rice to Mustard, improvement in seed quality, assured price to farmers and better agronomic practices.Three years back the mission was introduced in two districts initially and in current year has been implemented across six districts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states namely- Kota, Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar, Tonk and Mandsaur, by establishing 500 Model Mustard Farms to raise the productivity of Mustard Seed. Through this mission industry is working determinedly to facilitate the learning process by setting up Farmer Field Schools in the districts. Such training schools strengthen the transfer of scientific and practical knowledge where certified experts and scientists from Government training institutes and organisations impart crucial sessions on good agricultural practices. To facilitate a faster and effective learning process, 80 Farmer Field Schools have been also set up and is actively supported by the Agricultural Department and KrishiVigyan Kendra of the districts.

The nation’s dependency on imported edible oil is a matter of concern and to address this challenge, India needs to critically look into the ways and means to increase productivity of important oilseeds crops. The productivity gap can be improved by bridging the yield gaps through effective transfer for improved production technologies while convincing farmers to adopt such technologies.