A 3 days’ Workshop-cum-Training on Agriculture and Watershed Management for the Settlement Officers of major Tibetan Agricultural Settlements (including Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Maharastra, Odisha, Arunachal and Ladakh) in India organized by Organic Research and Training Centre under the Agriculture Section, Department of Home, Central Tibetan Administration, from 24th to 26th June 2024.
The training was attended by 11 Settlement officers and Jangthang Coordinator from Sonamling, Ladakh. Mr. Jigme Tsultrim la, Chief Representative, South zone, in his welcome address underlines the relevance of Agricultural methodology of science in sustaining contemporary living society. Expressing gratitude towards Department of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka for its unconditional support in organizing and assigning Experts and Professionals from its concerned offices in providing and imparting the knowledge upon the subject.
In addition to this, CRO highlighted the decades old bondage of MYRADA and MYKAPS with the existent Tibetan communities particularly in Karnataka. In this relation, CRO extended warm welcome to Resource persons including Raghavender Sudi, consultant MYRADA and Mr. Shivshankar, program officer of MYRADA, Kolar District and Mr. Ashraf ul Hassan the Executive Director of MYRADA, Mysore
The Workshop was on Basic Agriculture and Watershed Management to improve knowledge on Agriculture and Soil & water conservation (SWC) to the settlement officers. The courses taken during workshop are followings:
- Signification of Agriculture
- Type of Farming system: 1. Natural farming, 2. Organic farming and 3. Improved farming
- Dry land/rain fed and irrigated agriculture
- Watershed based dry land agriculture: Efficient management of natural resources
- Natural resource (land/soil, water/rainfall and other climate components)
- Land use classification and Major soil types and classification
- Soil and water conservation: (Rainwater conservation, harvesting system (in-situ moisture conservation and ex-situ rainwater harvesting system)
On 2nd day, apart from two resource people, Dr. Yogesh, Deputy Director, District Agriculture Training Centre, Mysore had taken SWC and especially on SWC methods for arable land. Mr. MD Haris Sumair, Assistant Commissioner, Hunsur Sub-Division, while accepting and participating as a special guest during the training session, shared his experience of the relevant of watershed management challenges and the existing water level condition dripping over the months and years in his respective regions.
On 3rd day, all the Participants visited 3 villages namely, Trimulapura, Ankanahalli, Kokanahosalli within the Periyapatna Taluk to observe SWC projects including Check Dam, Tank, recharge pit and trench bund implemented by MYKAPS, MYRADA and explain details on these projects by resource person and interaction with farmers.
This is the first official training being given to Tibetan Agricultural Settlements Officers hosted by ORTC after having transfer of Agriculture section of Department of Home, Dharamsala to ORTC in Bylakuppe. With far sighted vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama along with unconditional support from the respective State Governments and Union Government of India agricultural learning of science and its practice has been the backbone of Tibetan Resettlement in India ensuring sustainability of livelihood resources and preservation of Tibetan identity. Towards this end ORTC remains committed to undertake research and training to uplift ever unending flow of agriculture science and to connect with the farmers ensuring their belief in the outcome and impact of agriculture livelihood.
