Integrated farming, use of appropriate farm implements, coping with climate change and regeneration of soil will play a key role in agriculture in future, said National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Chairman G.R. Chintala.
Integrated farming methods with financial and technical assistance from NABARD have yielded good results in drought-hit Bundelkhand , Ladakh and Dharwad, Dr. Chintala said, adding that strawberry cultivation in Bundelkhand had yielded good results for farmers.
Dr. Chintala was addressing a workshop on ‘Agriculture — Prospects and Retrospect’ held by Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank. Chairman of CGGB T. Kameswara Rao was present.
Stating that sweeping changes were taking place in the farm sector, Dr. Chintala said that farmers had to battle climate change and unpredictable market conditions.
“Farming can be made more resourceful and productive if the farmers adapt themselves to the changing conditions. Integrated farming is one where farmers can experiment with different crops, use appropriate farm implements to cut down on the huge cost of farm labour and use advanced technologies. NABARD had made numerous interventions across the country to make farming more sustainable,” said Dr. Chintala.
Citing instances where farmers have reaped good yields by adapting to natural farming, Dr. Chintala said that farmers should also keep in mind the limitations of natural farming. He said that farming can be made sustainable by adopting innovative practices like making coco pits which are in high demand in Europe.
