The IAC meeting was held on 29-7-2020 under the Chairmanship of Dr. P.K. Singh, Director, ICAR-DWR to discuss the action plan for the year 2020-2021. All the Co-PIs, two farmer representatives participated in the meeting along with the project staff.

Dr. RP Dubey, PI of the project welcomed the participants and presented a brief account of the activities conducted under crop, NRM, horticulture, livestock and enterprise based modules. He emphasized that interventions for doubling the farmer’s income have to be implemented in response to the farmer’s priorities. It was also informed by him that the BE sanctioned for 2020-21 is Rs 14.88 lakhs and the first release of Rs 2.68 lakhs has been received on 15-7-2020. Dr. PK Singh expressed satisfaction over the various activities being undertaken in the project. He hoped that farmers will take active interest in the project interventions as the activities are being undertaken for their economic upliftment.

The farmers narrated their experience and lauded the significant impact of interventions like, improved weed management through latest herbicides in rice, wheat, greengram/blackgram, CA practice in wheat and greengram/blackgram, growing summer greengram/blackgram in fallows after wheat, use of cattle mineral mixture for enhancing milk yield and quality, mushroom cultivation, poultry rearing for egg purpose. It was informed by them that burning of rice and wheat residues in field have been considerably reduced. They also highlighted the problem of severe infestation of insect-pests in summer pulse crops. It was informed by them that due to Covid-19 situation, farm laborers were not available, hence farmers resorted to drying-up of greengram and blackgram by spraying herbicide paraquat for easy harvesting. It was emphasized that the farmers should not use such harmful practices in future. Discussion was held for formulating the activities in FFP to be undertaken during 2020-21. Various teams were constituted for undertaking module-wise activities.