R&d Centre For Organic Farming At Maval

[S.Annadana]

Saturday, August 16, 2008


Pune : The organic farming movement, which is still at a nascent stage in the country, will get a big boost with Asia’s first research and development centre for organic farming coming up at Maval, about 50 km from here.

Work on the centre is already underway, but it will take at least another year to start functioning.

At present there are only about three such institutes in the world in the US, in South Africa and in the UK.

The centre, to be funded by the International Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IISA), will be run jointly by city based Maharashtra Organic Farming Federation (MOFF), V.B. Foundation, an NGO, and the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI).

The 55-acre research centre will also have a training institute, records office, library, lobby office as well as a certification office for participatory guarantee scheme.

“The training institute will also offer certificate, diploma and post-graduate courses in organic farming,” said MOFF vice-chairman Dilip Baradkar. “The courses will focus on farmers who want to shift to organic farming courses for upgrading knowledge of organic farmers, courses for upgrading knowledge of organic farmers, trainers courses for trainers, awareness sessions for consumer groups, and training for school children for introduction of organic kitchen garden.”

SWATI SHINDE, 6-05-2008

posted by deepamariam @ 5:58 AM