A Soil Health Camp and Training Program was conducted at Lirise village on January 18, for Large Cardamom farmers by KVK, Tuensang under the Soil Conservation division. About 70% of the villagers cultivate Large Cardamom and farmers have their soil samples analyzed by the Kendra for which Soil Health Cards have also been distributed.
KVK, Tuensang, ACTO (Soil Conservation), Imtilemla, in a press release reported that Large Cardamom Growers Association of Lirise, president, Yohose, who chaired the program, encouraged his fellow farmers to take advantage of such programs to learn the scientific cultivation and management techniques to achieve sustainable and sound cultivation with the changing climatic scenario.
Resource person Imtilemla spoke on the general management of soil health and highlighted the importance of soil testing and Soil Health Cards, which, she pointed out, was important for maintaining soil fertility and for getting economic yields. She elaborated on the different types of inputs farmers could use in their fields for boosting yield and maintaining the fertility status of the soil.
An interaction between the participants and the resource person regarding soil management practices was also a part of the program.
In view of the fact that the farmers are in the process of expanding the area under cardamom cultivation, a method demonstration on how to lay out contour lines so as to incorporate the technique in their future endeavor, was shown. Soil samples were submitted to the Kendra by the farmers during the program for analysis.
Altogether 44 farmers from Lirise, Chungtor and Chimonger attended the program.
The farmers were shown demonstrations on how and when to carry out pruning of trees. SMS (Soil Conservation) highlighted, for the farmers, the importance of soil and leaf nutrient management and demonstrated construction of half-moon terraces, which, the release added, is an important and integral part of soil, water and nutrient management in any orchard.
The program concluded successfully with the farmers assuring the resource persons that they would adopt the practices shown in the training camp.