Farm hubs set up in Punjab

To improve the economic profile of farmers of Punjab, protect the ecology of the state, and remove the misconceptions of farmers about the ill effects of transgenic plants on human health, Punjab Agricultural University's directorate of extension education has embarked on a holistic approach to take care of all the issues by making its chain of 17 krishi vigyan kendras (KVKs) the "hub" of "adaptive and demonstration" trials.

A new dimension is being added to these KVK's, which would lay out adaptive and demonstration trials on the use of "biological agents" as part of the integrated pest management in addition to establishing organic kitchen gardens to meet the requirements of vegetables and pulses of farmers' families.

This is intended to lessen their dependence on market buying of these items. Such an approach is more purposeful for small and marginal farmers.

In addition to these two projects, KVK's will now also serve as a 'hub' for demonstrating on-farm testing of recommended up-coming technologies or ones the pipeline for the benefit of farmers.