Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR–Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI), Goa, organised a Farmers–Stakeholders–Scientists interaction meet-cum-field visit recently, at its experimental farm in Merces, Tiswadi – representative of Goa’s unique coastal saline soils known as Khazan lands.
The programme was conducted under two NABARD-funded projects: “Land Shaping Methods and Integrated Farming Systems Approach for Improving Livelihood Security of Farmers under Khazan Lands of Goa”, and “Evaluating the Performance of Multispecies Finfish Culture in Small Low-Cost Ponds for Improving the Livelihood of Farmers in the Salt-Affected Coastal Saline Region of Goa”; implemented by ICAR-CCARI in collaboration with the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Goa.
The interaction aimed to address key issues faced by farmers, including challenges in fodder cultivation, promotion of multispecies finfish culture, and cost reduction strategies, while also discussing a roadmap for scaling up fodder cultivation in Khazan lands. The event witnessed participation from ICAR-CCARI scientists and technical officers, officials from GCCI and NABARD Panaji including the General Manager and District Development Manager, and several farmers.
A forward-looking plan for enhancing sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural production in these ecologically-sensitive lands was also deliberated. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Gopal Ramdas Mahajan, Senior Scientist (Soil Science), and Trivesh Mayekar, Scientist (FGB), with technical assistance from Manish Patel, Technical Trainee.
