Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!š Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. SRINAGAR: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Srinagar, SKUAST-Kashmir, launched a first-of-its-kind outreach campaign around Dal Lake to explore sustainable livelihood and urban farming opportunities for peri-urban and Dal-dwelling farming communities. The initiative focused on technical support, entrepreneurial skill development, awareness generation and access to quality farm inputs to enhance farm incomes and promote self-reliant livelihoods.
The outreach campaign was undertaken as part of KVK Srinagar's commitment to strengthening resilient livelihoods and empowering farming communities at the grassroots level under its mission, āNo Village Too Remote, No Farmer Left Behind.ā
To develop and document a real-time database of farming communities and their livelihood activities, a KVK team comprising Dr. Rukhsar A. Dar, Dr. Showket A. Dar, Dr. Haseeb and Dr. Owais Bashir, under the leadership of Prof. & Head, Dr. S. A. Simnani, conducted a comprehensive baseline transect walk across Meer Behri, Lati Mohalla, Kalan, Kralpora, Sofi Mohalla and Malik Mohalla, covering major vegetable-growing areas in and around Dal Lake.
During the interaction, Prof. Simnani sensitised farmers about the vision, mission and mandate of KVK and encouraged local youth to explore skill-development and entrepreneurship opportunities under national flagship programmes.
The technical sessions focused on Khet Bachao and sustainable agricultural practices, including natural and organic farming approaches, with emphasis on soil health, conservation of natural resources, reduced dependence on external inputs, environmentally responsible food production and the One Health approach.
Farmers were also apprised of JKCIP, HADP and other government-supported initiatives, including relevant registration platforms through which eligible beneficiaries can access financial and technical assistance for establishing commercial agribusiness enterprises.
The Phase-I intervention culminated in an interactive scientistāfarmer session, during which experts from KVK Srinagar addressed farmers' queries and discussed locally relevant livelihood and agricultural opportunities. Zulfikar Ali Sofi, representing the communities of Meer Behri, Lati Mohalla Kalan, Kralpora, Sofi Mohalla and Malik Mohalla, appreciated the efforts of KVK Srinagar in extending agricultural extension services and technical guidance to farming communities around Dal Lake.
As part of the practical intervention, seeds of onion, kale, coriander, spinach, carrot and bottle gourd were distributed among farmers to encourage diversified vegetable production and facilitate access to quality planting material suited to local conditions.
