Amity Centre for Agricultural Extension Services (ACAES) organized a One-day Orientation Farmers Training programme on Improved Cultivation of Medicinal Plants for income and employment sanctioned by NABARD during 2019 at Amity University, Noida.
The training programme aimed to familiarize and create awareness among the farmers about medicinal plants and encouraging them to cultivate the same. About 45 farmers and resource persons from ICAR, NMPB, NABARD and district officials from U.P, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab participated in the training programme.
Dr. Nutan Kaushik, Director General, Amity Food and Agriculture Foundation averred that the best form of treatment of any disease is Ayurveda which primarily consolidates on the usage of Herbal and medicinal plants and the demand of these herbal products are increasing rapidly day by day. Addressing the farmers, she said that “We hope that you gain the most out of this training programme and make practical use of the knowledge that you have acquired here.” She encouraged the farmers to use new methods of farming and use new variety of seeds in order to increase their productivity and eventually their income.
Mr. Chanchal Gautam, District Development Manager, NABARD, Ghaziabad gave a brief introduction about NABARD and explained about the activities in Gautam Budh Nagar district. He apprised the farmers that NABARD is working aggressively to improve the infrastructure and agriculture in rural areas and has actively been involved in funding organizations like Aganwadi and agriculture and irrigation projects. He exclaimed that any project can only be successfully implemented when the community getting the benefit of that project actively gets involved in it and supports it. He encouraged the farmers from different villages to unite and form a club of their own so that they can create a powerful impact and gain more profit.
Dr. Arun Gupta, Professor and Head, Panchkarma Department talked about the importance of medicinal plants and the use of sesame oil and seeds in day to day life. He elaborated on the use of Ashwagandha, Kalmegha, Shatawari and Musli and encouraged the farmers to cultivate these crops which would not only help them economically but also improve the quality of soil as it would facilitate the process of crop rotation. He said that Shatawari and Musli can help in curing gynecological disorders.