Sunsari farmer schools boost skills, farming

By Baburam Karki,Barahakshetra, Feb. 14: The Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Sunsari, has been operating farmer schools to develop professional and skilled farmers in the district.

These programmes are being organised in various locations to enhance farmers’ technical knowledge and promote commercial agriculture.

The farmer school, conducted directly in farmers’ fields with active farmer participation throughout the crop production cycle, has been proving effective. 

According to the Information Officer of the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Sunsari Prabin Lal Shrestha, the initiative aims to make farmers self-reliant in vegetable and cereal production.

According to him, in the agricultural school, farmers receive practical training in soil preparation, seed selection and sowing, transplanting seedlings, fertiliser management, identification and management of pests and diseases, and methods to control them using both homemade and chemical pesticides. 

They are also trained in weeding management, nutrient and micronutrient management, irrigation techniques, and other essential practices required until harvest. The training is entirely practical and conducted collectively in the field.

Kamal Bahadur Katuwal, a farmer from Barahakshetra Municipality-7, said that farmers are gaining technical knowledge of modern farming systems through the agricultural school. 

“By conducting hands-on experiments in our own fields and addressing problems observed during the production period through research-based practices, farmers have significantly enhanced their technical skills,” he said.

In Barahakshetra Municipality-7, the Centre had conducted a three-month Saptakoshi Farmer School and experimental classes for farmers in their fields. 

Participants shared that the school helped them adopt practical, experimental, and research-based approaches, enabling them to observe, analyse, and discuss crop-related issues collectively and solve problems as they arise.

With the help of agricultural technicians, farmers have learned to identify diseases and pests on their own and to focus on problems related to crop production by focusing on collective research, said Murari Niraula, a farmer at Saptakoshi Farmer School.

According to the Centre, effective learning has been achieved as the school is facilitated by skilled technicians.

The main objective of the farmer school is to increase agricultural production by developing the capacity of farmers through information and awareness among farmers, said Neel Kamal Singh, the chief of the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Sunsari.