ICAR-RCER, Patna Celebrates World Soil Day
Bureau,Odishabarta
Patna,05/12/23:ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna organized World Soil Day on 5th December, 2023 with the theme on “Soil and Water: A Source of Life”. Around 30 farmers, 15 students joining IARI Patna hub along with scientific staff of ICAR-RCER, Patna participated in this event. The Programme began with the ICAR Song.
The welcome address was given by Dr. Shivani, Principal Scientist, Division of Land and Water Management. The Chief Guest, Dr. Anjani Kumar, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Patna stressed about better nutrient management practices.
He also highlighted about soil test based fertilizer recommendation as well as importance of soil health card among the farmers and raised awareness on restoring soil health quality.
Scientists of different disciplines delivered lectures on the eve of World Soil Day. Dr. Ashutosh Upadhyaya, Head, Division of Land and Water Management delivered theme lecture on “Soil and Water: A Source of Life”.
He suggested various ways to maintain the quality of soil as well as water such as soil test based fertilizer recommendation, promotion of organic and natural farming, rain water harvesting etc.
Also, he shared his experiences on importance of soil and water towards food production, ecosystem services and welfare of human beings and shared his experiences on practical and eco-friendly ways to conserve soil health. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Head, Division of Crop Research highlighted integrated nutrient management practices and balanced fertilization.
Dr. Kamal Sarma, Head, Division of Livestock and Fisheries Management highlighted the importance of soil and water quality in fish farming.
Dr. Ujjwal Kumar, Head, Division of Socio-economic and Extension highlighted the climate resilient soil health management practices. Dr. S.K. Naik, Principal Scientist, ICAR-RCER Regional Centre, Ranchi described climate resilient practices for enhancing carbon sequestration in soil.
Dr. Anup Das, Director, ICAR-RCER, Patna shared his thoughts on the significance of maintaining the quality of soil and how important it is in our life and food system in the face of climate change scenario. He also delivered his thoughts on survival of the planet Earth by symbiotic linking of soil and water, which is the foundation of our agricultural systems through various sustainable soil health management practices, especially innovative residue management practices like conservation agriculture.
He encouraged farmers, students and young scientists of the Institute for achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. During this programme, farmer-scientist interaction was also carried out. Mr. Krishna, a farmer from Danapur village described his experiences on degradation of soil health quality over the years and urged the scientists for better technologies for soil health management.
The students also interacted with the farmers about the importance of soil quality.
The programme was coordinated by Dr. Sivani, Principal Scientist, Dr. P.K. Sundaram, Senior Scientist, Dr. Kirti Saurabh, Scientist, Dr. Pawan Jeet, Scientist, Dr. Sonaka Ghosh, Scientist, Division of Land and Water Management, Dr. Rohan Kumar Raman, Senior Scientist, Division of Socio-economic and Extension and Dr. Abhishek Kumar, Scientist, Division of Crop Research, ICAR-RCER, Patna. The Programme ended with vote of thanks by Dr. Sonaka Ghosh, Scientist, Division of Land and Water Management.
