The Indian Institute for Soil and Water Conservation Research Center (ICAR-IISWC), Udhagamandalam, hosted the Farmers’ Fair and the celebrated the institute’s 63rd foundation day recently.
Principal Scientist at ICAR-IISWC, S Manivanan, delivering the inaugural address called on the district administration to remove Eucalyptus trees that were affecting groundwater levels in agricultural belts in the district. “Our research has shown that areas with a high proportion of the trees have around 15 per cent less water than in areas which have a similar number of native Shola species of trees,” he said.
The Nilgiris District Collector, P Sankar, who was the chief guest, spoke of the important role played by farmers across India in bringing food security.
He said that farmers and agriculturalists always put the community ahead of their own interests.
Four farmers N M Mahesh from Tumkur in Karnataka, M Krishnamoorthy, an organic farmer from Pannimadai in Coimbatore, R Chinnappan and Babu from the Nilgiris were awarded the ‘Best Farmer Award 2016’ for using innovative, environmentally-friendly agricultural techniques to grow their crops.
