Come new year, the Agriculture Department will embark on a massive and sustained agricultural campaign to ensure the availability of pesticide-free vegetables in the State over the next 470 days.
The State Government has given administrative sanction for the campaign Jeevani - Nammude Krishi, Nammude Arogyam (Jeevani - Our Agriculture, Our Health), which will be on from January 1, 2020 to the Vishu season in April 2021.
Jeevani’s emphasis
Jeevani places emphasis on 21 components including the propagation of traditionally popular farm produce such as Vlathankara and Agatti varieties of amaranthus, the Aanakomban, Malayattoor and Manjeswaram varieties of lady’s finger and tuber crops, an order dated December 13 said.
Households will be encouraged to organically grow curry leaves, papaya, drumsticks, amaranthus and banana. Vegetable farming will be taken up in 2,500 schools and in available spaces in public and private institutions.
To drum up publicity for the event, 1000 mini campaigns will be conducted at the grama, block and district level.
Training
Training and awareness programmes for farmers will be conducted under the banner of the Krishi Paadashala.
Farmer clusters, farmer producers’ organisations, traditional tribal farm produce and rooftop farming will be encouraged as part of the State-wide campaign.
Other components include preparation of fortnightly crop calendars at the block level, establishment of 10,000 micro-irrigation units and 24x7 call centres to help out farmers.
Focus
Jeevani places focus on the marketing and entrepreneurship aspects by establishing 25 agri start-ups, 50 value-addition units, 200 farm field schools and infrastructural expansion of 400 biopharmacies.
Other activities that are planned include the promotion of Vriksha Ayurveda, ecological engineering and focussed development of 10 vegetable farming hotspots such as Vattavada, Elavancheri, Vamanapuram and Parassala.
Funds for the Jeevani campaign will be mobilised from ongoing agriculture projects.
A State-level task force will also be formed to monitor the progress of implementation.
