Soil-free agri is the way forward, farmers told

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, December 20

The CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, organised a four-day training programme on hydroponic cultivation system.

Training organiser Bhavya Bhargav said 43 progressive farmers, unemployed youth and students from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu, Manipur and Nagaland participated in the programme.

They were made conversant with technical knowhow and practical exposure of plant propagation in hydroponic system. Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil by using water solvent that consists of mineral nutrient. This system provides higher yield

and economic returns as compared to traditional agricultural practices because of the increase in harvest cycles and balanced nutrient supply.

CSIR-IHBT Director Sanjay Kumar said knowledge of modern high-tech agriculture was the need of

the hour to empower the youth in growing high-value crops of demand under controlled system.

Hydroponics offers startup opportunities to young farmers for the production of nutrient-rich spices, herbal and high-value crops, which has huge demand in the urban market. The practice assumes significance as the rural regions were witnessing population shift in recent years due to animal menace and poor returns from

traditional farming.

With rise in population, the demand for food is also increasing and expected to increase from 59 per cent to 98 per cent by 2050.

The participants were told about the water quality, growing systems, nutrient solutions, crop physiology and crop protection in hydroponic system.

Principal scientist and programme coordinator Rakesh Kumar said hydroponic system was not affected by weather, wild animals and any of the other external biotic or abiotic factors.

The participants were also made aware of the elimination of use of artificial ripening agents, herbicides and pesticides in hydroponic system, which helps in creating nutritionally superior harvest of food products.