PASIGHAT, 15 May: Manipur-based Central Agricultural University (CAU) has intensified its efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming practices across the Northeastern hill (NEH) region through a series of awareness programmes on alternative energy and organic nutrient management.
Addressing the media on Friday, a team of faculty members led by Prof BR Phukan highlighted the university’s initiative titled ‘Alternative Energy Initiatives and Increasing Nutrient Use Efficiency through Organic Sources’. The programme aims to create awareness among farmers and stakeholders on sustainable agricultural practices, renewable energy, and efficient nutrient management.
Prof Phukan stated that agriculture in the NEH region faces several challenges, including fragile ecosystems, difficult terrain, soil degradation, nutrient leaching, acidic soils, biodiversity loss, and poor accessibility in remote areas.
He said that, despite these challenges, the CAU has continuously worked to bridge the gap between scientific institutions and farming communities through education, training, and technology dissemination.
Over the past few months, the CAU has conducted extensive awareness campaigns across the seven hill states through print media and outreach programmes. With 13 campuses across the region, the university has been sensitising farmers and stakeholders to climate-resilient agricultural practices.
The awareness programmes covered technologies and practices such as solar irrigation systems, agrivoltaics, solar-powered farm operations, artificial intelligence in greenhouse management, precision farming, conservation tillage, biomass gasification, vermicomposting, solar dryers, wind energy applications, and smart farming techniques aimed at improving nutrient use efficiency and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Faculty members also spoke on bio-fertilisers, natural farming, soil health management, biodiversity conservation, protected cultivation of high-value crops and flowers, post-harvest management using solar dryers, and conversion of agricultural and kitchen waste into vermicompost for sustainable organic manure production.
The university appealed to media organisations and stakeholders to actively support awareness initiatives related to sustainable agriculture, alternative energy use, soil health improvement, biodiversity conservation, and long-term agricultural sustainability in the Northeast region.
The programme was coordinated by Dr Shankar Mayanglambam. (DIPRO)
