Odisha: CIWA Creates Gender Inclusive Sustainable Agricultural Methods

The Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), located in Bhubaneswar and part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has developed a new technology to address the issue of diminishing arable land for farming due to population development, urbanization, and industrial expansion.

The ICAR-CIWA Bhubaneswar team, consisting of Dr. Tania Seth, Dr. Arun Kumar Panda, and Chaitrali Shashank Mhatre, has created a technology called the "Women Friendly Multipurpose Integrated Vertical Nutri-Farming System (IVNFS)."

The purpose of this system is to promote dietary diversity and nutritional security for landless farm families. It involves the production of vegetables, mushrooms, and poultry using a vertical farming approach. This technology-enabled Integrated Vertical Nutri-Farming System (IVNFS) can be used for both indoor and outdoor farming.

The IVNFS structure is formed of iron and is both cost-effective and sturdy, making it simple to install in the backyard of any household. It provides a year-round supply of nutrient-rich vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and meat, as well as a supplementary source of income for farming families.

According to Arun Kumar Panda, principal scientist at CIWA, a three-layered iron structure measuring 7 feet can be installed on a 6 by 4-meter area. This system is planned to provide low-income families with a regular supply of nutrient-rich vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and meat, thus fulfilling their dietary requirements for vitamins, minerals, and plant protein. 

He further added, “Individuals can use controlled-environment technology to engage in many sorts of farming within a single place. For example, they can grow different sorts of food on different layers of the same area. The top layer consists of veggies, the middle layer of mushrooms, and the bottom layer of rear poultry. If they wish to concentrate entirely on vegetable farming, they can cultivate tubers on the top layer and green vegetables on the bottom two layers. Overall, this strategy makes optimal use of space and resources while allowing for the flexibility to cultivate a wide variety of crops.”

Further, according to an official statement, providing farm women with additional sources of income by selling small surpluses to resource-poor farming families can enhance their resilience to climate vulnerability.

-TheNewIndianExpress

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