Senior officials of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Gujarat Natural Farming Science (GNFS) University visited the BAPS Yagnapurush Natural Farming Farm, Mahantam Natural Farming Research Centre and Pramukh Swami Natural Farming Training Centre.
The high-level delegation included Dr. Neelam Patel, Senior Advisor (Agriculture & Allied Sectors) National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, Government of India, New Delhi; Dr. C.K. Timbadia, Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Natural Farming Science University, Halol; Dr. Rajbir Singh, Assistant Director General, Agronomy, Agro-Forestry and Climate Change, Member Secretary, ICAR, New Delhi; Dr. S.K. Sharma, Assistant Director General, Human Resource Management, (ICAR), New Delhi; Dr. Sunil Kumar, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research (IIFSR), Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh; and Dr. N. Ravishankar, Principal Scientist/Project Coordinator, All India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP-IIFSR), ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
The officials were warmly welcomed by the senior swamis of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Sarangpur during the assembly of over 400 swamis, and numerous local and regional attendees.
Thereafter, the officials went to the BAPS Yagnapurush Natural Farming Farm, where they saw the Mahantam Natural Farming Research Centre and its model farm, the Gaushala, the 10,000-litre automated Jeevamrut plant and the ongoing natural farming research on a wide range of field crops.
Then they visited the recently inaugurated ‘Pramukh Swami Natural Farming Training Centre’. Here, they had discussions with technical natural farming master trainers, natural farming coordinators, farmer master trainers, officials from Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), along with and staff members. These discussions included the ongoing Natural Farming Campaign in Botad and across Gujarat.
Reflecting on their visit, the officials lauded the natural farming initiatives led by the BAPS Mandir in Sarangpur, expressing hope that the Botad district’s efforts would inspire not just a statewide but also the nationwide embrace of natural farming practices.
Dr. Rajbir Singh, Dr. Sunil Kumar, and Dr. Neelam Patel shared their admiration for the work done by the Mahantam Natural Farming Research Centre in advancing natural farming in Gujarat. They also praised the farm’s automation infrastructure and the healthy growth of plants, underscoring the Centre’s vital role in promoting sustainable and efficient agricultural practices within the region.