LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has planned to set up nine technology transfer centres in the province to enhance water use efficiency for harnessing maximum benefits of water as agriculture inputs for socio-economic uplift of the farming community.
These technology transfer centres will be established at Pattoki, Okara, Renalakhurd, Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Khanewal, Mian Channu, Jehanian and Kabirwala, sources told Business Recorder on Monday.
Progressive farmers of these areas can get technical guidance from these technology transfer centres for planning and designing of their farms. Establishment of 18 Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs) in Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) command for the demonstration to enhance water use efficiency through farm layout planning/designing, precision/LASER land levelling and water budgeting and accounting. Provision of rapid soil testing kits for application of balanced fertilizer, fixation of pipe nakkas according to soil type and water flow for channelized stream flows, installation of flow measurement devices for open channels and tubewells for measuring the discharge of water for water accounting and installation of soil moisture monitoring gadgets are part of this project.
The Application of Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) and Direct Seeding Rice (DSR) water-saving techniques in rice fields to increase water productivity are also part of this project, the sources added.
Training of farmers for the adoption of climate-smart interventions and capacity building of technical staff for providing technical support to the farmers for successful adoption of interventions will also be arranged. The proposed project aims at evaluation of climate-smart interventions and their demonstration for enhancing the water use efficiency at farm level vis-à-vis improving water productivity and crop yield. Enhancing water use efficiency will significantly contribute to improving water productivity and resultantly trigger the growth of the rural economy.
Under this project, the department will provide smart soil testing kits, pipes for the conservation of water, soil moisture testing kits etc. Calibration of the efficacy of soil moisture monitoring gadgets and other climate-smart OFWM interventions at Water Management Research Farm, Renalakhurd, for their promotion/up-scaling are other objectives of the project.
Presently the department is seeking applications from progressive farmers having their under cultivation area in Lower Bari Doab Canal and desirous to redesign his farm, setting up of technology centre and display of proposed gadgets. It should already have a pond or agree to develop a pond on his expenses for this project. The farmland should be owned by the applicant and he must not have any conflict over it with anyone. Farm size should be from 15-25 acres and the farmer should be cultivating himself.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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