Following the 1^st course for Lead Farmers on ‘Awareness on CARLEP-IFAD and Farming Technology Options’ from 23-25^th November 2016, the week-long 2^nd course on ‘Crop establishment and Management Practices’ has started from 17^th January, 2017.

As per the course curriculum development for Lead Farmers’ which will be completed in four courses spread across the year, the 2^nd course will cover on the following five major categories, mostly through practical and hands-on demonstrations.

1. Fruit establishment & management techniques
2. Vegetable Production and Seed Production techniques
3. Mushroom production techniques
4. Processing mainly focused on maize product development and,
5. Farm record keeping.

24 farmers (3 female and 21 male) are attending the course at ARDC, Wengkhar. Out of the three female participants is Miss Neten Tshomo, 23 from Ramjar village, Trashiyangtse, who is a class ten drop-out. According to her, such training session has helped her in gaining the technical skills especially in training pruning and grafting. Going back to home, she is planning to establish a pear orchard in her 1 acre land along with vegetables.

As a Lead Farmer, she said she will not use the skills acquired from the trainings solely for herself but will also disseminate with other interested village mates.

Meanwhile, this same group of Lead Farmers’ will return back to the center for 3^rd session tentatively by April, 2017.  These Lead Farmers’ are selected by the Dzongkhag and Geog Extension Officials.

The Lead Farmers’ programme is funded by IFAD-CARLEP to ARDC, Wengkhar.

-Reported through KM Section, OPM (CARLEP).