The Indian Council of Agricultural Research Network Program on Organic Farming (AINPOF) has approved the AINPOF centre at RKMVERI Narendrapur since 2015 with the goal of undertaking top-notch research and training programs on organic farming in West Bengal. The IRDM Faculty Center of RKMVERI is a regularly supported centre of this program. The center’s primary focus – also unique in India – is bio-molecular research in organic farming. Experiments were carried out at 20 centres representing different states and ICAR centres under various agro-ecological zones in India to address issues of comparison of organic, inorganic, and integrated nutrient management practices, method and source of nutrient application, management of pests and diseases, and weeds in different crops and cropping systems under both organic farming and natural farming. The 17th Annual Group Meeting on Organic Farming was held at RKMVERI, Narendrapur Campus. The scientists of 20 different centres belonging to several states participated in the group meeting and presented their findings from December 28 to December 30, 2022 at RKMVERI, Narendrapur campus. Dr. Gautam Chatterjee, Assistant Professor and PI of AINPOF program, RKMVERI presented the results of experiments done at RKMVERI. All the findings of the centres were reviewed and planning of the experiments for the next year were finalized in the meeting in presence of National Principal Investigator of AINPOF Program, Director of Indian Farming system Research Centre, ICAR and other eminent scientists involved in the organic farming and natural farming research.
Distinguished dignitaries attended the event, including Revered Swami Atmapriyananda, the Pro-Chancellor of RKMVERI, Prof. B. Singha Mahapatra, Vice Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Revered Swami Sarvolokananda, the Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama of Narendrapur, Swami Shivapurnanda, Assistant Administrative Head, Prof. Tapash Dasgupta, Dean, RKMVERI-Narendrapur, Dr. S. Bhaskar, Assistant Director General (Agronomy, Agroforestry, and Climate Change) Dr. A K. Yadav, Chief Advisor of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, Dr.V.K.Singh, Director of the ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dry land Agriculture, Dr. A. S. Panwar, Director of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, and Dr. N. Ravishankar, National PI of the AINPOF-ICAR. All the faculty members and scholars of RKMVERI, Narendrapur campus, also actively participated in the meeting.
Below are some photos of the programme
