Five-Day Training Programme for Krishi Sakhis/Community Resource Persons Concludes at KVK Dakshin Dinajpur

17 August 2026, Balurghat

A five-day training programme for Krishi Sakhis/Community Resource Persons (CRPs) under the National Mission on Natural Farming concluded successfully at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dakshin Dinajpur, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya. The programme was organized under the jurisdiction of ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kolkata.

A total of 30 Krishi Sakhis successfully completed Phase-I of the training, aimed at strengthening their technical knowledge, practical skills and field-level capacity to promote natural farming among farming communities.

Addressing the participants virtually during the valedictory programme, Dr Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata, emphasized the crucial role of Krishi Sakhis and CRPs as grassroots change agents in taking natural farming technologies from agricultural institutions to farmers’ fields. He stated that strengthening their capacities would enable them to effectively promote natural farming practices, locally prepared natural inputs and climate-resilient agricultural technologies, thereby encouraging wider farmer adoption and contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods.

The training was designed to provide participants with field-oriented knowledge and hands-on experience in natural farming practices and the preparation and use of locally available natural inputs. The trained resource persons are expected to serve as an important link between agricultural institutions and farming communities by creating awareness, facilitating demonstrations and supporting farmers in adopting sustainable farming practices.

The programme is expected to strengthen the grassroots extension system in Dakshin Dinajpur and the surrounding region, while contributing to the development of sustainable, climate-resilient and economically viable farming systems. The trained Krishi Sakhis/CRPs will play an important role in supporting farmers and communities in transitioning towards natural farming.

The successful completion of the programme reflects the collaborative efforts of ICAR, Central and State Government institutions and the KVK network in advancing the objectives of the National Mission on Natural Farming. By building a trained cadre of local resource persons, the initiative seeks to take natural farming from institutions to villages and from training halls to farmers’ fields, facilitating community-level adoption and transformation.

The programme marks an important step towards establishing a locally rooted, farmer-centric extension system capable of supporting the wider adoption of natural farming and contributing to a more sustainable, resilient and environmentally responsible agricultural future.

(Source: ICAR- Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kolkata)