The Sikkim agriculture department has taken an initiative to promote the cultivation of microgreens across the state to diversify farming practices and create new livelihood avenues for traditional farmers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Centre of Floriculture and Agri-Business Management (Cofam), which functions under the North Bengal University (NBU) in Siliguri, was enlisted for technical support.
The project, sources said, seeks to introduce modern farming techniques, particularly suited to Sikkim’s terrain and urban limitations. In the first phase, experts at Cofam trained around 150 Sikkim government officials in the techniques used for the cultivation of microgreens by using vertical and terrace-based farming models.
Amarendra Kumar Pandey, the practical demonstrator of Cofam, said that in Gangtok and similar urban pockets of Sikkim, where the availability of agricultural land is a persistent challenge, terrace farming was positioned as a practical and sustainable alternative.
“The concept of ‘grow your own greens’ will be actively promoted among residents and institutions, especially in the tourism and hospitality sectors that define much of Gangtok’s economy. We have trained around 150 officials of the agriculture department, and they will now train the farmers,” he said.
“The idea of the Sikkim government is to offer farmers an additional income stream and provide local youths with startup opportunities in agriculture. In particular, the department finds good business potential in microgreens not just as raw product, but also through value-added processing and packaging ventures,” he added.
Microgreens, also known as microleaves, are young seedlings of popular vegetables that are rich in nutrients.
Pandey said plans were drawn up to eventually turn the pilot project into a two-phased programme, with the first phase focusing on training and setup, and the second on expansion and market linkage.
“Microgreens can be grown even in small spaces like terraces. People in Sikkim often struggle with land availability, especially in Gangtok. This is an ideal solution. Given the strong presence of tourism and hotels in this region, microgreens can serve as both a nutritional option and a business model,” he said.
Yogesh Sharma, the joint director of the Sikkim agriculture department, said block technology managers (BTMs) and assistant technology managers (ATMs) of the Agriculture Technology Management Agency, which functions under the department, had received the training.
“They are now the master trainers and are involved in cascading the training to the grassroots. Farmers and youths who are unemployed will be trained so that they have the skill to grow microgreens as a start-up project,” said Sharma.
He has said polyhouses are being introduced to support vertical farming, allowing for year-round cultivation of microgreens with minimal land use. “This is a new alternative earning option for youths of the state,” he added.