Patna, July 1: Akilpur diara, a village in Patna district, may soon be developed as the first agricultural township of the country, courtesy Unesco’s University Twining and Networking (UNITWIN) programme.
Research scholars of Handong Global University and Canaan Farmers School are at present working in the village to promote organic farming for better agricultural production.
“Bihar has a huge agricultural potential and the equivalent manpower, as majority of its population is involved in farming. We are working in Bihar for the past 14 years. In an effort to develop this state as an agricultural landmark of the entire world, we plan to build an agricultural city at Akilpur diara with the help of Korean agencies,” said Young Gil Lee, the director of Korean Centre of International Co-operation, AN College, at a lecture on natural farming, during a two-day seminar at Akilpur diara today.
Handong Global University and Canaan Farmers School have chosen Akilpur diara for its holistic regional development in five areas — education, ecological conservation, health, organic farming and creativity.
Sung Keun Joh, another research scholar from Seoul National University, South Korea, is also here with five Korean students to work at Akilpur diara village for a year. Joh said: “The state has a majority of favourable factors, including soil and skilled farmers, for good agricultural production. However, excessive use of chemicals and fertilisers to boost production may prove hazardous in the long run. Such practices pose severe environment and health hazards. Replacement of chemicals and fertilisers with innovative organic farming may keep up the fertility of the soil and maintain good production in the long run.”
UNITWIN is designed to enhance global knowledge capacity through connectivity and sharing.
On the benefits farmers can derive from organic farming, Lee said: “The products that we get from organic farming have a great quality. The value is also three to four times more than what is produced by use of pesticides and fertilisers. The quality of soil also degrades due to the use of fertilisers.”
At the two-day-long seminar, aimed at educating farmers, Joh, along with four other agricultural researchers, explained to the farmers the benefits of organic farming and its methods. They also showed videos, PowerPoint presentation, the use of agricultural equipment and the ways the farmers can reach the international market and sell their products. A lecture on natural farming will be organised for the villagers of Akilpur diara tomorrow.
Lee said Akilpur diara was chosen for the initiative as then president APJ Abdul Kalam spoke on the potential of Bihar to be the most developed state in India in 2006.
