Collaborative Efforts to Upscale the Activities of the ACIAR-funded Project in West Bengal, India
A great opportunity for agricultural innovation in West Bengal has just come in the form of a special session that was recently held during the mid-term review and planning meeting of the Rupantar project at Coochbehar, West Bengal. It brought together the key stakeholders including the DoA (Department of Agriculture) of the Government of West Bengal, ACIAR - Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Rupantar Project team comprising representatives of the Wide Row Additive Intercropping project - another ACIAR funded initiative in this region.
Regional Manager, South Asia Dr Pratibha Singh, with ACIAR: The organization holds commitment to climate resilience and gender equity in agriculture and recognizes that this tripartite partnership can unlock co-investment opportunities as well as valuable insights derived from diverse agroecological sites for the facilitation of learning between partners.
The objectives of the project were presented by Dr. Tamara Jackson, Team Leader of the Rupantar project, along with its progress so far. She expressed her opinion that there was an urgent need for collaboration with the DoA to enhance the visibility and impact of the project. Additionally, Dr. Alison Laing, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre) and Team Leader of the Wide Row Additive Intercropping project, presented innovative intercropping strategies that might harbour vegetables and legumes within maize, pointing out, thus, the use of agricultural diversification.
The Vice Chancellor of UBKV candidly admitted that in this context the jurisdiction would be constrained in the northern districts of West Bengal, where the university is mainly operating. Nevertheless, he feels that if the successful initiatives implemented in those regions are scaled up with proper strategic alliances with the DoA, that will add value.
The DoA team presented several collaboration possibilities during the meeting, such as the introduction of mustard into rice-rice crop rotations and the exploration of options for intercropping in maize-growing areas of the state. This collaboration led to the formation of a dedicated team consisting of members from UBKV, DoA, University of Adelaide, IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), and CIMMYT, which aimed at designing a holistic program that would validate agricultural practices in at least three distinct agro-climatic zones of West Bengal.
The interventions proposed would have a systematic approach according to the different specific agro-climatic zones, targeting diverse cropping systems like rice-maize or rice-mustard-legume. It should hold participatory validation trials with farmers along with social research to recognize localized challenges, technology gaps, and crop selection preferences.
The team would concentrate its efforts on the critical problems of farming that require immediate attention and allow farmers from various districts of the state to join in on-station and on-farm trials. It targets fine-tuning and adaptation of those technologies developed elsewhere to the specifics of West Bengal's particular needs for farming, and DoA shall be contributing to co-funding these important programs.
This structured collaboration promises to catapult change in the Agro landscape of West Bengal, utilizing the collaborative expertise of all the partners involved. The future seems bright as these initiatives continue trying to bring a better dimension to the food security arena and methods for better sustainable farming practices in the area. Stay connected for more updates as we continue this transformational journey!