Protected Cultivation and Farm Mechnisation

Intoduction

Smt. Bhavana Nikam, an educated young woman. She is a progressive farmer. Although she has completed her Bachelor Degree and she is not running after a salaried job. Rather, she has taken up Agriculture as a vocation and is doing different agricultural practices with success and established herself as a renowned progressive farmer in the locality. Now, she established a 2000sq. m polyhouse in her village Dabhadi in the year 2016. She started capsicum cultivation, grapes cultivation and vegetable cultivation. She has a farm pond, a polyhouse, a shadenet house, tractor, rotavator including all farm machineries.

Training and Motivation

She got training on Integrated Farming System and allied activities from Krishi Vigyan Kendra and State Agriculture Department on various occasions under different schemes. Her hardwork and dedication helped her establish a model integrated farm with help and support from her family. She developed her farm with new improved technologies like polyhose, shadenet house, mulching, grading, packing. Collecting all the novel and rare varieties of vegetables and other crops from the exposure visits made her farm a hub of bio diversity models. Sharing of such seeds and plants to those farmers who wish to cultivate them items also make their farm busy with visitors and scholars. Another replicable model in the farm is the rain water harvesting system and water storing ponds. The ponds provides a decent income from fish culture and water storage support the irrigation needs in the drought season.

Achivements

• Production of vegetables through drip irrigation with polythene mulching
• Grape cultivation
• Farm mechanization
• Fish farming
• Her field is a showcase of various innovative and new technologies which includes mechanization for irrigation, spraying, various farming operations.
• Poly house– Production of capsicum, tomato & beans production.
• Poultry farming and fish farming in the farm pond

Importance for Farmers

Many farmers and youth visit her farm regularly to take a glimpse of her success and many have followed her footsteps. She became a role model for women farmers within Dabhadi Circle areas. She was felicitated at the celebration of Mahila Kisan Diwas organised by ATMA.

Recognition

• 2019- Shivaji Maharaj Krushi Sanman Award
• 2019- Best Woman Farmer Award (Krushiratn Award, Shetinishth Award, Rotary Club Adarsh Mahila Shetakari Award)
• 2021-Innovative Woman Farmer Anman Patra By Hon. Agriculture Minister

Source : Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare