To mark the ‘World Soil Day’, an awareness programme on soil health for food security, healthy ecosystems, and human well-being was organized on December 5 at Chumathang and Stakna.

The programme was organized by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, SKUAST-K, Nyoma in Chumathang and Krishi Vigyan Kendra SKUAST-K Leh in Stakna.

More than 80 farmers of Changthang and 90 farmers from different villages of Igoo, Ranbirpur, and Stakna participated.

Addressing the farmers of Changthang, Dr. Sonam Spaldon (Scientist, Vegetable Science/Incharge Soil Lab.) said, that the activity aims to communicate messages on the importance of soil quality for food security, healthy ecosystems, and human well-being. She informed that the motto of celebrating this event is to educate the farming community about the soil health which is the main medium for cultivation of crops.

She stressed people to maintain the soil health by seasonal ploughing, timely irrigation, and controlling soil erosion as well as by providing locally available inputs such as farmyard manure instead of chemical fertilizers in order to go organic.

The scientists of KVK Nyoma took soil samples from different regions of Changthang region for analysis and Soil Health Cards will be shortly generated and distributed among the farmers.

Dr. Anwar Hussain, Scientist, Food Technology/PHT, Dr. Akeel Bashir Beigh, Scientist, Animal Science, Dr. Mir Nadeem, Scientist, Animal Science and Jigmet Laskit, Programme Assistant also spoke on the occasion.

Various problems faced by the farmers were also discussed with the experts of agriculture and veterinary.\r\n

While in Stakna, Dr. Phuntsog Tundup, Scientist/SMS (Soil Science) spoke about how to preserve the soil and showed hands-on training on soil sampling techniques.

He also gave a detail power point presentation on Soil Health Card scheme to the gatherings. A video on Soil Sampling techniques and a Soil health card mobile application was also shown on the occasion.  

Tsering Wangdus, EC Agriculture, expressed his concerned about the importance of soil in agriculture and stressed the farmers to practice the scientific know-how of soils of Ladakh region.

Forty-five soil health cards to the farmers of Igoo village were also distributed.