New Delhi: Business Entrepreneurship and Start- Up Support through Technology in Horticulture (BESST-HORT), A TBI of ICAR-IIHR has organized Training Programme on “Production of Arka Fermented Cocopeat and soilless Cultivation of vegetables”
Prospects of training
Cocopeat is prepared from coir pith which is a by-product of the coir industry. It is mainly used for raising of vegetable seedlings in pro-trays and as a substrate for the soiless cultivation of vegetables. Protray based vegetable seedling production and soiless cultivation of vegetables. Protray based vegetable seedling production and soilless cultivation are increasingly becoming popular.
The objective of the training
The objective of the training is to impart the training on production of Arka Fermented Cocopeat as well as to acquaint trainees on Soilless Cultivation of Vegetables using Arka Fermented Cocopeat as a substrate.
Overview of training programme
Nurserymen and vegetable growers often face various problems due to the heterogeneity of the cocopeat which is the substrate of choice for nursery seedling production and soilless cultivation of vegetable. In order to overcome this, AFC has been developed by ICAR-IIHR. This product is developed by the solid state fermentation of raw coir pith by employing a fungal consortium. The entire process can be completed in thirty days at the nursery level/backyards. On completion of the fermentation process, the material is enriched with the Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC) comprising of N fixing, P & Zn solubilizing and K mobilizing and plant growth promoting microbes and used for the pro-tray based vegetable seedling production and for soilless cultivation of vegetables, flowers and medicinal crops, etc. This one day training programme will cover the production technology of AFC and its use as substrate for the soilless cultivation of vegetables.
Content of Course
Participants shall be trained extensively on the theory and practical aspect of Arka Fermented Cocopeat production and soilless cultivation of vegetables, through sessions with the innovators of the respective technologies. A session on the startup prospects using these two technologies shall also be conducted.
Scope
By the year 2050, the earth’s population is estimated to be 9 billion and 70% of it would be living in the urban and peri-urban space. Globally, as more people move to urban areas the urban population requires access to healthy and nutritious food. The strong worldwide urbanization also create a demand for producing vegetables in close proximity to the consumers. This leaves us with huge challenges in terms of cultivable land that has become a premium in the urban and peri-urban space. Due to a demand for producing fresh produce closer the points of cultivation, in order to shorten the supply chain, substrate based cultivation is the best option wherein an eco-friendly substrate like AFC can be provided with water and the necessary nutrients for vegetable cultivation.
Current Status
Arka Fermented Cocopeat is immensely popular as a nursery substrate for raising seedlings of vegetable crops and rootstocks of some of the fruit crops. Production technology developed at ICAR-IIHR for soilless cultivation of most commonly consumed vegetables in India has generated a lot of interest among the growers for cultivation of vegetables. It has been already popularized through various training programmes, exhibitions, magazines and media. Many growers have already started adopting the ICAR-IIHR soilless culture technology for cultivation of vegetables using AFC as a substrate.
Eligibility Criteria
Anybody interested in the start-up venture of producing Arka Fermented Cocopeat (AFC) production and Soilless in disciplines of Agriculture/Horticulture and teachers from colleges/universities, FPO and Govt. Departments are also eligible to apply.
Training Fee for offline training programme is ₹ 2,000/- and for online is ₹ 1,000/. This fee includes snacks, tea, lunch, certificate & training manual.
Please note, the last date of receipt of application is 24th August, 2023 and training programme will be held on 25rd August, 2023 from 09:00 to 17:30 for offline training at Video Conference Hall Admin Building, ICAR-IIHR and from 9:00 to 13:30 for online mode.
You can register for the training programming by following the link below. Please note, that registration is compulsory for every attendees.
