ISARC organized a three-day crop residue management workshop on using a compost turner from 15 to 17 December 2022. The workshop was organized with technical support from Nong Lam University (NLU), Vietnam.
With the windrow-composting method, compost material (rice crop residue and cow manure) are layered on top of each other and then mechanically turned using the compost turner. The prototype of the compost turner being used by ISARC was developed by IRRI and NLU and was procured from Vietnam. Scientists from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), KVKs under the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) along with progressive farmers, and agricultural machine manufacturers participated in this three-day workshop.
A combination of in-class sessions and on-farm experiments were used to impart knowledge and skills needed for composting crop residue, using rice crop residue and manure in the field. The entire process takes a duration of 45 days for completion and will be helpful in effectively managing rice crop residue and maintaining soil health, thus making rice production a step closer to environmental sustainability.
The machine is presently being tested at ISARC and is aimed for testing on farmers’ fields. ISARC will also be developing a business model for scaling the technology along with local agricultural machine manufacturers and farmers.
This initiative is an example of effective multi-stakeholder collaboration between agricultural experts, private companies, IRRI, and NLU on the exchange of agriculture related knowledge and experiences between India and Vietnam.
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