Awareness Programme on “Nutri Sensitive Agriculture organized by ICAR-CIWA, Bhubaneswar

Nutri-Sensitive Agriculture is a food-based approach to agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods, diversified cropping system and food fortification at the heart of overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture, Bhubaneswar organized an Awareness Programme on Nutri Sensitive Agriculture at Sagada Village, Nimapara Block of Puri District, Odisha on 23 July 2022. The objective of the programme was to sensitize the stakeholders on the importance of Nutri Sensitive Agriculture for improving family food and nutritional security. Dr. A. K. Panda, in his speech highlighted the importance of nutrition on health of an individual. He further informed that diversified agriculture, homestead nutrition garden, cultivation of bio fortified crops, etc. are the need of the hour to alleviate malnutrition in the country. He advised the farm women to adopt mixed cropping system through family farming approach to achieve food and nutritional security and to address nutritional problems, especially micronutrient deficiency and also to adopt local varieties for assuring sustainability. Er. Pragati Kishore Rout, Senior Technical Assistant, in his speech stressed on the importance of farm mechanization to improve the work efficiency, work output, drudgery reduction and health hazards for farm women. Er. Subrat Kumar Das, Senior Technical Assistant advised the farm women to visit the social media pages of ICAR-CIWA to get the latest updates on various activities of the Institute. Various inputs and women friendly agricultural tools and implements were demonstrated and distributed to the farm women. About 80 farm women from Chitra and Sagada villages participated in the meeting. The programme was organised as a part of Bharat ki Azadi ka Amrit Mahostav to commemorate 75 years of India's independence.