Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday announced that the government would develop special 'climate smart villages', which would demonstrate climate change mitigation technologies to farmers and other stakeholders. Research on soil microbiome engineering will also be undertaken to enhance soil health and productivity, he said.

Presenting the farm budget in the assembly, Panneerselvam said that climate change is likely to present significant challenges to biodiversity, crop yields, and food security in the coming two decades. Hence, the use of appropriate technologies is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change and safeguard against crop loss.

"To achieve this, special climate smart villages will be developed, demonstrating climate change mitigation technologies to farmers and stakeholders, besides spreading awareness. A budget allocation of Rs 1.48 crore will be made for this initiative," he said. In agriculture, high productivity can be sustained only if soil fertility and standard productivity levels are continuously monitored. Soil quality depends on the amount of organic carbon and beneficial microbial growth in it, which are essential for maintaining it as a "critical living system", he said.

To enhance soil health and productivity, research on soil microbiome engineering will be undertaken to not only evaluate but develop microbial consortia (group of diverse microorganisms that have the ability to act together in a community) for the decomposition of organic matter, including crop residues. This will increase soil carbon and convert unavailable nutrients into available forms. "An allocation of Rs.1.39 crore will be made for this," the minister said.

In order to facilitate easy access for urban consumers to high quality agricultural produce and value-added products, one hundred 'uzhavar angadis (farmer outlets)' will be established along the lines of 'uzhavar sandhais (farmers markets)' at an outlay of Rs 5 crore from state funds. "Agricultural produce adhering to specified quality norms will be directly procured from farmers. They will be graded, packed, branded and sold through the uzhavar angadis."

Source - https://www.etvbharat.com