KARGIL: Farmers’ demand for greater access to skill development and locally suitable agricultural technologies featured prominently at the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) meetings of KVK Kargil-I and Kargil-II held at KVK Kargil-II on Thursday.
The 8th SAC meeting of KVK Kargil-I and 22nd of KVK Kargil-II (Zanskar) were chaired by University of Ladakh Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushawaha and conducted in hybrid mode with scientists, technical staff, government officials and farmer representatives.
The meetings reviewed the two KVKs’ activities and progress during 2025–26. Dr Shabeer Hussain, Scientist (Horticulture), KVK Kargil-II, presented its progress report, while Dr Nasreen, Head, KVK Kargil-I, presented the annual report of her centre.
Five farmer representatives from different areas of Kargil raised the need for training and capacity building on common livestock diseases, insect pests, crop production technologies and location-specific agricultural problems.
Officials from line departments also suggested areas for experimentation, technology demonstrations and skill-development programmes based on farmers’ requirements.
Dr Faizan Ahmad, Dean, School of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry, Kargil, and Dr Maheswar, Dean, School of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Leh, participated virtually and offered scientific inputs on standardising, validating and scaling up suitable technologies.
The proceedings were moderated by Dr Mohammad Mehdi, Coordinator and Controller, Ladakh KVKs, who stressed the need to adapt agricultural technologies to Ladakh’s agro-climatic conditions.
Prof Kushawaha, in his concluding remarks, called for closer coordination among KVKs, farmers, line departments and research institutions. He also advocated sourcing suitable technologies from research institutions across India and testing their adaptability to Ladakh.
Earlier, KVK Kargil-II organised a Kisan Mela-cum-exhibition, where farmers displayed their produce and showcased efforts to diversify vegetable cultivation. Scientists and departmental officials interacted with farmers, while farm tools were distributed among progressive farmers.
