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Priya Singh
Patna, Bihar: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called for greater adoption of integrated and natural farming to help small farmers reduce risks and increase their incomes.
Speaking at the “Krishi Jan Kalyan Samvad” in Patna, Chouhan interacted with farmers, listened to their concerns and discussed successful agricultural models being implemented in Bihar and through ICAR research.
Bihar Agriculture Minister Shri Vijay Kumar Sinha, Rural Development Minister Shri Shravan Kumar and Revenue Minister Shri Dilip Jaiswal, along with senior officials, agricultural experts, progressive farmers and rural representatives, attended the programme.
Chouhan highlighted integrated farming as a way to create multiple sources of income from limited land. He cited an ICAR Eastern Campus model in which farmers combine different crops and allied activities to generate income throughout the year.
Under the 2-3 bigha model, farmers can cultivate crops such as wheat, gram, mustard and maize after paddy. The model also includes activities such as fish farming, poultry, duck rearing, vine vegetables, fruit trees and fodder cultivation.
According to Chouhan, combining these activities can provide a more stable flow of income and help some families achieve annual earnings of around ₹2 lakh.
The Union Minister also encouraged farmers to adopt natural and advanced farming practices.
He advised farmers to first experiment with natural farming on a small portion of their land before expanding it to larger areas. He said excessive use of chemical fertilisers can affect soil health, making balanced and sustainable farming practices increasingly important.
Chouhan said the Centre and Bihar Government will work together to improve the marketing and branding of organic and natural farm products.
Better branding, he said, can help farmers establish the identity of their products and improve their access to markets and better prices.
During the interaction, progressive farmers including Ramjeet Sharma, Ramkumar Vinay, Sushila Devi and Sudhanshu shared their experiences and suggestions with the Union Minister.
Chouhan said such interactions are important for understanding the actual challenges faced by farmers. He emphasised that policies and programmes should be informed by what is happening on the ground.
He also said he prefers spending time in villages and fields to understand farmers’ lives and agricultural conditions directly.
Chouhan assured farmers that their suggestions would be considered and said he would return to Bihar to review initiatives related to soil health and farming.
He stressed that closer coordination between the Centre and the state can help improve farmers’ incomes and living standards, particularly for small and marginal farmers.
The Krishi Jan Kalyan Samvad focused on a practical approach to farm development, with integrated farming, natural farming, better market access and farmer-led solutions emerging as key areas for strengthening rural incomes.
