Gandhi Manav Kalyan Society has established a full-fledged agriculture research and training centre in a sprawling 20 acres of land near its headquarter at Ogna. The center is called “Dharamitra”, which means “friends of the soil”. Local farmers are regularly trained in the center for adopting the method of organic farming. In the training, farmers are being told about techniques and processes of construction of pit, decompost, vermicompost and on cultivation of specific crop. Such trainings are organized throughout the year. Thousands of farmers have already received training from this center.

We organize training and demonstrate on cash crops, maize, wheat, mustard, ginger, turmeric and safed musli (chlorophytum borivillianum), green gram and organic vegetables. Traditional seed preservation system has also been developed by the centre to preserve and protect the seeds from diseases and damage. In agro horticulture crops like lemon and aawnala, the centre demonstrates about cropping pattern, mixed cropping, and mixed vegetables.

A wide variety of crops are produced in the centre and the method of organic cultivation is shown to the local farmers. There are some specific varieties of medicinal plants and trees which can be found in the centre. During training, GMKS provides improved quality seeds to the farmers. These seeds are usually given free of cost. Local farmers use these improved quality seeds and re-plant these seeds year after year.

The research training centre has developed a unique formula by mixing the urine of the cows and buffalos with neem leafs that is used as medicine for killing of pesticides. Local farmers honed the skills of making such medicine that they use in farmlands. The produced crops from the Dharamitra fields are stored as seeds that are provided to the farmers during demonstration and training, and the remaining items are sold at local market. The income generated from the selling of food grains are used for the maintenance of the training center and paying of salaries to the staff. This is rare of its kind training centre established in the region that serves the larger interests of the tribal community and for their well being.

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