Objective: to encourage farmers to adopt SMART farming practices resulting in significantly improved farm income and alleviation of poverty.
Venue: Selected farmer fields at Thiruvaiyaru, Killinochchi, Sri Lanka
Project Cost: USD 50,000 over the five years
Financial support: Mr.Ponnampalam sooriyakumar (USA) through Rotary Club Kilinochchi
Technical guidance : Outreach committee, Faculty of Agriculture ,UOJ
Project Incharge : Professor.K.Pakeerathan, Dr.S.J.Arasaksary, and Prof.N.Kannan
Field Research assistant: Mr.P.Rathhepan , Final year student, FOA,UOJ.
Research Intern: Final year student, FOA,UOJ.
Project Period: Project duration would be five years from May 2025 to May 2030
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PROGRESS
A stakeholder meeting:
A stakeholder meeting was held on 11th of April in which the beneficiaries, agriculture instructors and the university project team and the proposed supplier also participated.
Trainings and Setting up the project fields:
A training class was conducted for the beneficiaries by the experts and the sponsor one of the sponsors was also present. Four farmers were selected based on the success of the previous project and a new farmer was come forward to participate in this project. Cocopeat, vermicompost, nursery trays, seeds, fungicide and the starter fertilizer were distribute to the individual beneficiaries and a demonstration was conducted on the establishment of seedlings using hybrid seeds. Field visit was also made to confirm the real situation of the fields and all necessary data were recorded for further progress. A second study is also in progress to generate grafted seedlings of brinjal hybrid using as Sion for the resistant rootstock for Bacterial wilt. Seedlings resistant entry was developed at project site.
A second field was made by the lead scientist and the sponsor to asses the seedling stages and field preparations. quotation work is in progress for the purchase of automation appliances and the distribution and the installation will be done soon.
A research assistant was recruited and intern will be appointed soon
