Khet Bachao Abhiyan 2026: ICAR Meets Champaran Farmers

The ICAR-Mahatma Gandhi Integrated Farming Research Institute (ICAR-MGIFRI) at Motihari in Bihar held a farmer awareness and field interaction programme under Khet Bachao Abhiyan 2026 on 27 October 2026. The venue was Kothia Hariram village in the Mehsi block of East Champaran district. The institute works under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education.

What the programme covered

The meeting dealt with balanced fertilisation, the management of soil health, the recycling of nutrients, diversification of crops and the sustainable upkeep of mango and litchi orchards. Twenty-nine farmers and other participants took part and put questions to scientists on raising orchard yields and using resources better.

The advice on fertiliser

Dr. Amol K. Jadhav, Scientist at the institute, led the session. He argued for nutrient management based on soil testing, saying that fertiliser applied without thought raises the cost of cultivation and throws nutrients out of balance, while fertiliser decided by soil-test results, the needs of the crop and the state of the orchard improves the efficiency with which nutrients are used.

Using what the farm already has

Farmers were told how to recycle nutrients from organic matter available on the spot, including crop residues, fallen leaves, farmyard manure and compost. Returning these to the soil builds up organic matter, improves soil structure and makes nutrients more available, and it cuts dependence on inputs bought from outside. The scientists advised combining such organic sources with measured mineral fertiliser for mango and litchi.

Intercropping in orchards

• Growing a second crop between fruit trees can make better use of land and add to farm income.
• Legumes and other crops suited to the locality were suggested as intercrops.
• The choice should follow the age of the orchard, how much canopy covers the ground, the moisture available in the season and whether the crops suit each other.

Farmers spoke of their own experience and difficulties with fertiliser use, orchard soil health, organic resources and intercropping. Through Khet Bachao Abhiyan 2026 the institute puts scientists in direct contact with farming households, with the aim of self-reliance and climate-resilient livelihoods in the mango and litchi belt of East Champaran.