A Common Minimum Programme for Biointensive Pest/Disease Management in Small Farms of Uttarakhand (India)

Off season vegetable cultivation plays a unique role in the hill farming system. Being low volume and high value crops, they are rated to be potential cash earners. With increase in population, farm holdings are getting smaller and fragmented. Further, the agricultural practices of the farmers are making their crops more vulnerable to the attack of diseases and pests. The amount of profit on small farms is less, thus do not have capacity to bear any amount of losses. Therefore, integration of low-cost proven technology that can sustain a profitable production system holds promise. With this objective, a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) which works through improving soil ecology and includes proven technologies such as soil solarization, use of bio-control agents, bio-composting including vermi-composting and value addition of vermi-compost and FYM was designed and implemented at the end of about 6000 farmers in Uttarakhand. A comparative  analysis of the conventional practices (non-IPM) and adoption of CMP (IPM) was carried out in 10 villages at the end of 50 farmers who continuously adopted CMP for three years. A drastic reduction in the use of inorganic fertilizers was observed after adoption of CMP. Further, losses due to seed and soil borne diseases and pests were reduced in the nurseries as well as fields of farmers adopting CMP in various vegetables. Significantly high amount of input cost could be saved due to reduced amount of pesticides required to be used. Farmers were satisfied with the adoption of CMP as there was a big difference between the yields of farmers adopting CMP and those relying on the conventional practices. The satisfaction and enthusiasm amongst farmers suggest that the CMP would have an area wide adoption since the programme also falls within the framework of organic farming.