Shillong, November 12: Today NESFAS facilitated a workshop on surface compost in Laitsohpliah Village, East Khasi Hills District. NESFAS Resource Person Dr. Carl O. Rangad Vice Chairman, Operations NESFAS guided the session where participants from four villages in the East Khasi Hills; Laitsohpliah, Laitthemlangsah, Nongtraw and Dewlieh took active part.
The workshop had come out as a request from the community members and it was conducted to educate farmers about one of the basic techniques of composting; surface composting, to create and provide nutrients to the soil. According to Dr. Carl Rangad, composting will always be important in the agricultural sector. The main objective of making a compost is to do away with modern day fertilisers that has resulted in creating numerous adverse results like climate change through degrading the soil health and such.
The session was guided with both practical and theoretical lessons, in which the community members took active part in executing the compost making process with the guidance of Dr. Rangad. Mrs. B. Swer of Laitsohpliah Village shared her experiences when she was a young child, her mother had shared her knowledge about how to practice composting in their fields. However, the advent urea and the use of fertilisers had wiped out the indigenous practices.
Dr. Carl said, “Seeing is believing and learning by doing is the only slogan of extension that will ensure mobilisation and active participation from villages within our state to make them do away with commercial farming”.
