To boost agricultural activities in schools, the School Agriculture Programme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests conducted a weeklong training in Lobesa, Punakha recently.
Agriculture officials briefed the teachers on usage of farm machinery such as power tillers. The training also involved farming tactics related to horticulture and mushroom farming. Among others are compost making and rearing livestock. “We learned to operate power tillers and for schools owning large area of agricultural land, tiller can of immense help,” said one of the participants, Tshering Dorji.
Getting familarised with farming machines is to motivate teachers and students to actively participate in school agriculture programme. Otherwise, doing things manually is tiresome for them, said B.B. Rai, the Coordinator of School Agriculture Programme.
Training like this is being held every year. The objective is to produce organic vegetables in abundance and to encourage students to take up farming to sustain their livelihoods.
