In a significant step towards climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable farming, the adoption of solar-based technology in agriculture in Ganjam district is gaining popularity among farmers. The initiatives have helped them reduce dependency on conventional energy sources and are cost-effective, farmers said.
Farmers Embrace Solar Tools
Subash Chandra Pradhan and Rabi Swain, who grow various vegetables on their five acres of land in Hinjili block's Nandika village, have used solar-operated light insect traps, sprayers, and wild animal repellent machines to save their crops from pest attacks and wild animals for the past two years.
Like them, several other farmers in the district have adopted the renewable energy farming system. Some farmers have also used solar-based irrigation pumps to irrigate various crops, including paddy and vegetables.
KVK's Role in Promotion
“We have introduced the solar-operated tools like sprayers, traps, etc., following the intervention of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)'s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Berhampur,” said Pradhan. The scientists of KVK had demonstrated the tools, which worked effectively in an eco-friendly manner without excessive use of chemical pesticides, he said.
Senior scientist and in-charge of KVK Berhampur, Sujit Kumar Nath, said they have introduced solar-power technology in farming under the ongoing project “Resilient and Inclusive Initiatives for Sustainability and Empowerment (RIISE).” The three-year project of the World Food Programme (WFP)-OUAT was started in 2023-24. The project is being implemented in 29 villages in the four blocks of Chikiti, Digapahandi, Hinjili, and Jagannath Prasad.
Eco-Friendly Pest Management
The solar-energy tools that were introduced two years ago under the project are now gaining popularity among farmers, as several of them adopt eco-friendly measures in farming. Among the major innovations introduced are various types of solar-operated light insect traps, which help farmers manage pests in an eco-friendly way. These traps operate on solar energy to attract and control harmful insects during night time, proving highly effective for vegetable and field crops.
Protecting Crops from Wild Animals
The solar-powered wild animal repellent machines and solar fencing have also been introduced in several villages to help farmers protect their crops from damage caused by wild animals like wild boars, monkeys, and stray cattle.
With climate change posing increasing challenges to agriculture, renewable energy solutions like the adoption of renewable energy have been emerging as practical tools for ensuring resilience and long-term sustainability, Nath said, adding that their vision was to make farming more climate-resilient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. Solar energy is one of the major sources of this transformation, he added.
