Krishi Vigyan Kendra Ganderbal kickstarted Backyard Poultry Initiative at Shuhama campus by organising a daylong workshop on “Scientific backyard poultry farming” for the farm women of the district Ganderbal. Prof D M Makdoomi, Director Extension, SKUAST-K was Chief Guest of the workshop which among others was attended by Dr. Ishfaq Abidi, (Senior Scientist and Head, KVK Ganderbal), Dr. Pervaiz Dar (Scientist, Animal Sciences, KVK Ganderbal) and other Scientific staff of the Kendra

During the Inaugural session, Prof. Makdoomi, stressed on the farmwomen to take lead in horizontal expansion of backyard poultry farming for nutritional livelihood security and subsidiary income generation. He further emphasized the need for convergence between the University, the Development Departments and the other field agencies for sustainable development and revival of the backyard poultry sector in the Kashmir for which KVK Ganderbal will be in the forefront. Dr Ishfaq Abidi during his lecture emphasised on developing the backyard poultry as organic enterprise keeping in view the demand for organic eggs and poultry meat. He deliberated on the Horti-poultry model developed by the Kendra for maximum resource utilization of the horticulture land. Dr Pervaiz Dar, Scientist, Animal Science provided the detailed training on the common management practices for backyard poultry especially nutritional and disease management.  

At the end of the workshop, free of cost Kruoiler chick’s units and feed were distributed among 25 farmwomen of the Shuhama villages and adjoining areas under frontline demonstration (FLD) program of the Kendra. The farmwomen praised the initiative of the Kendra and assured good care and management of these promising birds, horizontal expansion of this remunerative enterprise in other areas of the district.