BENGALURU: Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said on Wednesday that decisions related to the growth of farmers and agriculture should be taken after considering the views and opinions of experts, researchers and scientists on ‘climate change’, ‘land degradation’ and ‘sustainable watershed management’.
He was speaking after inaugurating a three-day international conference on ‘Watershed Resilience: Integrating Science, Sustainability and Society’ organised jointly by the Watershed Development Department; University of Agricultural Sciences’ Centre of Excellence on Watershed Management; Department of Land Resources, Government of India; and the World Bank, New Delhi.
Chaluvarayaswamy said Karnataka has been at the forefront of watershed development for four decades. Appreciating the Land Resource Inventory-based watershed development under the World Bank’s REWARD programme, he said it has come as a morale booster for the state.
Nitin Kade, joint secretary, Department of Land Resources, said the two pillars of successful watershed development are technical capacity and strong governance. REWARD provides the technical expertise needed to scale up the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) across the country. Kade said there is a need to focus on development by strengthening local communities and institutions.
Lead agricultural specialist of the World Bank Andrew Goodland appreciated the effective implementation of the REWARD programme and said Karnataka is a model for others. Representatives from countries such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Congo, Canada, Nairobi and France took part in the conference.