Kiosk donated to VRC in Pudukottai ,Tamil Nadu

April 2009: It facilitates farmers to understand the crop protection methods

HITECH: Operation of the kiosk being explained to farmers at Pullanviduthi near Pudukottai.

PUDUKOTTAI: The Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) has donated a comprehensive kiosk containing all cultivation details to the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Village Resource Centre (VRC) at Annavasal in the district.

The kiosk, with multi-purpose utilisation, facilitates farmers to understand the crop protection methods, the importance of soil conservation and irrigation practices suited to a specific crop and even vocational activities such as preparation of vermi-compost and bio-manures.

At the touch of a screen and with the aid of visual images, the farmers can log in to a specific crop such as paddy or sugarcane cultivated by them. Right from sowing the seeds up to ploughing the fields, every minute detail is available at the kiosk.

The salient feature of the kiosk is that it seeks to clarify the doubts, using the frequently asked queries. A special audio system has been incorprated in to it and the farmer, at the touch of the relevant question, can get the doubts clarified. A telephone-like equipment is attached to the kiosk for listening to the audio component of the kiosk.

The content of the kiosk can be printed, using a printer also donated by the IFFCO.

The Joint Director of Agriculture, Pudukottai, Siva. Chellappa inaugurated the kiosk at Pullanviduthi village near Alankudi recently, where the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation operates a Village Knowledge Centre. Speaking on the occasion, he appealed to the farmers to take maximum advantage of the kiosk.

The Foundation’s VRC Project Co-ordinator R. Rajkumar said that the content of the kiosk would be circulated to the leading farmers and the coconut-growers in and around Alankudi. Village-specific modifications, if needed, would be incorporated in to the kiosk.