Institute Advisory Committee Meeting of Farmer FIRST Programme Organized at ICAR-DWR, Jabalpur

The Institute Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting of the Farmer FIRST Programme was successfully organized on 24 March 2026 at ICAR-Directorate of Weed Research (ICAR-DWR), Jabalpur. The meeting witnessed active participation of 18 farmers, including 9 Mahila Kisan, from tribal-dominated areas of Kundam block of Jabalpur district representing Ranipur, Khukkham, and Padaria villages. The programme was chaired by Director, ICAR-DWR, Dr. J. S. Mishra, with Dr. P. K. Singh, Principal Scientist and In-charge, PME Cell, as the invited member. Dr. P. K. Mukherjee, Principal Scientist and Principal Investigator of the project, along with Co-Principal Investigators, participated in the meeting. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Yogita Gharde, Senior Scientist.

Dr. Mukherjee presented the key achievements and activities carried out under the project during the past year, including farmer-oriented interventions, demonstrations, and capacity-building programmes. An interactive session with farmers facilitated identification of field-level constraints and prioritization of interventions for the coming year. Dr. P. K. Singh appreciated the efforts of the project team and emphasized the importance of farmer participatory approaches, location-specific technologies, integrated farming systems, and effective weed management for enhancing productivity and profitability.

In his address, Dr. J. S. Mishra highlighted the significance of the Farmer FIRST approach in bridging the gap between research and field application. He stressed the need for demand-driven interventions, regular farmer engagement, and promotion of improved technologies for sustainable livelihood security. The meeting concluded with a roadmap for strengthening farmer–scientist interaction and implementing need-based technological interventions in the adopted villages.