Training on Vegetable Science and Nursery Maintenance

A one-month residential training programme on Vegetable Science and Nursery Maintenance was successfully completed in October (September 12 - October 6, 2009).

Church of North India Social Services Institute (CNI-SSI), National bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Satpuda Foundation jointly organized the training.

A total of 25 candidates were short listed out of which 10 candidates were selected, all from villages situated in and around Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra.

The training focussed on teaching farmers intercropping. The participants were imparted practical training on growing various kinds of roses, flowers and vegetables and on developing lawns, all of which represent opportunities to augment their income as there is demand for these items in urban areas.

Experts who guided the trainees in the field, included
Shri. Ingole (Krushi Sahayyak Adhikari, Nagpur)
Shri Wankhede and shri Jog (Nursery department, Nagpur)
Shri. Chawre (Vayvasthapak ,Zilla Udyog Kendra, Nagpur )
Shri Sudhir Bhange, (Prasikshak) under whose guidance the training was successfully completed.

The training was conducted at Khandala village on the outskirts of Nagpur where CNI-SSI has a development centre. Training started on September 12 and ended on October 6. Besides classroom lectures, the trainees also learnt on the job by working at the development centre.

In addition, they were taken on visits to successful flower and vegetable farms in Nagpur as well as to a farm which specialised in developing lawns.

These visits helped the trainees interact with successful farmers and learn firsthand from them the potential in this line of farming.

The trainees have returned to their respective villages with plenty of new ideas and have promised to try out some of these ideas.

List of successful trainees


Sr.No Name Village
1 Vinod Ramraoji Chaple Ghoti
2 Sanjay Dhanrajji Raut Amazhari
3 Rinkesh Sureshji Borkar Pathrai
4 Pradeep Natthuji Chaple Ghoti
5 Anil Ramraoji Kumre Sillari
6 Pratap Gopichandji Kodwate Sillari
7 Omraj Madhukarji Kalekar Pathrai
8 Mahendra Urkudji Sonwane Ghoti
9 Nishant Wasudeo Choudhary Pipariya
10 Narendra Edpachi Pathrai

Update from Giri Venkatesan, Vice-President, Satpuda Foundation

International Course in "Education as a tool for species conservation"

Satpuda Foundation in collaboration with the Wildlife Department of Maharashtra, Sant Gadgebaba Amravati University, Environment Education and Conservation Global( EECG) and Nature Conservation Society, Amravati (NCSA) has organized an international course in ‘Education as a tool for species conservation with a focus on tiger in India.’

This will be the first such course of international importance to be organized in India. 15 selected delegates from several countries including India will participate in it, Vice-Chancellor of SGAU Dr Kamal Singh and Environmentalist Kishor Rithe told reporters on Monday.

The course will be conducted at SGAU as well as in Melghat and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserves from November 2 to 20.

The course has been organized to prepare emerging environmentalists so that they can create awareness in people about climate change, environment conservation and other environment-related issues.

Different complex problems about environment will be taught and discussed during this course and measures to solve them will also be tackled.

Participants include six delegates from Bangladesh, Nepal and Thailand and nine members from Jammu Kashmir, Assam, Andman and Nicobar and Maharastra.

Click here to read more about the Course.