65 students from FYBBA(FS) went on a field trip to Varad’s Farm at Dabal and Satpal Arboretum at Satpal near Mollem, Goa, on 07th March 2020. The students were accompanied by faculty members, Mr. Kiran Naik, Ms. Swati Bhat, Ms. Ashwini Korde, Ms. Lizia Gomes, Ms. Grishmi Thakur and Mr. Mayuresh Adsul.
The field trip was conducted as a field work for the students of Environmental Studies and also was a part of Life Skills Activity. The objectives of the field trip were to enable students to understand the practice of sustainable agriculture by using different organic farming methods, to explore the biotic components of the forest ecosystem and identify the different species of medicinal plants.
The first stop was Varad’s farm situated in Dabal, owned by Mr. Varad Samant, a young farmer. Mr. Samant has cultivated various types of crops such as carrot, cabbage, chilies, tomatoes, watermelon, etc. on his 4000 square meters of land. He has implemented different methods of organic farming such as using organic manure like cow dung, poultry waste, etc. and practiced drip irrigation technique to supply sufficient water to the crops. Some crops such as carrot and watermelon are hundred percent organic in nature. He also told students that his next aim is to introduce Drone technology on his farm which will make his work easy. He stated that “Agriculture can be a good source of income if it is done with interest, as there is a lot of physical work involved”. Students were very impressed by the venture and posed several questions, which he answered to their satisfaction.
Satpal Arboretum has over 80 plots in which various tree species have been planted over an area of 24.50 hectares of land. Students and faculty members took a walk in the Arboretum and observed different species of medicinal plants and their medical use. Students got all the information by reading information plates which were placed near each plant colony.
The major outcome of the field trip was that students got exposure to learn many things related to sustainable agriculture and the scope for entrepreneurship in agriculture. They also got chance to explore different varieties of trees, as well as plants and their medicinal use.
