Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been instrumental in helping farmers adopt integrated systems on the farm, thereby helping them produce more and earn more. Lyngrah’s farm, now a model farm, serves as an example of such support provided by KVK.

Shri Wallam Kupar Lyngrah, a dedicated progressive and innovative farmer, hails from the village Mawsiatkhnam of Mawlai C&RD Block, East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. He is a graduate and a teacher by profession. He started devoting his time focusing on better farming practices. He owns a total of 4.94 acres of land of which 2.50 acres has been converted into an Integrated Farm.

As an agriculture entrepreneur, Mr. Lyngrah felt that conventional method of agricultural cultivation minimized the yield and income. It is also associated with low productivity, increased cost on agriculture inputs and poor or no utilization of existing resources available on the farm. The conventional method also produced ecological problems in terms of limited crop diversity as well as creating soil and water pollution.

His journey towards becoming a sustainable farmer began when he was searching for a solution towards sustainable agricultural methods. It was then when he came into close contact with officials from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, East Khasi Hills district in the year 2013. He received technical guidance on sustainable agriculture through integrated farming. He was also inspired by an exposure visit to Indian Council of Agricultural Research for NEH Region, Umroi Road, Umiam, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, where he was introduced to the concept and the income opportunities of Integrated Farming System. He gathered technical knowhow by attending a number of trainings programmes, seminars, workshops conducted by the KVK as well as other line departments. He established an integrated farm in a total of 2.50 acres of land area since 2015 with poultry and piggery units as the main components in the farm. Equipped with a strong foundation about integrated farming, Shri Lyngrah further developed his farm by incorporating additional components to his unit.