The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), in collaboration with the Agriculture Department, will soon establish 326 Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) across Telangana under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) to strengthen the adoption of natural farming practices in the State.

As part of the initiative, the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad, partnered with SERP to build capacity for setting up the centres and recently conducted training programmes for 56 district-level officials and 318 women entrepreneurs in 10 batches. The trainees were also provided with the equipment and infrastructure required to establish BRCs at the village level.

The Bio-Input Resource Centres are envisioned as cluster-level facilities that will function both as production units for natural farming inputs and as knowledge centres for farmers. The centres will prepare and supply bio-inputs such as Jeevamrut, Beejamrut, Dashparni Ark and Aganastra, which are used to improve soil fertility, treat seeds and manage pests without relying on chemical pesticides.

Director of Plant Health Management O.P. Sharma said the trained women entrepreneurs would produce these eco-friendly inputs for use in their own farms as well as by other farmers in their respective clusters. Besides supplying locally prepared bio-inputs, they will also train rural women in low-cost natural farming practices, helping improve soil and plant health while reducing dependence on expensive agricultural chemicals.

According to NIPHM officials, the partnership with SERP is expected to strengthen the natural farming ecosystem in Telangana by ensuring the local availability of bio-inputs, lowering cultivation costs and encouraging self-reliant farming communities.

SERP CEO Divya Devarajan and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ms. Rajitha played a key role in formulating the training plan, mobilising participants and providing funding to NIPHM for conducting the capacity-building programmes.

The initiative would help restore soil health, improve biodiversity and reduce farmers’ dependence on external agricultural inputs while promoting environmentally sustainable farming, according to officials.