The International Rice Research Institute - South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) successfully organized a Public Harvest Event and Awareness Program on Zero-Tillage Wheat (ZTW) on April 5, 2025, at Chanwar village in Mardah Block (Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh). The program aimed to sensitize sustainable system optimization through Direct-seeded Rice (DSR) and Zero-Tillage Wheat (ZTW) practices among farmers through live demonstrations and expert interaction.
The event witnessed participation from over 100 farmers, agricultural experts from Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project (UPDASP), Agriculture Department UP, and ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ICAR-ATARI) - Kanpur, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and local stakeholders. A live harvesting demonstration of ZT Wheat was conducted to showcase the practical benefits of the technology and improved management practices, which include increased productivity, reduced labor, lower production costs, improved soil health, and enhanced climate resilience.
The program began with an introduction to the event by Dr. R.K. Malik, Senior Consultant, IRRI, who outlined the objectives of promoting DSR and ZT wheat as low-cost, resource-efficient technologies for farmers.
Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director - ISARC, welcomed all the farmers, guests and officials from various organisations and he stated "We’re driving a major push for sustainable mechanized farming practices including DSR and ZTW in UP, with focus on carbon credits, green circular economy, and strengthening mechanization through KVKs. Today’s ZT Wheat public harvest reflects our commitment to innovation-led agriculture, with ISARC, Varanasi as a leading centre."
Dr. Shantanu Kumar Dubey, Director, ICAR-ATARI, delivered the Inaugural Address as Chief Guest, said "We discussed enhancing rice and wheat productivity through technologies like DSR and ZT Wheat, with today’s public harvest being a strong example of its success. Timely sowing, improved varieties, mechanization, and farmer participation are key-along with setting up custom hiring centers to scale such innovations."
Dr. Ateendea Singh, DDA Ghazipur, Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in his opening remarks, stated that “Today’s ZTW public harvest showed the power of sustainable farming. We also discussed solutions to stubble burning and how timely, mechanized practices can reduce costs and improve yields.”
Dr. Jai Prakash, Technical Coordinator, UPDASP, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in his Opening Remarks, said that “A six-year project is being launched to boost farm income in Purvanchal by cutting costs and improving productivity. Farmers will get access to modern machinery, timely weather updates, and support for better value addition and time management.”
Along with inputs from representatives of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Department of Agriculture, and Scientist from ISARC, Dr. Vikram Patil underscored the challenges faced by farmers due to delays in wheat sowing. He emphasized the need for better residue management, adoption of cost-saving practices, and stronger market linkages to maximize farmers' returns. He informed that the rice productivity of 6.5 tons/ha was obtained during the Kharif DSR demonstration and today’s wheat harvest productivity was 5.6 tons/ha, which together became 12.1 tons/ha as rice-wheat system productivity.
“Amarjeet Singh, a progressive farmer, shared his on-ground experience with ZT Wheat, highlighting its benefits in reducing cost and improving efficiency. A public harvest event was conducted on his farm to showcase the real-time performance of the technology to fellow farmers and other stakeholders.”
The session was formally concluded with closing remarks by Dr. V.P. Singh, Agriculture Specialist, UPDASP, who said, “Today’s event was a great step towards encouraging farmers towards sustainable agricultural and innovative practices like DSR and ZT Wheat. He also urged farmers to maintain proper records of their farm activities and leverage mechanization for better productivity and income.”
This public harvest event was part of on-farm demonstration of DSR and ZTW ISARC’s broader efforts to promote sustainable agricultural practices and strengthen capacity building through field-level engagement and knowledge dissemination.
