Community nurseries or ‘Nursery Langars’ saved Punjab from massive crop losses caused by floods in 2023: PAU study

Sub: Geo

Sec: Eco Geo

Context:

Punjab was saved from incurring losses of Rs 2,800 crore due to community nurseries, known as “nursery langars”.
Despite an additional expenditure of Rs 245 crore by farmers, the community nurseries helped achieve the average rice yield equivalent to 2022 levels.

Nursery Langars Initiative

The “Nursery Langar” initiative, rooted in Sikh tradition, played a crucial role in saving flood-hit farmers by providing free paddy saplings.
- It provided free nurseries to farmers after floods damaged lands in 2023.
Volunteers, entrepreneurs, and farmer groups raised nurseries, which were geo-tagged and made accessible to affected farmers through publicized contact information.
Awareness camps and support from PAU, KVKs, and regional centers helped small and marginal farmers replant short-duration rice varieties like PR 126 and Pusa Basmati 1509.

Economic Impact and Success of the Initiative:

Farmers incurred additional costs for re-transplantation, including labour, diesel, and weedicide expenses, totalling Rs 245 crore.
Despite the floods, the average rice yield in Punjab increased by 4%, with the highest yield recorded in Malerkotla district.
The success of the community nurseries demonstrates their effectiveness as a contingency plan to mitigate the impact of floods, highlighting the broader role they can play in addressing climatic challenges.

Source: DTE