Sugarcane is a vital cash crop in Karnataka, sustaining thousands of smallholder farmers. However, producers face numerous challenges—pest and disease outbreaks, soil degradation, water scarcity, climate variability, and limited access to modern cultivation practices. Traditional farming methods often result in lower yields and higher production costs.

To address these concerns, there is an increasing need to introduce farmers to integrated and climate-smart agricultural practices. Improved agronomic knowledge, efficient water use, mechanization, and organic input application can significantly enhance productivity while protecting the environment.

The “Integrated Crop Management in Sugarcane, training program along with the exposure visit to Agriculture Research Station, Hukkeri, Belgaum District was therefore conceived to bridge the gap between research and field practice—equipping Fairtrade sugarcane farmers with modern scientific insights, innovative technologies, and environmentally responsible techniques

The training program aimed to:

1. Strengthen farmers’ knowledge on Integrated Crop Management (ICM) for sustainable sugarcane cultivation.
2. Demonstrate improved sugarcane varieties suited to local agro-climatic conditions.
3. Enhance awareness of pest and disease management through safe, sustainable control methods.
4. Promote water conservation practices, including drip irrigation and soil moisture management.
5. Expose farmers to modern agricultural machinery and innovations for improved efficiency and productivity.
6. Encourage organic practices such as trash management, composting, and organic jaggery preparation.
7. Highlight crop diversification and dairy farming as additional livelihood options.
8. Build climate resilience and empower SPOs to replicate sustainable practices across their producer networks.

Learning through Experience

The session, led by Dr. S.S. Nooli, Scientist at ARS Hukkeri, covered comprehensive modules on:

• Pest and disease management in sugarcane
• Agronomic best practices and ratoon management
• Trash management and avoidance of burning
• Organic input application and jaggery preparation
• Drip irrigation and precision farming techniques

Farmers also participated in field demonstrations showcasing intercropping methods, improved varieties, and modern mechanization for sugarcane cultivation. Educational booklets from Dharwad Agriculture University were distributed to reinforce learning on topics such as organic sugarcane production and improved cultivation practices.

Dr. Nooli emphasized the importance of row spacing of 4–4.5 feet—a shift from the current 1.5–2 feet practice—to enhance yield, support mechanical harvesting, and improve resource utilization.

This initiative is part of the Fairtrade NAPP’s strategic effort to work alongside farmers and workers to drive climate resilience and ensure decent livelihoods by promoting crop diversification and value chain upgrading across the Fairtrade sugarcane sector and to expand market access under Fairtrade terms.  

Next Steps

Participants expressed a strong desire for follow-up training within their organisation to extend the benefits of this learning to more farmers. Future sessions will be organized to ensure wider adoption of improved sugarcane cultivation practices across Karnataka.

“The exposure visit was very useful. We learnt a lot about integrated management in sugarcane and modern agricultural machinery. We request Fairtrade NAPP to conduct similar programs at our SPO level,”
— Suresh Turamuri, Itagi Primary Agriculture Credit Co-operative Sangha Niyamit

“It was a very good training on pest and disease management, organic inputs, and ratoon management. The exposure to dairy farming and machinery was very interesting,”
— Ashok Jodattiyavar, Aravatagi Primary Agriculture Credit Co-operative Sangha Niyamit, Doori