Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 27(ANI): Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment, Energy Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, on Thursday, inaugurated the Land Resource Inventory Rath or LRI at Krushi Bhawan, Odisha.

The main objective of the journey is to inform farmers about LRI and scientific watershed management. According to the Odisha government, through this journey, farmers will gain special awareness of the utility of LRI cards distributed by the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management under the Department of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment.

Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said, 'The Land Resource Information Van has been flagged off today, which will go to five districts starting from Deogarh, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Koraput. Through this, farmers will be given information on land records and educated about soil health and which crops to cultivate for maximum benefit. This is an initiative launched by the Agriculture Department, the soil conservation department. We want to educate farmers and learn from them, because there are times when farmers have practised a particular farming method in a specific area. They can also teach the government what they have been doing, how they are doing it, and how they are deriving the benefits from it. So, it's a learning process both ways. For that purpose, we are starting this land resource information van, which has been flagged today '

The term 'Land Resource Inventory (LRI) Van' refers to a vehicle-based initiative in Odisha to raise awareness and collect data on soil health and scientific land management. The initiative is part of a larger awareness campaign called the LRI Jatra or LRI Mahotsav.

The primary goal is to enhance farmers' awareness of the proper utilisation of land resource data to increase crop productivity, support soil and water conservation, and aid in scientific farm management.

This initiative operates under the REWARD (Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development) programme, which the World Bank partially supports. The vans will move through five pilot districts (Deogarh, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, and Koraput) as part of a significant outreach programme. The movement of the LRI raths is monitored using a specialised MIS mobile application.

Farmers who have benefited from the data provided in LRI Cards (which contain site-specific soil information and recommended agricultural practices)will be felicitated during the programme to encourage others to use this data for better land management. (ANI)