Foldscope is an instrument that gives a new direction to agriculture and animal husbandry in Chhattisgarh
Farmers of 20 districts of the state are using Foldscope
Through advanced technology, farmers are able to detect soil quality and plant diseases
Raipur 30 December 2024: On the special initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, new innovations are being done continuously to make farming advanced and profitable in Chhattisgarh. Farmers are constantly being encouraged to use advanced agricultural equipment and adopt scientific methods, whose meaningful results have also started coming. Chhattisgarh state is an agriculture-based state. More than 70 percent of the population here is dependent on farming. Agriculture is also the axis of Chhattisgarh’s economy. The Chhattisgarh government is giving all possible help to the farmers to make Chhattisgarh happy and prosperous.
With the aim of promoting pest infestation management of crops and high breed animal husbandry in Chhattisgarh, farmers are being motivated and encouraged to use Foldscope microscope. In collaboration with the National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, portable microscopes called “Foldscope” have been distributed to farmers of 20 districts of the state with the aim of empowering farmers with scientific techniques in farming and animal husbandry. The program, spread across more than 30 villages in Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Balodabazar-Bhatapara, Raipur, Dhamtari, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagadh Chowki, Korea, Surguja, Jashpur, Korba, Sakti, Mahasamund, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Kabirdham, Bemetara, Kanker and Bastar districts, is being implemented by ICAR – National Institute of Biotic Stress Management.
Foldscope is an affordable and portable microscope developed by Indian-American scientist Professor Manu Prakash and his team from Stanford University. It was launched in 2014 and has been used since then for education, research and diagnosis. This device is extremely useful and economical in the field of farming and scientific research. Foldscope is being used by farmers for pest and disease detection, soil quality testing and water analysis. It is being used to identify powdery mildew, leaf blight, leaf spot and post-harvest diseases in crops. So far, 16 types of fungal diseases and their causative organisms have been identified with the help of Foldscope. For example, pathogens like Golovinomyces cicho-acearum and Erysiphe polygoni have been detected. Foldscope is not limited to farming but is also being used in animal husbandry. It has been used to assess the quality of semen for artificial insemination of cattle. This has improved the conception rate and grading of indigenous cattle breeds.
Foldscope has also been used to test five organic pesticides and two bioagents. This is helping in reducing dependence on chemicals and promoting eco-friendly farming. The idea of making Foldscope came when Professor Manu Prakash visited the fields and found that the unavailability of scientific equipment was a big hurdle for farmers. He developed a device that is cheap, durable and ideal for use in rural areas. Foldscope has made agriculture and animal husbandry simple and scientific for the farmers of Chhattisgarh. This device is not only reducing the cost in farming but is also helping in increasing their income by improving the quality of crops and cattle.
