Panaji: In a concerted effort to revive agricultural activity and make productive use of fallow fields, around 120 farmers from Karekhazan have come together to cultivate cowpea across 15 hectares during the ongoing rabi season.Cowpea is widely grown in Goa, where it is known locally as Alsando (the red bold variety) or Chowli (the cream-colored variety).The initiative, undertaken by the Karekhazan Tenants Association in collaboration with Bicholim Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), seeks to bring land that remained largely unused for nearly 20 years until this year, when the farmers undertook paddy cultivation in this kharif season.For the rabi crop, the farmers have procured approximately 200 kg of cowpea seeds supplied through the agriculture department. The cultivation involves a local variety of cowpea, with farmers expecting an estimated harvest of around five tonnes by the end of the rabi season, subject to growing conditions and crop performance.“For the farming community, this initiative is an important effort to restore the rhythm of cultivation on agricultural land that has remained fallow during the post-monsoon period for nearly two decades,” said FPO chairperson Vishwambar Gawas.Karekhazan is a low-lying agricultural area where water management and soil conservation are essential for sustaining cultivation. Farmers said they have been working with govt on measures including repairs to bunds, soil conservation works and improvements to sluice gates to support agricultural activity.“Despite concerns often associated with farming in low-lying coastal areas, salinity is not currently posing a problem in the fields. We had a successful kharif season growing paddy, so we can anticipate a successful rabi season as well,” Gawas said.
