After standardizing the developed technologies and testing their economic feasibility, they are taught to potential rural entrepreneurs. The trainees are provided with design drawings, manuals, names and addresses of suppliers of hardware and chemicals, as applicable to each training module. Some of the items, that are not commercially available, are fabricated by ARTI and supplied to the trainees and users.

The course modules are described below, but courses are also arranged according to the requirements of the trainees who may wish to combine two or more modules, or who may wish to learn only specific parts of a particular module and not the entire module.

Module 1: Nursery Techniques

(Duration: 5 days)

• Construction of high humidity chamber and its use in producing rooted cuttings and grafts
• Vegetative multiplication through rooted cuttings, grafts and through leaves with the use of appropriate hormones.
• Transplanting and hardening of plants raised in high humidity chamber.
• Use of auxiliary light to modulate plant growth
• Use of root trainers
• Use of shade netting, mini-greenhouse and plastic mulch
• Production of peat substitute as potting medium
• Production of liquid organic manure for use in nurseries
• Seedlings of seasonal crop species
• Bonsai technology
  
  

Module 2. Crop production on permanent raised beds

(Duration: 2 days)

• Preparation of raised beds for vegetables, floriculture.
• Fertilizer application (a) chemical (b) organic manure
• Irrigation (a) by drip (b) by hose pipe/watering can with rose nozzle
• Construction of mini-greenhouse using bamboo poles and plastic film.
• Treatment of bamboo to increase its outdoor life
• Special techniques for (a) fodder production (b) medicinal plants (c) root drugs
  
  

Module 3: Treatment of bamboo and wood and their use

(Duration: 4 days)

• Preparing treatment solution
• Operation of pump
• Treatment without pump
• Construction of bamboo water tank
• Construction of scaffolding for vines
• Construction of a greenhouse
• Fabrication of bamboo furniture
• Fabrication of a bamboo wheelbarrow
  
  

Module 4. Biomass burning chulhas and fuel from light biomass

(Duration: 10 days)

• Preparation of clay/cement concrete mixture
• Design principles of stoves using biomass as fuel.
• Construction of stoves (domestic as well as large size)
• Construction of bakery oven
• Technology of charring biomass for making char briquettes
• Biogas production from starchy and sugary waste.
  
  

Module 5. Plant tissue culture

(Duration: Flexible)

The cost of plantlets coming out of a tissue culture laboratory is too high for them to be used as agriculturally useful planting material. ARTI has developed a technique, in which a small tissue culture laboratory produces just the mother plants, which are further multiplied under field/nursery conditions for one or more generations and the progeny is sold to users. In this way, the cost of the planting material can be reduced. If two rooms of 10 sq.m. each are available, along with running water and electricity connection, the laboratory can be set up at hardware cost of only around Rs. 200,000.

ARTI would give complete know-how for setting up a tissue culture laboratory and train the staff of the trainee organization in the trainees’ own laboratory. Protocols are available with ARTI for sugarcane, banana, turmeric and ginger. ARTI’s experts would pay regular visits to the laboratory of the trainee institution to solve any problems faced by the trainee institution.

Training fee: Rs. 5,000 per person.

If the trainees require ARTI’s help in setting up their tissue culture laboratories or for trouble shooting, ARTI’s experts should be paid traveling expenses (train fare by II A.C. Class or luxury bus fare, if train service is not available), local conveyance, local hospitality, and a consultation fee.

Want to attend/participate in a training module?

Click here for costs and contact details.

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