An Australia-India Council grant has been awarded to Green Grass Dairy Training - a project aimed at bringing Australian farming expertise to local dairy farmers in India.
It was developed in association with TasTAFE and Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges.
''Their project has been awarded $150,000 for the training of dairy farmers in Kerala, with the aim to expanding knowledge of modern agricultural practices and thereby increase the profitability of their dairy farms," a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated.
"Training will be delivered in four regions of Kerala and participants will also be part of an immersive farm experience tour on working dairy farms in Tasmania and Queensland in 2019''.
Green Grass Dairy Training app Source: DFAT
The training program is aimed to help in farm management, forage production, drought and soil management, animal health and infrastructure design.
''Though the scale of farms in Kerala is different to what is seen in Australia, the basic principles are the same. What we have learned by managing large-scale farms in Australia can be applied to small dairy farms with two cattle or 15 cattle in India and produce better results increasing profitability'' director of Green Grass Dairy George Rigney said.
Cows and calves displaced during floods are brought back in Kuttanad, Alappuzha in the southern state of Kerala, India, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. Source: AAP
The training programs will be delivered by Australian experts who will travel to conduct seminars in Kerala.
Another tool that is expected to help in the training process is a mobile phone app that is being developed in Malayalam, English and Hindi.
The new app will help in training local farmers in Kerala with Australian farming videos and modules that help in answering questions, says Anoop Thankan, project manager at Green Grass Dairy Training. Initially, the project will be delivered to the dairy farmers in Kerala. The app has been designed in a way to include other languages and could be rolled out to other parts of India later, Mr Thankan said.
George Rigney said the training programs can be implemented using the new app and seminars at a nominal fee to the participants with the help of the grant.
Dairy Farm Source: Supplied
"Dairy farmers in Kerala do not produce the required amount of feed for the cattle in their farms unlike in Australia and most dairy farming states in India, and this is the main area that needs change to produce profitability," says Anoop Thankan.
The project is designed to give farmers in Kerala first-hand experience of Australian methods by inviting participants for a tour of dairy farms in Tasmania and Queensland.
The climate in Queensland can be compared to the conditions in Kerala and is expected to give farmers an insight into modern methods that can be effectively applied in their local farms.
