The Farm complex is developed on about 10 bigha land. The Farm is separated from the bungalow complex by a road, the lifeline of Falta. The farm is the active centre for all the demonstration programmes on rural development. The farm has two building complexes, three ponds, cultivable land. The building complex near the entrance houses two laboratories, plant tissue culture and mushroom culture maintenance and spawn production in the ground floor, dormitory in the first floor to accommodate trainees during the training programmes, kitchen, food court, stores and security rooms. Four rain water harvesting concrete tanks have been installed in the food court.

 

The other building complex (Lady Abala Bose building) houses the workshop for making bee-keeping box, and rooms for accommodating trainees. Hatchery unit is situated near the Abala Bose Building. Three ponds in the farm is used for fishery programme. Fish breeding is done in the hatchery unit and the resultant fish spawns are used for fishery in the three ponds and distributed partly to the beneficiaries under the Scheduled Tribe-Specific Rural Biotechnology Programme. Some aquarium fishes are also cultured at the farm.

 

During 2011-2014 mulberry sericulture was done in the campus and part of the Abala Bose Building was used as rearing house. But since 2015 sericulture activity was stopped in the campus as extension programme on sericulture was started at Purulia and Bankura. At present all training related to sericulture is given at either Purulia or Bankura. We are only maintaining some mulberry plants in the campus.

 

Near Abala Bose Building there is one orchid house where we grow some tropical orchids and also transfer seed germinated and micropropagated orchids grown in tissue culture. We have collection of about 20 epiphytic and ground orchids. The micropropagated or seed germinated orchids may be used in future for income generation programme by the tribal beneficiaries. The betel boroj and medicinal plant house are also present in the close vicinity of orchid house.

 

In Sunderban area we have provided financial support to three tribal beneficiaries for establishment of betel boroj. We have various fruits and large number of coconut trees in the farm. We displayed scientific names and families on most of the plants in the farm. The agricultural lands are used for cultivation of various crops throughout the year like paddy, mustard, sesame, sunflower, pulses, potato, spices and different vegetables. The broccoli cultivation in the farm created huge popularity in the Falta area. Near the J.C. Bose building complex there are mushroom house, vermicompost unit and fern house. We produce mushroom spawn and mushrooms throughout the year. Generally, we grow oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sp.) in the winter and milky mushroom (Calocybe indica) during summer. We provide mushroom spawn to the beneficiaries from this centre. General people could purchase mushroom spawn from here on order basis.

 

Under the Scheduled Tribe-Specific Rural Biotechnology Programme fund was given to one NGO at Santiniketan for development of one mushroom spawn production unit to cater the demand of tribal beneficiaries in Santiniketan and adjoining areas. The vermicompost unit has five pits and this unit is used throughout the year for vermicompost, vermiwash and earthworm production. The total vermicompost produced in the farm is used for cultivation of crops in the farm. Our aim is to replace the chemical fertilizer by the vermicompost and other organic fertilizers in the farm for total organic farming. The vermiwash is also used as liquid fertilizer. The earthworms produced during vermicompost production was reused in the vermicompost production and rest is provided to the beneficiaries.

 

The fern house and medicinal plant house is under construction. In the fern house collection of different types of ferns will be grown and maintained. In the medicinal plant house a collection of medicinal plants will be maintained. The use of each medicinal plant will be displayed in the centre. The demonstration unit for rain water harvesting for small scale agriculture purpose has been demonstrated in a place near the entrance of the farm. Azolla and Salvinia cultivation have been demonstrated. The Azolla and Salvinia may be used in the vemicompost pit for vermicompost production. Large number of honey bee boxes have been placed throughout the farm and those are maintained regularly for honey production. The honey bee colonies multiplied in the campus are distributed to the tribal beneficiaries. The bee keeping boxes constructed in the centre are distributed to the tribal beneficiaries. The poultry birds are reared in the farm. The farm products are sold either in the different campuses or in the market for revenue generation. Being the hub for Rural Biotechnology Programme it is open 365 days a year. All Rural Biotechnology Programmes & Scheduled Tribe-Specific Rural Biotechnology Programmes are controlled and monitored from this centre. All the trainees and beneficiaries once involved in the Bose Institute’s programme becomes the member of Bose Institute family and they get all types of post training or post programme assistance or follow up services from this centre. We believe that Bose Institute will contribute in a meaningful way in rural development in West Bengal Bose.