Dr. Parveen Kumar
Agriculture in the country is the backbone of the economy and has a major contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Despite this, the sector suffers from some generic issues. Among those, lack of adequate linkages has been one of the major challenges affecting development of agriculture and overall economic growth of the country. Linkages in agriculture, particularly market linkages i. e both forward as well as backward are crucial for ensuring availability of critical inputs to the farming community, boosting farmer incomes and improving agricultural efficiency. By connecting farmers to markets, inputs and services, linkages help stabilize incomes, reduce post-harvest losses and fostering technology transfer. Market linkages help enhance market access to a wider range of markets including local, regional, national and international markets, allowing farmers to sell their produce at better prices and access specialized markets like niche products at a place other than place where it may not be produced without the physical presence of the producer. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this type of linkages further helps in stabilizing farmer’s incomes by reducing price volatility and providing a more predictable supply chain. Besides development of appropriate linkages also help facilitate adoption of new technologies and best practices, leading to increased efficiency and productivity in agricultural production and also development of value chains in agriculture. Development of value chains involves all stages from production to consumption. Market linkages also come with an advantage of reduction off post harvest losses by focusing on processing and value addition, storage and transportation infrastructure. Besides, appropriate linkages do help in transfer of technologies, dissemination of relevant information in time and promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. Linkages contribute to growth of agriculture and rural development effectively as various research studies have highlighted that growth emanating from agriculture is many times more effective than the growth emanating from other sectors. Development of linkages ultimately results in poverty reduction in the countries. All this helps ensure food and nutritional security.
Another important issue is the creation of job opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors. The country today has the edge of demographic dividend which means a larger percentage of its total population falls within the working age group. The energy of these youths falling in the working age group can be channelized in a positive way by creating self employment opportunities for them. Government of the country has already done work towards this by implementing and promoting various skill and entrepreneurship development opportunities in farm and allied sectors. The government through its various policies and programmers has created an enabling environment providing one stop solution to young innovative minds including agriculture graduates to come forward and start various kinds of enterprises in agriculture and related sectors. Various agencies including agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras’, research institutes, different departments, NGOs and others have been providing relevant training to the youths with the necessary handholding to establish business units and provide job to other also. Our agriculture universities are producing a large no. of graduates every year. Studies reveal that Indian agricultural universities produce approximately 21,000 graduates and postgraduates annually. This figure includes students in diverse disciplines like agriculture and allied subjects, animal and veterinary sciences, fisheries, agricultural engineering, and home science. Nearly one-fourth of these graduates are female, and roughly half come from rural backgrounds.
Unfortunately a large majority of them do not end up in government jobs and are left to roam here and there. Our education system also does not focus much on practical education and so our youths remain unskilled. This unskilled force ultimately instead of contributing to progress of the country becomes a burden on the country. To take care of the skilling and employment needs of the students as well as to give the best professionals to industry, Universities are now developing linkage in the form of academia-industry linkage. It refers to the partnerships and collaborations between higher education institutions and industries. The main objective of this linkage is to develop a skilled workforce by bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge & its practical application and fostering innovation by exchange of knowledge and technology. These collaborations are seen as crucial for development of new products, services, and technologies contributing to technological progress of the region as well as country. Various universities have now started involving industry experts in teaching and training programmes which have facilitated students to gain more insights and practical skills thereby furthering their chances of employability. Such collaborations between young ignited minds and the industry has the potential to contribute to economic growth and competitiveness and also to address societal challenges by developing solutions that are relevant to the needs of the community. It is a win-win situation for both academia as well as industry. While the industries under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative can also provide funds and resources for various research and development programmes of the universities, the universities in turn can offer access to expertise and facilities. Such collaborations can facilitate transfer of knowledge and technologies between academia and industry building capacity of both the sectors.
Universities and colleges are now increasingly partnering with industries to create research parks, establish industry relation cells (IRC), and offer industry-specific training programs. Joint research projects between universities and industries can lead to significant advancements in various fields. Industries can provide internships and co-opt programs for students, allowing them to gain practical experience and develop relevant skills. Students gain valuable practical experience through internships and apprenticeships with industry partners, Industry professionals mentor university students and faculty, providing valuable insights and guidance. Industry involvement in curriculum development ensures that agricultural students receive training relevant to the needs of the sector, improving their employability. These linkages can also prove to be a potent tool in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting innovation, improving agricultural productivity, and ensuring food security. Both can also collaborate in research projects which may result in development of new area specific technologies. Industry and academia can use this collaboration to develop policies that support agricultural development and innovation. By fostering stronger industry-academia linkages, the agricultural sector can benefit from a continuous stream of innovation, improved training, and increased efficiency, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and productive agriculture.
However, there are certain issues involved which may be taken care of while finalizing the academia-industry linkages. There can be a gap between academic research and industry needs which can hinder collaboration. Another issue is the determination of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Determining ownership of intellectual property generated through collaborations can be a challenge.
It is here necessary to mention that both the farm universities of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir are already exploiting such type of collaboration. SKUAST-Jammu under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. B. N. Tripathi last year organized an industry-academia meet with a focus on skill and entrepreneurship development, establishing collaborations and marketing linkages. HVC Prof. Tripathi on that occasion appealed the industry to come forward for more collaboration with SKUAST-Jammu to stress upon need based and problem oriented research that can help in upliftment of the farming community of this region. Many students of the university have now been placed as interns in various industries related to seed, plant health farm machinery and many other sectors to update their skills and gain more practical insights. .
The academia-industry linkages have emerged as a crucial link for driving agricultural development by merging practical expertise with academic rigor, fostering innovation, and bridging knowledge gaps. These collaborations help convert research into new products and services, while also providing a source of funding and rich knowledge to both parties. At the same time, these collaborations also play a vital role in preparing the next generation of agricultural professionals for various challenges faced by agriculture and agriculture related industries. The Government of India has also started various programmes to promote industry-academia collaboration such as the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), Impacting Research Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT), and Uchhatar Aavishkar Yojana (UAY). It is necessary that the government comes up with proper policies and the necessary support to encourage and facilitate these collaborations.
(The author writes on agriculture and social issues)
