XXVIII Biennial Workshop of AICRPDA, 11th Annual Review Meeting commences at SKUAST Jammu

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu (SKUAST-J) hosted the XXVIII Biennial Workshop of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) and 11th Annual Review Meeting of AICRPDA-NICRA.
Dr. S. K. Chaudhuri, DDG (NRM), ICAR was the Chief Guest on the occasion and Dr. B. N Tripathi, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu presided over the function.
Addressing the audience, Dr. Chaudhuri highlighted the pivotal role of irrigation and cultivation in shaping the ecosystem and emphasized the need for diversifying agriculture income through non-farm sources.
He also advocated for increased use of renewable energy sources and water harvesting to mitigate the impact of deficit rainfall.
During his presidential address, Dr. Tripathi drew attention to the pressing issues of population growth, limited resources, climate change, and deforestation.
He stressed the importance of sustainable measures and discussed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on crop diversity and conservation.
Dr. Tripathi underscored the need to educate farmers on sustainable agricultural practices and soils and water conservation modules for Natural resource management.
He encouraged collaboration between the government, ICAR, and the scientific community to overcome challenges and promote sustainable agriculture. Dr. V. K. Singh, Director, CRIDA-ICAR put forth his remarks on the natural resource management and climate resilient agriculture.
Dr. Singh elaborated the extensive work done by CRIDA in the country. He advocated the use of proven technologies in rainfed conditions. Earlier, Dr. JVNS Prasad, Project Coordinator, AICRPDA welcome all the guests and also read out the project coordinator’s report.
During the workshop annual report of AICRPDA, NICRA and success stories of Rakh Dhinsar and CRIDA-Hyderabad were released.
A farmer namely Gurdip Ram R/o Hoshiarpur, Punjab was also awarded for adoption and popularization of rain water harvesting and INM modules.
Dr. A.P. Singh, Chief Scientist, and Organizing Secretary presented the vote of thanks and Dr. Vivak Manohar Arya, Associate Professor, Soil Science conducted the proceedings of the programme.