ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, hosted the exposure visit for ten delegates from Africa to India, led by Dr. Karim M. Maredia, Assistant Dean & Professor and Director of International Programs, Michigan State University on 16 April, 2025. The visit centered around the theme of Technology Management, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. Dr. R. C. Agrawal, Director, ICAR-NAARM and Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education) and Dr. Gopal Lal, Joint Director, ICAR-NAARM, addressed the gathering and provided an overview of the organizational structure and operational framework of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM). He highlighted the network of 113 crop-specific research institutes under ICAR, each dedicated to targeted research objectives. Dr. Agrawal also discussed key agricultural policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing farmers’ livelihoods, with a special focus on programs such as ‘More Crop per Drop’, ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’, ‘Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)’, ‘Custom Hiring Centres’, and ‘Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan’ (SCSP). In an interactive session, he addressed the delegates’ questions related to Indian agriculture, technology sustainability, accelerating technology adoption, funding opportunities, women’s participation in the sector and soil health management. The event featured a series of insightful presentations, beginning with Dr. Ramasubramanian V., Head of the RSM Division, who spoke on ‘Technology Management in Agriculture’. This was followed by a presentation on the ‘Commercialization of ICAR Technologies’ by Dr. Umesh H., Scientist. Dr. Tavva Srinivas, Head of the ABM Division, then shared insights on ‘Agribusiness Management Education at NAARM’, and the session concluded with Dr. Senthil Vinayagam, Head of the ESM Division, presenting on ‘Promoting the Startup Ecosystem in Agriculture. The delegates also visited the COLLAgE Lab and the Technology Business Incubator as part of their exposure visit. The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. A. Dhandapani, Head of the ICM Division. Dr. B. Ganesh Kumar, Head of HRM Division, ICAR-NAARM coordinated the entire event.
https://naarm.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Michigan-SAU.pdf
