The national conference on “Grassroots Innovation and innovators in Transforming Agri-Food System” (GIITAS-2024) was inaugurated today on 04.08.2024 at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour. This national conference, which started on the eve of the 15th Foundation Day of the University, will continue till the Foundation Day on 05 August. Innovative farmers from across the state are participating in this conference organized in collaboration with National Innovation Foundation, Gujarat. The objective of the conference is to encourage innovation in agriculture and allied sectors.
The guests were welcomed by presenting shawls and bouquets at the inaugural ceremony of the conference today. The guests included Dr. Arvind C. Ranade, Director, National Innovation Foundation, Dr. V.V. Sadamate, former Agricultural Advisor to Planning Commission and Chief Coordinator, Agricultural Extension Platform SA (TAAS), Dr. U.K. Dubey, Deputy Registrar, PPV & FRA, New Delhi, besides Mr. Kaushlendra Kumar from Kaushalya Foundation and honored farmers etc. were present. The session was presided over by Dr. D.R. Singh, Hon. Vice Chancellor, BAU, Sabour. Other dignitaries present included Dr. R.K. Sohane, Convener and Director of Extension Education, BAU, Sabour; Dr. A.K. Singh, Director of Research, BAU, Sabour; Dr. A.K. Sah, Dean (Agriculture), BAU, Sabour; and Dr. A.K. Thakur, Director of Extension Education, Bihar Animal Science University, Patna.
Hon. Vice Chancellor Dr. D.R. Singh emphasized the dire need for innovation in agriculture in today’s era. He said that the scientists of the university are getting new patents every day but now our scientists will refine the technology developed by the farmers and register the patent and will share the royalty received after patent with the farmers. He said that no one from any other field is a bigger innovator than the farmers, but the farmers do not get recognition for their discoveries. Now the university will promote the innovations of the farmers of its state across the country and the world through the official social media platform and give the farmers their due recognition. In his presidential address, the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor highlighted the role of innovators in promoting agricultural production and productivity. He mentioned that the contribution of the farmers has been recorded in the form of a book, in which the technologies are to be further refined under scientific guidance. In future, improved technologies will be shared with the industry, with the royalty being divided between the farmers and the scientists. He also explained the importance of the laboratory’s NABL certification, which is an achievement for the state. He drew attention to the quality planting material of the university, which has received a 3-star rating from the Central Government. In his address, he emphasized on the ongoing work for Geographical Indication (GI) certification of 54 state products. He informed the visiting innovative farmers present in the auditorium about new varieties of Kharif maize and Kharif onion and research interventions in groundnut, and urged the farmers to partner with the University as a knowledge partner for their development. The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor further said in his address that soon BAU Sabour will organize a seminar to promote quality fruiting of mango and will also organize an exporter conference in the coming days. The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor appealed to the visiting farmers to encourage their children to pursue agricultural education. He said that if there is any other big science after medical science, it is agricultural science, hence it is better to adopt agriculture instead of running only towards medical and engineering education.
In his welcome address, Director of Extension Education Dr. R.K. Sohane informed about the work being done by Bihar Agricultural University in the field of extension and the efforts made so far by Bihar Agricultural University in promoting innovation in agriculture. Dr. Sohane explained in detail about the various value-added training programmes offered by the University, including greenhouse technology, micro-irrigation, floriculture, cultivation of medicinal plants and vermicompost production. He also discussed innovative extension models in agriculture and livestock sectors that are being adopted by other universities, and shared insights on the University’s ICT innovations, such as BAU, Sabour, which has a prominent YouTube channel with over 450,000 views.
Dr. Arvind C. Ranade, Director, National Innovation Foundation, highlighted the opportunities for innovation in agriculture and suggested farmers to come forward with their innovations. He said that there are immense possibilities of innovation in agriculture, so farmers should keep doing new discoveries every day and if they succeed in doing something new, then tell us i.e. National Innovation Foundation (NIF), we will take your discovery to heights and also get you recognition. He praised BAU, Sabour for its dedication towards farmers’ interests. He discussed NIF’s efforts in documenting and validating the technology in farmers’ fields and registering it in their name.
Dr V.V. Sadamate, former Agriculture Advisor to the Commission, pointed out the problem of lack of information about government schemes among farmers and said that if innovation is to be promoted, government schemes should prove helpful in this.
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