New Delhi: In a unified effort to combat climate change, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Syngenta Foundation India (SFI), and Syngenta India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ICAR’s Foundation Day. The collaboration aims to enhance training and capacity-building programmes for farmers and rural youth, focusing on climate-resilient agriculture and skills training through ICAR’s network of National Research Institutes, Regional Stations, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Agricultural Universities.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICAR, said, “This partnership is a major milestone in our efforts to equip farmers and rural youth with the necessary skills and knowledge for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. By leveraging the strengths of ICAR, Syngenta Foundation, and Syngenta India, we can reach the grassroots level and make a substantial impact.”
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Under this agreement, ICAR institutes and KVKs will actively participate in training programmes organized by SFI and Syngenta India, and vice versa. The KVKs will extend these learnings to a wider base of farmers through their extensive network. The collaboration will focus on capacity building and extension activities, including adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices, safe and proper use of crop protection chemicals, and using precision agriculture tools such as drones, IT, IoT, and AI-based techniques.
The objectives of this MoU align with Syngenta’s new sustainability commitments, which focus on higher yields with lower impact, regenerating soil and nature, improving rural prosperity, and sustainable operations. Syngenta India has been working on climate-resilient practices including soil health, regenerative agriculture, and precision farming. It possesses the capacity to extend this knowledge through the network of agri entrepreneurs along with SFI.
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Emphasising the importance of this collaboration, Susheel Kumar, Country Head and MD of Syngenta India, said, “Our quality R&D, climate-resilient practices, and decades of experience working with farmers enable us to contribute significantly to this collaboration. Having worked with farmers and rural youth through innovative programmes, we see this as another decisive step forward in enhancing the quality of life for smallholder farmers and rural youth and mitigating the challenges of climate change.”
Dr. KC Ravi, Chief Sustainability Officer of Syngenta India, highlighted how this MoU aligns with Syngenta’s unique I-Rise (Inculcate Rural India Skill Enhancement) initiative, which engages rural youth in agriculture, providing them with appropriate skills and helping them explore dignified and sustainable income opportunities in the agriculture sector. This programme was initiated with a pilot project in 2023 to train 1,000 rural youth using a 3Es approach: Educate youth in agriculture through training and mentoring programmes; engage them in the agricultural sector through employment or entrepreneurship, and elevate their livelihood income.
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Elaborating the collaboration’s potential, Rajendra Jog, Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation India, said, “Over the years, we have developed a huge network of agri-entrepreneurs (AEs) trained in modern agriculture practices who extend their knowledge to millions of farmers across the country. Our partnership with ICAR and KVKs will enable us to leverage our network of AEs to extend comprehensive training to many more farmers and rural youth.”
The partnership also aims to promote efficient agronomic practices, support KVKs, agri-entrepreneurs, dealers, distributors, and farmers through awareness and education programmes, and enhance mechanisation solutions in selected clusters. The parties will explore the use of AI and ML techniques to provide expert advisory services to farmers, helping them optimise input usage and reduce costs.
The staff of ICAR research institutions and KVKs will be encouraged to publish literature related to training programmes and evaluation studies, with support from Syngenta Foundation and Syngenta India for printing and distribution.
