XIX Working Group Meeting of AICRPDA and XII Annual Review Meeting of AICRPDA-NICRA

6^th – 8^th January 2025, Parbhani

The XIX Working Group Meeting of All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture and XII Annual Review Meeting of AICRPDA-National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture was organized at Vasanthrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, (VNMKV) at Parbhani during 6-8th January 2025.

The Chief Guest, Dr S.K. Chaudhari, Deputy Director General, Natural Resources Management, ICAR, urged more focus on precision rainfed agriculture and on enhancing the income of dryland farmers.

Prof. (Dr) Indra Mani Mishra, Vice-Chancellor, VNMKV-Parbhani, stressed timeliness in dryland agriculture through mechanization, risk management, newly developed drought-resistant varieties and livestock-based agriculture.

Dr V. K. Singh, Director, ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, accentuated the impact of dryland technologies developed by the AICRPDA network. He also urged for the transfer of proven climate-resilient technologies through convergence with the Government at the landscape level. 

Dr Sunil Kumar, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, highlighted IFS models in agriculture, natural farming, and integration of land, water, and vegetation for enhancing the farmers’ yield and income levels.

Dr K.S. Baig, Director, Research, VNMKV, urged the use of improved and drought-resistant varieties for climate-resilient dryland farming. 

The workshop included a review of the progress of ongoing AICRPDA activities and the AICRPDA-NICRA project. Over three days, six technical sessions were held concurrently, and valuable suggestions were provided to strengthen the programme.

(Source: ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad)