World Food Laureate, Prof. Rattan Lal inaugurates 111th Foundation Course (FOCARS) at ICAR-NAARM

5^th October, 2020, Hyderabad

Prof. Rattan Lal, World Food Laureate & Director, Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, U.S.A. inaugurated the 111^th Foundation Course for the Agricultural Research Service (FOCARS) Probationers at the ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad today.

In his inaugural address, Prof. Lal presented the critical role of agriculture in overall Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stressed on the linkage of the world food security, nutrition and livelihoods with sustainable agriculture across the globe. Prf. Lal inspired the ARS probationers by underlining the critical role of agricultural scientists in the service to humanity. He also underlined the ICAR’s pivotal role in national development to address the challenges and opportunities in the Indian agriculture. Prof. Lal emphasized on the need for the structural changes in agricultural education to align with the culture and ethos for steering the sustainable development.

The Guests of Honor, Dr. S.K. Chaudhari, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR and Dr. R.C. Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR illustrated the significance of the Foundation Course for the agricultural researchers all through their professional service in the ICAR.

Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Director, ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad urged the probationers to make the best use of their period at ICAR-NAARM to equip themselves for the challenging future.

The 111^th FOCARS Batch comprised of 37 ARS Probationers including 17 women, representing 15 different Agricultural Research disciplines and 17 States / Union Territories from across India including the North-Eastern States, Jammu and Ladakh.

(Source: ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad)