New Delhi: A meeting of agricultural chief scientists in G20 is scheduled to be held on April 17-19 in Varanasi, and the platform will be instrumental in exploring joint actions towards science-based solutions to achieve sustainable and profitable agri-food systems.
In his message before the upcoming meeting, Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (Department of Agriculture Research and Education) and Director General of ICAR, said: “Indian Agriculture is unique, diversified and vast, providing livelihood and income to more than half of our population”.
During the last 75 years, the country has marched from a ship-to-mouth to self-sufficient to a food exporting nation, he was quoted as saying in an official statement.
Indian agriculture achieved science- and policy-backed agri-revolutions, including Green, White, Blue, Yellow, Golden, Silver, Brown, Grey and Rainbow revolutions, which transformed Indian agriculture.
“Food production increased by 6 to 70 times since 1950 with only a 1.3 times increase in the net cultivated area,” Pathak said.
The Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) in G20 is instrumental in promoting joint action to put science-based solutions for achieving sustainable, resilient and profitable agri-food systems, he added.
Pathak said the meeting would provide a good platform for discussion, deliberations and exchange of knowledge, science and technologies for food and nutrition security and strengthening cooperation among the G20 nations.
In consonance with India’s G20 Presidency theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future”, the meeting will pursue discussion on food and nutrition security, resilience to climate change, One Health approaches, digital agriculture and public-private partnerships for research, education and extension.
The 12th MACS meeting under India’s Presidency has identified the theme of sustainable agriculture and food systems for healthy people and the planet.
There are four priority areas on which focused discussion will take place.
These are Food Security and Nutrition – the role of frontiers in science and technology; building resilience and sustainable agriculture through approaches of climate resilient agriculture and One Health; digitalisation for agricultural transformation; and Public-Private Partnerships for Research and Development.
The meeting will also feature the MAHARISHI initiative — the Millets And Other Ancient Grains International Research initiative.
“The event will provide new opportunities for collaboration in research, education and extension in the field of agriculture and strengthen the G20 forum for international economic cooperation,” Pathak said. PTI MJH SHW.
