National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Activities of the Regional Chapters

2022

Barapani Chapter:

• A Strategy Workshop in hybrid mode on ‘Harnessing the Potential of Geographical Indication Tagged Crops in North-East India – Research Needs, Outreach Approaches and Policy Perspectives’ on October 03, 2022 at Umiam, Meghalaya highlighting the importance of GI crops bioprospecting and nutritional labeling of GI tagged crops in the north eastern region.
• An awareness programme on December 07, 2022 for the students and teachers of Meghalaya on the importance of various agricultural models and indigenous fruits and vegetables on nutrition.
• National Conference on Natural Farming Systems and Biodiversity Conservation under Changing Climate Scenario’ was organized from December 5-7, 2022 highlighting the role of natural farming systems, their concept, importance, methodology and design to encourage the sustainable agriculture.

Bengaluru Chapter:

• A guest lecture was organized on May 27, 2022 by Dr. Vivek Fellner, Director of Graduate Programmes and Professor of Ruminant Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, USA on ‘Rumen Microbes - Renewed Focus on Animal Health, Production and Sustainable Interventions’.
• A virtual Guest Lecture was delivered by Dr. Stephen A Kraweta, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Michigan, USA on July 22, 2022 on ‘Sperm their Passengers, Environment and Health’. The lecture was focused on the sperm biomolecules and microbes in relation to male fertility and reproductive health.
• An awareness program on ‘Importance of nutrition for health and wellbeing’ was organized on November 14, 2022 for the school children from three government schools in Bengaluru Rural Districts.

Bhopal Chapter:

• A regional science congress for school students of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha from January 10-14, 2022. A technical Session on ‘Soil for Climate and Nutrition Security’ was also organized in virtual mode.
• An educational visit to LNCT University on March 9-10, 2022 for B.Sc. (Agriculture) students in collaboration with ICAR-IISS, Bhopal wherein prospects of soil science and on the importance of soil in human and environmental health was discussed.
• One-day workshop cum training on ’Composting for Soil and Human Health’ on December 02, 2022 jointly with ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal to celebrate World Soil Day and Soil Health Awareness Week.

Coimbatore Chapter:

• Lecture by Dr. KS Subramanian, Director of Research, TNAU on ‘Recent Developments in Nano technological Applications in Agriculture’ was organized on January 31, 2022 in hybrid mode.
• ‘World Pulses Day’ was celebrated jointly with ICAR-SBI on February 10, 2022, organizing a lecture on ‘Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agricultural food system’ by Dr. Subbalakshmi Lokanadhan, Professor (Agronomy), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.
• National Science Day was celebrated with a lecture on ‘How to deliver technologies’ by Dr. K.A. Mohan, Biotechnologist and Chief Advisor, Rasi Seeds, Attur, Salem, on February 28, 2022.
• As part of the curtain raiser of ‘International Year of Millets 2023’, a campaign on Nutri-garden was organized on March 22, 2022 jointly with ICAR-SBI Research Centre, Agali, Palakkadu District, Kerala highlighting the nutritional values of millets in the human diet.
• One-day training programme on Viral and phytoplasmal diseases and their management was organized on May 07, 2022 to seed cane growers and progressive farmers in three districts in Tamil Nadu.
• A ‘Science Quiz’ competition was organized on June 8, 2022 at ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore for college students.
• Demonstrations of efficient delivering of Trichoderma in banana and turmeric rhizomes in a mechanized sett treatment device were organized for farmers on June 13, 2022 and July 01, 2022, in Kuppanur village and Kondayampalayam village, Thondamuthur Block, Coimbatore, respectively.
• Many farmers, specially those practicing organic agriculture participated in these programme.
• A lecture on ‘Biotechnological Interventions for Sustainable Food Production’ by Dr. C. Appunu, ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore, was organized on August 08, 2022, highlighting the need for biotechnological interventions to improve specific traits, bio-safety guidelines and genome editing approaches.
• A ‘Science Quiz’ competition for college students was organized on August 12, 2022 as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations at ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore.
• Brainstorming Session on Researchable Issues in Plant Pathology was organized on September 06, 2022. It highlighted the genome approach to understand host-pathogen inter-actions, identifying resistant and susceptible genes and genome editing strategies to develop disease resistant crops.
• A campaign on nutrition literacy for village school children was organized on November 14, 2022. Importance of millets and Nutricereals in daily diet and adverse impact of junk foods was elaborated. An oratory competition among students was also organized on the occasion.
• A one day interactive meeting on ‘Quality Assurance in Agriculture Education through Accreditation’ was organized in collaboration with School of Post Graduate Studies, TNAU at TNAU Coimbatore on December 05, 2022. The meet was addressed by a number of senior officials from ICAR-SBI, TNAU, ICAR and IARI.

Cuttack Chapter

• Webinars were held for school children on ‘Zero Net Emission from Rice Farming: Can we fix a timeline?’ and ‘Value Addition and Entrepreneurial Development in Rice and Rice Products under Changing Climate Scenario’ as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on February 15, 2022.
• Field visit-cum-awareness programme on ‘Climate Smart Rice Farming’ was organized on February 17, 2022 at Badakusunpur, Tangi-Choudwar block, Cuttack, in collaboration with ICAR-National Rice Research Institute.
• A training programme on ‘Efficient and Balanced use of fertilizers (Including Nano-Fertilizers)’ in Ranajhalli village of Ganjam district on June 07, 2022.
• Two training-cum-awareness programme for farmers on ‘Balanced Use of Fertilizers’ and ‘Region Specific Agroforestry’ were conducted on June 21, 2022 in the village Badakrushnapur, Tangi Block Cuttack to commemorate the celebration of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• An awareness programme on ‘Crop Diversification with special Emphasis on Nutrigarden’ was conducted on November 28, 2022 in Tangi, Cuttack for Tribal Women.

Hyderabad Chapter:

• In association with ICAR-NAARM, organized a six-day training programme in hybrid mode (in two phases) on ‘Doubling Farmers Income with Integrated Farming Systems (IFS)’ at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Palem, Nagarkurnool, involving 90 farmers of three villages viz., Vanguronipally, Kulmulonipally and Agraharam Potlaplly from two districts of Mahbubnagar and Nagarkurnool of Telangana during 4-6 and 10-12 January 2022.
• A ten-day Skill Development Training Programme on ‘Eco-Friendly Bag Making’ under SCSP for SC women in association with ICAR-NAARM was organized from February 7-18, 2022 at KVK, Yagantipalle.
• ‘National Science Day’ for UG and PG students was celebrated on the theme of ‘Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future’ in association with ICARNAARM and Samskuthi Foundation, Hyderabad on February 28, 2022.
• A five-day training programme on ‘Enhancing Livelihood of Women Farmers through jute bag making’ was organized in association with ICAR-NAARM and KVK, Ghantasal on March 01, 2022.
• An interactive programme for students of 9th and 10th classes from the Zilla Parishad High School and Kodakandla Model School from Jangaon district of Telangana was organized on March 10, 2022 in association with Madhumitha Foundation, Suryapet, Telangana at ICARNAARM, Hyderabad.
• One-day training programme on Soil Testing was conducted in collaboration with KVK Yagantipalle, Andhra Pradesh and ICAR-NAARM on July 27, 2022 in hybrid mode in seven villages of Kurnool.
• A training programme was organised in association with ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad for the farmers on ‘Bio-inoculants - its Uses and Application in Agriculture’ at SAIRDKVK, Gaddipally, in Suryapet district of Telangana during August 25-26, 2022. Farmers from 7 villages participated.
• The 7th edition of Sankalp, an annual Business Festival during September 16-17, 2022 under the aegis of NAARM PG Alumni Association. The event received an overwhelming response with more than 9,100 registrations from more than 1,000 institutions.
• A Sensitization Programme on ‘Nutrition Literacy among Rural Children’ was organized on Children’s Day at Rangareddy district, Telangana. Around 500 girl students and teachers of the school participated in the programme.
• An online lecture was organized on November 21, 2022 on ‘Sustainable Fishery for Food and Nutritional Security in India’ by Dr. M. Vijay Gupta, World Food Prize laureate on the occasion of World Fisheries Day.
• In association with ICAR-NAARM, organized an online lecture on ‘Soil Management for Climate Change Mitigation’ by Dr. Anil Kumar Singh, Vice President, NAAS and Former DDG (ICAR), on December 05, 2022 on the occasion of World Soil Day celebrations.
• NAAS Policy Paper 87 on ‘Abiotic Stress, Droughts, Floods Cyclones & Hailstorms Management’ was translated in Telugu and released in 129th EC Meeting of NAAS on December 16, 2022.
• A Leaflet on ‘Millets for Food and Nutrition Security’ in cooperation with ICAR-IIMR, has been published in Telugu language and released in 129th EC Meeting of NAAS on December 16, 2022.

Karnal Chapter:

• A Webinar was organized on “The relationship between Chemistry and Biology” by Dr. Yudhishtir Singh Rajput in January 2022.
• A comprehensive program on the theme of ‘Diet & Nutritional Program for School Children’ was conducted for the schools in the urban, peri-urban, and rural areas with a series of activities. The information generated in this program indicated that students from very poor families show poor growth and suffer from malnutrition. Therefore, a series of lectures was or-ganized highlighting the importance of nutritious food and balanced diets for human health. Quiz contests on ‘Diet and Nutrition” were also organized in schools to create awareness among children.
• On World Veterinary Day, a webinar on the theme “Strengthening Veterinary Resilience” was organized on April 30, 2022 focusing on the services rendered by veterinary professionals, expectations of the society and the new challenges. The webinar was attended by experts, eminent scientists, policy makers and veterinarian professionals across the country.
• A brainstorming conference entitled, “Eco-regional diversification in crop and live-stock production for profitability and sustainability” was organized on November 14, 2022 in virtual mode, focusing on the regions of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the adjoining areas with similar agroecology. Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, President, NAAS gave the opening remarks, while several eminent panelists deliberated on diverse is-sues.
• A Regional Essay Competition (both in Hindi and English) for Senior school and college students was conducted on 21-22 July 2022 to highlight the primacy of agriculture in school education and its choice as a professional career. This was followed by a sec-ond round of evaluation, in virtual mode on 29 & 30 July, 2022, final selection and award ceremony.
• A Brain storming session was organized by the Karnal chapter at NAAS, New Delhi on “Livestock Services Delivery Systems” on December 5th, 2022 in a Hybrid mode involving eminent experts in the field.

Kolkata Chapter:

• An online special lecture on ‘Climate Change and Indian Agriculture: IPCC 6th Assessment Report and Beyond’ was organized on the occasion of World Earth Day on April 30, 2022.
• A virtual interaction with school children was held on June 21, 2022 to create awareness about the career avenues in agricultural sciences and motivate them to pursue higher studies in agricultural sciences.
• A brainstorming session on ‘Agricultural Water Management in West Bengal: Issues and Strategies’ was organized in hybrid mode at ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore on August 27, 2022.
• An online lecture on ‘Global Food System’ was organized on the eve of World Food Day on October 15, 2022. More than 100 scientists from different institutes participated.
• An online special lecture on ‘Soil and Society’ was held on November 12, 2022. More than 100 scientists from different institutes across the country participated.
• An online evening lecture ‘National Soil Research and Education: Policies’ was organized on the eve of the World Soil Day, December 04, 2022.

Lucknow Chapter:

• An ‘Awareness cum Exposure visit of Students and Farmers and Interaction on Nutri Food for Better Health’ was organized on March 25, 2022 at ICAR- IGFRI, Jhansi highlighting the importance of millets. In the programme apart from >200 students and farmers from five nearby villages, distinguished Fellows and scientists participated. The students also visited the Golden Jubilee Forage Garden established at IGFRI Jhansi.
• A workshop on ‘Scientist-Stakeholders-Farmers on Climate–Smart Agriculture for Sustainable Productivity in Sodic Soils of Uttar Pradesh’ was organized on June 23, 2022 in collaboration with ICAR-CSSRI, RRS, Lucknow to sensitize various stakeholders.
• An interactive meet on ‘Forage Based Agro-Ecosystems Functioning and Resilience – Farmers & Students Perspectives’ was organized on December 05, 2022 at ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi (U.P.). Farmers from three villages of Jhansi district and college-going students from the nearby areas participated.

Ludhiana Chapter:

• An awareness programme on ‘Strategies to combat challenges of global warming’ was organized on June 22, 2022 for school children and teachers of the Government Senior Secondary School, Charik, Moga. Around 270 students and 25 teachers participated in the programme.
• A series of awareness programs were organized on ‘Food & Nutraceuticals’, Plant Tissue Culture’, ‘Molecular Biology’ and ‘Phytochemical Analysis’.
• Lectures on ‘Nutritional and Nutraceutical formulations’ were organized for graduate students in the month of November 2022.

Pune Chapter:

• A panel discussion on ‘Climate Resilient Fisheries and Aquaculture’ in collaboration with ICARCIFE, Mumbai was organized on March 07, 2022.
• An ICAR-University-NAAS-Stakeholders Interface Meeting was organized on June 17, 2022 at ICAR-NIASM, Baramati. Vice Chancellors of SAUs, Directors of ICAR institutes, Fellows of the academy, scientists, progressive farmers, representatives of private sectors, NGOs and KVKs from the region participated.
• In collaboration with ICAR-NIASM, Baramati a programme on ‘Nutrition and feeding habit of school going children’ was conducted on August 03, 2022 at Chaitanya’s International School, Baramati.

Varanasi Chapter:

• A science awareness programme on biotechnological aspects in vegetable research was organized on April 11 and April 30, 2022 for the post-graduate students of Agricultural Biotechnology. Career opportunities for Ph.D. courses in agriculture were also apprised.
• Five Primary and Middle schools from Varanasi and Mirzapur districts were adopted to create awareness in a sustained manner, about the importance of nutritious and healthy eating among growing children, through interactions, as well as establishing Nutri-kitchen gardens (Poshan Vatika) in the school premises.
• A science awareness programme was organized on May 30, 2022 for B.Sc. (Ag.) students of UP Autonomous College, Varanasi to educate them about the opportunities for higher education in Agriculture sector.
• A special lecture on ‘Possibilities of Funding Opportunity from the SERB’ was organized on October 07, 2022 at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi. The participants were explained about the research grant schemes, SERB fellowship/funding etc. and formulation of multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary projects, which may have better winning chance.
• An awareness program on the ‘Importance of Nutritious Food & Cleanliness in Daily Life’ was organized on November 14, 2022 for the school children, during which Essay Writing and Quiz Competition were also held.
• An exposure visit and science awareness programme was organized for the intermediate students of agricultural science of Government Inter College, Jakhini, Varanasi on December 01, 2022. They also visited the research facility and experimental fields of ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi and explained about the importance of vegetables in nutritional security.
• Awareness programme on ‘Importance of Nutritious Food and Cleanliness in Daily Life’ for the school children on the occasion of Children’s Day on November 14, 2022. Around 425 students of three Govt. schools in and around Varanasi participated in essay writing and quiz competition on ‘Importance of Nutritious Food and Cleanliness in Daily Life’ and a special lecture on nutrition and health was delivered.

2023

Bengaluru Chapter

• The NAAS Bengaluru Chapter organized an exposure visit for 30 MSc students from the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, East West First Grade College of Science, Bengaluru at ICAR-National Institute of Animal Nutrition on May 12, 2023. A lecture was delivered by Dr. Raghavendra Bhatta, the Convener of the Chapter on Agricultural Science for Higher Education and as career option to about school students on May 26, 2023.
• NAAS Policy Papers No 96 (Livestock Improvement through Artificial Insemination) and 103 (Antimicrobial Resistance) translated and printed in Kannada language were released by the honourable President of NAAS Dr. Himanshu Pathak on June 3, 2023 at New Delhi.
• A guest lecture by the esteemed Fellow of the Academy, Padma Shri Prof. Moti Lal Madan on “Transformational Agriculture: Livestock for Nutritional Sustainability” was organised on September 25, 2023 at ICAR-NIANP. A lecture on ‘Career opportunities in Agriculture and allied Sciences’ Was organised on 5th December 2023 for school students As a part of international year of millets, students were also briefed about the importance of proper nutrition in maintaining health, vigour and immunity.

Bhopal Chapter

• The NAAS Bhopal Chapter celebrated Agriculture Education Day (AED) on December 4, 2023 and World Soil Day (WSD) on December 5, 2023, sensitizing the school students about the career prospects in Agriculture Science and to make them aware about the conservation of natural resources.
• Dr. Anil K. Singh, Vice-President, NAAS delivered the World Soil Day lecture and highlighted the importance of scientific use of water for higher productivity of soil. The programme was also extended to Village Level for mass awareness amongst the farmers on “Soil Health”.

Coimbatore Chapter

• To mark the International Year of Millets, ICAR Sugarcane Breeding Institute along with NAAS Chapter, Coimbatore, launched year-long activities by sowing seven kind of millets (Pearl millet, Finger millet, Foxtail millet, Kodo millet, Banyard millet, Little millet and Proso millet) under the leadership of Hon’ble Smt. Sangeetha Yadhav Maurya, MP, Rajiya Sabha on January 10, 2023
• On National Science Day, February 28, 2023, special campaigns were held for school students to create awareness about the scope of Agriculture Education.
• School and college students visited ICAR-SBI, and were educated on the need for classroom lectures and practical sessions in Agriculture. They were also apprised of the nutritional value of millets in the mid-day meal scheme.
• An awareness program was held at the Tribal settlement on 17 & 18 March 2023, Ragi seeds were distributed to encourage farmers to cultivate millets, process and market their produce through women’s self-help groups. A stall was put on 18 & 19 March 2023 at an event organised by Min. of I&B.
• A function was organized by the NAAS Chapter, Coimbatore to felicitate NAAS Fellow, Dr. Bakshi Ram, Former Director, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, on being conferred with Padma Shri award in the field of Science and Engineering for his outstanding contributions in sugarcane breeding.
• A brainstorming session on “Sugarcane scenario: research and industry perspective”, was held at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore on 10.05.2023. Dr. T.R. Sharma, DDG (CS), ICAR delivered the inaugural address
• An awareness programme on Natural Resource Conservation under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav was organised on May 26, 2023. A talk was delivered on ‘Reviving water bodies’ by Sh. R. Manikandan, Co-ordinator, Kovai Kulangal Pathukappu Amaippu & Jal Shakti Award winner, 2019.
• An awareness programme was organised on June 30, 2023 in collaboration with ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore to manage a new phenomenon of combined incidence of crown mealy bug and Pokkah disease, affecting the sugarcane crop in some parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Demonstrations on “Quality planting material to improve productivity of vegetatively propagated crops through mechanized priming of planting material” and Mechanized sett treatment with fungicide, insecticide, and fertilizers were conducted using the Sett Treatment Device (STD) in two select sugar factories in Tamil Nadu.
• A programme on TN Nutrition and Millet Entrepreneurship Awareness and Training Campaign was organised on July 07, 2023.
• Brainstorming Workshop on “Trends in the Application of Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture” was organized by ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore in collaboration with National Academy of Biological Sciences (NABS), Chennai and on November 29, 2023.

Cuttack Chapter

• A Brainstorming Session on the “Utilization of industrial wastes for reclamation of acid soils: Waste to wealth for promoting circular economy” was organized at ICAR-NRRI, Cuttack in Collaboration with the Cuttack Chapter of NAAS and SAFAR project on 10th October, 2023.
• World Soil Day and Awareness Training were jointly organized by ICAR-NRRI, Cuttack under the project SAFAR, funded by the State Government of Odisha in collaboration with NAAS Cuttack Chapter on 5th December 2023.

Hyderabad Chapter

• A Bulletin containing the profiles of Fellows and Associates of NAAS Hyderabad Chapter covering the regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, was compiled and published for the year 2023.
• A Sensitization Program was organized on Nutrition Literacy for High School students at ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad on January 10, 2023.
• NAAS Hyderabad Chapter in association with ICAR-NAARM organized a Skill Development Training Programme on 2-3rd Feb 2023 on “Vermicompost Production Technology” at SAIRD KVK, Gaddipally, Suryapet District, Telangana.
• NAAS Hyderabad Chapter in collaboration with ICAR-NAARM in conducted two 3-day training programs on “Improved Crop Management Technologies and Value Addition” from 13-15 February and 16 – 18 February 2023, in collaboration with Agricultural College (ANGRAU), Rajamahendravaram.
• National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 2023
• International Day for Biological Diversity was celebrated on the theme “From Agreement to Action: Building Back Biodiversity” on 22nd May, 2023. On this occasion, an Online lecture on ‘Silk Diversity Conservation for Socioeconomic Sustainability of Poor Farmers’ was delivered by Dr. N.K. Krishna Kumar, Former DDG (Hort.), ICAR The World Milk Day was celebrated on 1st June, 2023 on the theme of “Showcasing how dairy is reducing its environmental footprint, while also providing nutritious foods and livelihoods”.
• An Online lecture on ‘Global Food Security: Role of Milk and Milk Products’ was delivered by Dr. Dheer Singh, Director & Vice Chancellor, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal A special online lecture on “Challenges in Extending Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Beyond Current Host Range” by Dr. Maitrayee Das Gupta, Professor, University of Kolkata was organised on 10 August, 2023. NAAS Hyderabad chapter in association with ICAR-NAARM organized a 3-day Skill Development Training on “Integrated Farming System - Climate smart dryland technologies” at Agricultural Research Station, (ANGRAU), Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh for Farmers from 11-13th August 2023. A sensitization programme was organised for B.Sc. (Agriculture) Students on the opportunities for higher education in agriculture sector, nutrition sensitivity and climate change issues on 11 & 12 Aug 2023 at Agricultural Research Station, (ANGRAU), Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh were discussed with the students.
• A 4-day skill development training programme on integrated crop management in chilli for farmers at SAIRD-KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVK), Gaddipally, Suryapet District of Telangana was organised during 28-30 August, 2023.
• A Policy Dialogue was held on ‘Agricultural Education System in USA and Potential Collaboration with India’ on 7 September, 2023 in hybrid mode. Two Eminent Speakers Dr. Anup K Johny & Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan presented agricultural education system in USA followed by discussion on possible collaboration between US Universities and NARES.
• NAAS Hyderabad chapter collaborated with Post Graduate Diploma in Management- Agribusiness Management (PGDM-ABM) at ICAR-NAARM in organizing the Sankalp 8.0, the national-level B-fest including the competition among students in the field of entrepreneurship development during 22nd and 23rd, September, 2023.
• A six days skill development training programme on “Value added Products with Millets” was organised on the eve of celebrating International Year of Millets 2023 for women members at SAIRD, KVK, Gaddipally, in Suryapet District of Telangana from 07-12th October 2023. Another skill development training programme on “Improved Crop Management Technologies and Value Addition of Millets” was organised for the farmers belonging to four villages of Srikakulam District during 1-3 November, 2023 in collaboration with KVK Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh.
• NAAS Hyderabad chapter in association with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Amadalavalasa, ANGRAU, and ICAR-NAARM developed technical bulletin on “Millets- Our health” (చిరు ధాన్యాలు - మన ఆరోగ్యం) in Telugu for awareness creation on millets towards health benefits for the distribution among farmers as a part of International Year of Millets during the year.
• NAAS-Hyderabad chapter in association with ICAR-NAARM celebrated Kisan Diwas at Bopalle village of Telkapally Mandal, Nagarkurnool Distirct, Telangana on December 23, 2023 on the theme “Cultivating the Future: Innovation and Sustainability in Agriculture” with the support of Gram Sarpanch. About 75 farmers participated along with State Government Department officials. The sensitization program organized on this occasion on agriculture, challenges and sustainability issues. Food security along with nutrition sensitivity was discussed. On this occasion, innovative farmers were felicitated.

Karnal Chapter

• NAAS Karnal Regional Chapter, in association with ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal organised a Special Brainstorming session on May 30, 2023 under its program of “Application of gene technology for improvement of indigenous breeds under local field conditions”. Dr. S.P. Dixit, Head, Animal Genetics Division, ICAR-NBAGR delivered the lead lecture and it was presided over by Dr. M.L. Madan, Convener of the Karnal Regional Chapter
• In view of the serious post-flood situations in Punjab and Haryana, the Karnal Chapter organised an expert consultation inviting fellowship having expertise in the subject and developed an Advisory on 29 August 2023 on strategies for managing land resources in post-flood scenario.
• The chapter also organised a brainstorming on 6 September to discuss land use and cropping recommendations in consultation with professional experts, state government officials, and other stakeholders.

Kolkata Chapter

• A Workshop on the occasion of the National Nutrition Week was organized for the school children at the Ramkrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachi, Murshidabad on September 12, 2023. A ‘SAVE SOIL’ campaign was organized on October 17, 2023 with ~300 students at the Jiaganj Raja Bijoy Singh Vidyamandir, Jiaganj. Dr. Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-ATARI-Kolkata and Dr. FH Rahman, Head, Regional Station, ICAR-NBSS&LUP, Kolkata and other experts participated in the programme.

Lucknow

• ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research at IISR, Lucknow and Indian Sugar Mills Association, New Delhi along with NAAS Chapter, Lucknow organized a National Seminar on “Mechanization in Sugarcane Farming – Challenges and Solutions” on 28th March 2023 at IISR, Lucknow. Prof. Vijay Paul Sharma, Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, the Chief Guest emphasized mechanization of sugarcane cultivation as the need of the hour. Dr. R. Viswanathan, Director, ICARIISR, and chapter Convener highlighted various farm machineries developed by the Institute for the mechanization of sugarcane cultivation.
• A Food & Agribusiness Accelerator Programme Road show was organised at Lucknow in collaboration with ICAR-IISR, & ICAR-CISH, Lucknow on 08th August 2023..
• ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research (IIFSR), Modipuram organized TEEB for Agriculture and Food - Uttar Pradesh Stakeholder Consultation: Discussion on Draft Findings on 1st August, 2023 in association with ICAR-IISR, Lucknow and NAAS Chapter, Lucknow. The one-day programme started with inaugural session, in which Dr. Sunil Kumar, Director, ICAR-IIFSR, Dr. T. Damodaran, Director, ICAR-CISH, Lucknow, Dr. R. Viswanathan, Director, ICAR-IISR, Lucknow, Dr. Alka Bhargava, Senior Policy Advisor, TEEBAgriFood-India, UNEP offered their opening remarks.
• ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow and NAAS Chapter, Lucknow organized, ‘The World Soil Day’ on December 5, 2023. Dr. R. Viswanathan, Director, ICARIISR, Lucknow and Convener of the Chapter chaired the meeting.Dr. K.N. Tiwari, former Professor and Head of the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at CSA University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur consultant IFFCO was the chief guest, who emphasized the need for adoption of technology such as site-specific nutrient management; the application of mineral fertilizers based on soil test values, and targeted yield equations with the integration of organic manures, bio-fertilizers, green manuring, and crop residue management.
• ICAR-IISR in collaboration with NAAS, Lucknow Chapter invited Dr. P.V. Vara Prasad, Distinguished Professor, & Director- Sustainable Intensification Innovation Laboratory, Kansas State University, USA for a lecture in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture.

Pune Chapter

• The NAAS Pune Chapter organized two programmes in collaboration with ICAR-NRC Grapes, Pune and Society for Advancement of Viticulture and Enology.
• A Special Lecture on ‘Precision Breeding of Vitis for Improved Traits› by Dr. Sadanand A Dhekney, Professor, Department of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore was organized in hybrid mode on January 24, 2023 at ICAR-NRCG, Pune.
• A National Conference on “Generative AI in Practice for Empowering Agricultural Research Productivity” was organized in virtual mode on September 11-12, 2023. There were six keynote addresses and 30 presentations highlighting diverse potential of Generative AI in agricultural research productivity. The conference delved deep into the use of Generative AI for creativity and innovation in agricultural research, developing customised applications based on generative AI, drafting research methodologies, interpreting results, and even writing manuscripts. In addition to the NAAS family, the online event attracted 130 registered researchers, nationwide.

Varanasi Chapter

• National Academy of Agricultural Sciences-Varanasi chapter in collaboration with ICARIndian Institute of Vegetable Research, conducted a one day ‘Awareness Programme on Advances in Agricultural Sciences’ at Shri Krishna Intermediate College, Bahoranpur, Babhniav, Varanasi to spread awareness about the importance of vegetables in our daily diet. Nearly a thousand students and their teachers attended the programme, presided by Dr. Tusar Kanti Behera, Convener, Varanasi Chapter and Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research. He also apprised the students about agriculture education, the new inventions and opportunities available in it. He advised the teachers to include agriculture in their routine teaching programmes.

2024

Barapani Chapter

• Organised a Brainstorming Session in collaboration with ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam on “Positioning Northeast Agriculture Towards Amrit Kaal” on July 5, 2024 to discuss strategies for aligning the region’s agricultural growth with the visionary goals of Amrit Kaal.

Bengaluru Chapter

• Organised a lecture in hybrid mode on “Digital Disruption in Indian Agriculture” on July 17, 2024, which was delivered by Dr. E.V.S. Prakasa Rao, (Scientist, CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute, Bengaluru). Dr. Prakasa Rao highlighted on the importance of digital technologies in the Indian Agriculture as a fast emerging area.
• Organised a workshop on October 29, 2024 in collaboration with Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Hebbal, Bengaluru on “Diagnosis and Control of Rabies under One Health Approach” as a part of activities of the World Rabies Day-2024.

Coimbatore Chapter

• Organised a workshop on April 24, 2024 in collaboration with ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore on “Climate Resilient Sugarcane Agriculture for Greener and Sweeter Tomorrow”.
• Organised a seminar on “Role of AI and IoT in Agriculture and Its Scope in Intellectual Property Management” jointly with ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore on April 30, 2024. z Arranged interaction on May 05, 2024 with tribal women from three tribal hamlets Ramarane, Mavanatham and Galithimbam of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Erode District (TN) on vegetable garden and balanced diet.
• Organised tribal awareness campaign in collaboration with ICAR-SBI, Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu Sate Rural Livelihood Mission on October 9, 2024 to expose tribal families of the ways of processing local produces.
• Arranged a lecture on “Role of Plant Nutrition in Food Security - Achievements, Aspirations and Action Plan” to celebrate World Soil Day on November 29, 2024. The lecture was delivered by Dr. G. Byju, Director, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Cuttack Chapter

• Organised a workshop in association with ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, the Campbell Scientific India Pvt. Ltd., Indian Society of Soil Science, Cuttack and Indian National Young Academy of Science (East Zone) on “An introduction of eddy covariance technique from theories to instruments and to data processing” on June 07, 2024 in hybrid mode. The Chief Guest’s presentation, Dr Bai Yang (Sales Engineer, Campbell Scientific Inc., Logan, Utah), included wide aspect of eddy covariance theory, turbulence, data collection, corrections, and gap filling.

Hyderabad Chapter

• Organised a ceremony in collaboration with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) and NAARM on January 4, 2024 at IIMR, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad to felicitate Prof. Varshney for getting the coveted Fellowship of Royal Society.
• Arranged online meeting of the NAAS Associates (Hyderabad Chapter) on January 24, 2024 to strengthen the Regional Chapter. Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao (Convener) briefed about the various activities like student’s sensitization programs and special guest lectures arranged in recent past under the aegis of the Academy.
• Arranged in collaboration with NAARM a special lecture by Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) on ASRB - In Search of Talent on February 17, 2024 in hybrid mode. He shared the various initiatives taken by ASRB to attract the talent.
• Organised in collaboration with NAARM, and IIRR ‘National Science Day (NSD)’ on February 28, 2024. The theme of this year was ‘Indigenous Technology for Viksit Bharat’.
• Organised yoga activities on the occasion of 10th International Day of Yoga 2024 under the theme “Yoga for Self and Society” in collaboration with IIRR, Hyderabad and Society for Advancement of Rice Research. Dr. N. Adilaxmi, an eminent Bharatnatayam expert, delivered a talk on dance mudras, which can reduce stress in day-to-day life and serve as a powerful healing tool. A meditation session was conducted by Shri Anand Hippalgoankar, Heartfulness Meditation Trainer, for stress free balanced life.

Karnal Chapter

• Arranged a meeting in hybrid mode on July 20, 2024 at the GS Foundation for Research, Education and Development (GSFRED), Karnal to finalize activities and programs to be undertaken during the year and to have interaction with the stakeholders.
• Organised an interactive session to sensitize Adarsh Cambridge International School, Karnal students about climate change on September 3, 2024 at GSFRED, Karnal. A lecture about global perspectives of climate change, its impact on agriculture and allied sectors and strategies to make agriculture climate resilient was delivered. Students were also exposed to various demonstrations laid out at GSFRED Centre on climate resilient agricultural practices.

Kolkata Chapter

• Celebrated “National Fish Farmers’ Day” in collaboration with Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) on July 10, 2024 to increase public awareness of technologies beneficial to the fishing sector and to address the inland fisheries issues assuring economic growth, livelihood support, and nutritional security.
• Organised in collaboration with CIFRI “Mahila Matsyajibi Sammelan 2.0” on August 17, 2024 in Sundarbans to inspire the women fishers to utilize the available water resources in the Sundarbans for small-scale aquaculture.
• Organised in collaboration with Indian Mycological Society and Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata a workshop on “Agriculture in Digital Era” in hybrid mode on August 24, 2024.

Lucknow Chapter

• Arranged a seminar in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research (IISR), Lucknow, and the Sugar Technologists Association of India on “Mechanization of Sugarcane Cultivation” on March 7, 2024. Shri Sanjay Singh Gangwar (Chief Guest) (Member, Uttar Pradesh Assembly) stressed the importance of mechanization and modernization in empowering sugarcane farmers, essential for India’s journey towards development.
• Arranged an interactive session of IARI-Lucknow hub students with Dr. Himanshu Pathak (President, NAAS) during his visit to IISR on April 14, 2024. He emphasized on quality education in the country and students need to acquire better skill and knowledge by using modern facilities available at ICAR Institutes. He also mentioned that there was no short cut to success, and perseverance is the only key to the success.
• Organised a workshop on “Promotion of Climate Resilient crops/ varieties/ seeds’ under Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) on April 26, 2024 in collaboration with IISR-Lucknow with emphasis on conserving precious natural resources and living in harmony with nature.

Ludhiana Chapter

• Organised an interactive workshop on ‘Speed Breeding’ with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on February 20, 2024 and Prof. Lee Hickey (University of Queensland, Australia) was the guest speaker. He advocated for speed breeding by stressing upon protocol development and integration with genomic techniques.
• Arranged a special lecture in association with The Crop Improvement Society of India, Ludhiana on “Genome Editing Enables Crop Improvement” on April 29, 2024 and Dr Bing Yang (Professor, Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, USA) was the guest speaker. Dr. Yang highlighted that the genome editing tools could have significant impact enabling scientists to improve resilience to existing and emerging diseases and pests as well as extreme weather conditions. He stressed that with the availability of sequences of many plant genomes, technologies for genome editing have become the most promising and popular tools for scientists to understand complex genomes and quickly manipulate genes for food and nutritional traits.
• Arranged an awareness programme in association with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bahowal, Hoshiarpur at Government Middle Smart School, Village Bahowal, Block Mahilpur, District Hoshiarpur for school children on “Processing Techniques for Agricultural Produce” and “Significance of Soil Testing” on April 29, 2024.
• Arranged a training session in association with the Department of Extension Education & Communication Management, PAU, Ludhiana on “Sensitizing Farming Families for Sustainable Water-Use Behaviour” in village Rampur on May 06, 2024 to foster awareness and adoption practices for sustainable water use behavior among local farm families.
• Organised another awareness programme in association with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bahowal, Hoshiarpur at Sahibzaada Ajit Singh Public School, Ladhewal, Block Mahilpur, District Hoshiarpur on “Role of Women Empowerment in Rural Upliftment and Nutritional Management of Anaemia in Adolescent Girls and Women” for school girls on May 17, 2024. Practical tips on diet modification and the inclusion of locally available nutritious foods were shared to ensure accessibility and affordability.
• Organised an awareness programme on “Dietary Management of Anaemia” on May 23, 2024 for girls and women from different villages at Moga Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Budh Singh Wala, Moga. The importance of green leafy vegetables in combating anaemia and to cultivate these at home scale levels ware emphasized.
• Arranged awareness programme in association with PAU-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sangrur, on “Promotion of Household Water Conservation” on May 31, 2024. The programme featured a discussion session involving a local woman who had successfully implemented water conservation practices, and was an inspirational role model.
• Arranged a special lecture in association with The Crop Improvement Society of India, Ludhiana on “The World Rice Leader: Dr. Gurdev Singh Khush” by Dr. J.S. Sandhu (Former VC, SKNAU, Jobner) on September 26, 2024. The journey of Dr. Khush as a student from a small school at Rurkee (district Jalandhar) to a Titan in the field of Agriculture was narrated.

Pune Chapter

• Organised a lecture on ‘Precision Breeding of Vitis for Improved Traits’ by Dr. Sadanand A Dhekney (Professor, Department of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Maryland, USA) on January 24, 2024.

Varanasi Chapter

• Organised a workshop on June 19, 2024 for horticulture officers from Odisha to create awareness about the nutritional and medicinal benefits of various types of vegetables.
• Arranged awareness programme on June 20, 2024 for farmers (25) and FPOs (14) from Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra districts of Varanasi on the importance and techniques of vegetable cultivation in the changing environment and to increase farmers’ income so as to make them self-reliant in changing economic conditions.