ICRISAT delegation briefs LG on climate-resilient agri initiatives in J&K

Srinagar, Aug 17: Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General, Dr Damaris Odeny and Dr Manzoor A Dar of ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) called on Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday. They were accompanied by Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Kashmir.The team of experts from ICRISAT briefed the Lieutenant Governor about the mandate of ICRISAT in reducing poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and environmental degradation in the drylands of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.The ICRISAT specially focuses on the development of climate-smart, high-yielding, disease- and pest-resistant varieties; promotion of sustainable farming systems, natural resource management, water-use efficiency, and strengthening value chains, markets, and farmer resilience.The team briefed the Lieutenant Governor about the climate fragility of the Himalayas, and its impact on agriculture and farmers’ livelihood.The Lieutenant Governor desired a collaboration between ICRISAT and Jammu Kashmir for building its capacity to prepare for future challenges in agriculture arising due to climate change by bringing in new technologies, diversification towards resilient crops, and data-driven decisions and advisories to farmers.