New Delhi [India], August 25 : Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday inaugurated the 36th Annual Conference of Vice Chancellors of Agricultural Universities here and said research must move from laboratories to fields and deliver solutions to farmers.
The two-day Conference brings together Vice Chancellors of Agricultural Universities, senior officials of DARE and ICAR, Deputy Directors General, Additional Directors General and senior scientists to deliberate on reforms and priorities for a future-ready agricultural education system.
Addressing the Conference, Chouhan emphasised that the success of agricultural education must be measured not by the number of degrees awarded, but by the knowledge and skills created and the tangible change brought to farmers' lives. He called for reimagining agricultural education to make it practical, technology-driven and closely aligned with farmers' needs.
He stressed that research must move from laboratories to fields through stronger collaboration among agricultural universities, ICAR, KVKs, FPOs, industry and farmers. He urged universities to set clear goals, develop actionable roadmaps and measure outcomes, so that every conference leads to concrete decisions and contributes to building a modern, resilient and prosperous agricultural sector for Viksit Bharat.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference later, Chouhan said there is need to realign agricultural studies, in line with the necessities and situation today.
"This is the 36th Annual Conference of Vice Chancellors. For PM's goal for Viksit Bharat - Viksit Krishi, Samirddh Kisan - agricultural studies are really important. The reiamgining of agricultural studies, in line with the necessities and situation today, we have to find solution to the challenges of today - be it climate change or global warming or transforming technology or new diseases or soil health," Chouhan told reporters.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary emphasised that a developed India requires a strong and prosperous agriculture sector and empowered farmers.
He said India's journey from food scarcity to self-sufficiency reflects the collective contribution of farmers, scientists, teachers and institutions, and the next priority must be to make agriculture technology-driven, innovative and future-ready. He stressed the need to attract youth to agriculture by creating opportunities in modern technologies, research, entrepreneurship and agribusiness, while urging agricultural universities to align education and research with farmers' needs.