Agri Varsity Signs MOU with CSFD for Advancement of Agricultural Sector & Betterment of Farmers

Cornell Sathguru Foundation for Development (CSFD) and Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) has signed an MoU for the advancement of agriculture and the betterment of farmers and for fostering innovation in the food value chain. The MOU was executed by Ms. Hemalatha Director CSFD, and by Dr. S. Sudheer Kumar, Registrar PJTSAU in the presence of Dr. V. Praveen Rao, Honourable Vice Chancellor, PJTSAU and Mr. Vijayraghavan, Vice Chairperson of CSFD. 

 The initiative will help to bring frontier technologies, support dissemination of information and capacity building for the farming community. The initiative will also support the advancement of student exposure to international agriculture through student scholarship and faculty exchange. We are envisioning reaching out to farmers in the state of Telangana by providing training on improved farming practices, value addition, and agri based enterprise development. These services will be percolated through PJTSAU’s extension services, research, and IT solutions. 

CSFD is a NGO promoted by Sathguru Management Consultants, India and Cornell University, USA, to facilitate sustainable social development for enhancing capacities, knowledge creation, promoting entrepreneurship and gender equality. CSFD, in collaboration with Cornell University and state agriculture universities, brings in expertise from diverse fields to advance technology, innovation and agribusiness in India. CSFD has trained more than 700 youth through International Agriculture and Rural Development (IARD) program and progressive farmers in South Asia in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). CSFD is currently working extensively towards improving agricultural productivity of small and marginal farmers in villages of Telangana and thereby enhancing their socio-economic conditions. 

 CSFD has introduced a project in Paniyal and Badampet villages in Hathnoora Mandal Sangareddy, Telangana, through which the small and marginal farmers were facilitated to improve the agricultural productivity by installing community solar fence covering an area of 163 acres.  As an extension to the project, in the year 2019-20, to further enhance the agricultural productivity of the farmers, CSFD is implementing a project which is aimed to improve the capacities of the farmers, youth through training programs and to enhance the nutritional status of the farmers by laying kitchen gardens and eventually facilitate farmers to take up small agri based enterprises. 

 The PJTSAU is an exemplary agriculture University dedicated to the advancement of agriculture research, education, and technology dissemination.  PJTSAU ranks number two among the state level agriculture universities in India.

 In partnership with PJTSAU, CSFD will organize farmer capacity building and technology dissemination programs on good agricultural practices for enhancing farm productivity.