KAU Plans To Make Farming Carbon Neutral

Three golden jubilee post-doctoral fellowships in agriculture, agricultural engineering, and forestry will be established by Kerala Agriculture University (KAU). P. Prasad, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Pro-Chancellor of Kerala Agricultural University, announced the news while presenting the Budget for the next fiscal year (FY 2022-23) to the general council in Vellanikkara on Saturday.

The Budget proposes revenue of 580.39 crores, spending of 771.92 crores, and a deficit of 191.53 crores. The general council approved the budget, which focuses on improving education, research, and extension initiatives.

More Budgetary Allocation for Academics & Student Welfare

More money has been set aside for raising academic standards and increasing student welfare. The research process will be expedited to meet the growing issues in the agricultural industry as a result of climate change. Agro-ecological units will be used to produce a package of practices for crops. A new Vegetable Centre of Excellence will be built in the university as well.

Invasive alien species research, genetic studies on medicinally significant rice types, and other research topics will be taken up. More network projects in the fields of gene editing, fruit processing, and fruit and vegetable disease control will be launched.

Key Focus Areas

The institution will also focus on carbon-neutral farming, with all of the university's campuses becoming carbon-neutral by 2030 as a first step. An Agri Students Corps will be developed to aid the university's extension activities in all panchayats. The KAU will also focus on nanotechnology research and its use in agriculture to improve input efficiency and sustainability.

With the help of the KAU, farm clubs will be established in schools. The number of agro clinics and Farm Advisory Conclaves will be increased. To maintain the nutritional security of indigenous peoples, vegetable production programs will be implemented, as well as efforts to preserve traditional vegetable varieties used by tribal communities in the state.

Millet hub, another program aimed at increasing small-grain cereal output will also be started.

New courses in hi-tech farming, farm journalism, and massive open online courses on commercial floriculture and gardening are also planned, as well as the use of information technology for training.

New suggestions to improve infrastructural facilities on various university campuses, such as enhancing library facilities, establishing rainwater harvesting structures, maintaining heritage buildings at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, and so on, have also been included in the Budget.