Engaging Rural Youth in Agriculture Vital for Long-term Viability and Reach of the Sector, Says Dr KC Ravi, CSO, Syngenta

The rural and agricultural sectors play a vital role in the economic development and sustainable growth of any nation. “The important aspect of rural engagement is youth involvement. So, engaging rural youth in agriculture is crucial for the sectors long term viability and wide target. By providing young people with education, training and entrepreneurial opportunities in agriculture, rural engagement initiatives can stem rural urban migration” said Dr KC Ravi, Chairman, CropLife India & Chief Sustainability Officer, Syngenta.

Speaking at The BRAND R.Comm, Rural Communication Summit & Awards 2024 organsied by Snail Integral LLP at New Delhi, Dr Ravi added “Rural engagement facilitates the adoption of innovative technologies and digital solutions that enhances agricultural productivity efficiency and resilience. By promoting technology, transfer, capacity building and knowledge sharing, rural engagement increases the initiatives which can empower farmers to leverage digital youth”.

Commenting during the inauguration session, Chairman Jury, Brand R.Comm Awards Padma Bhushan Awardee, Prof. RB Singh, Former Chancellor, CAU, Imphal said, "Effective communication is very important to ensure sustainable agriculture. The unique challenges and complexities of rural environments necessitate a thoughtful roadmap to ensure successful communication strategies. Implementing robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the effectiveness of rural communication, collecting feedback from rural communities and stakeholders to assess the relevance, accessibility, and acceptability of communication efforts is also required

Rajvir Rathi, Director Public Affairs, Science and Sustainability (South Asia) & Lead - Traits Licensing Business with Bayer CropScience said with the appropriate use of Technological advancement, engaging rural youth to make the agriculture domain look more lucrative, communicating farmers’ challenges to policymakers can help to make a move towards sustainable agriculture.

The purpose of organizing this one-day event was to understand the gaps from ‘Lab to Land’ and from ‘Land to Lab’ communication and bridge the gap with a strategic approach taken by the industry said Amit BK Khare, Founder & Managing Partner, Snail Integral LLP. “There exists a substantial disparity between rural-centric and urban-centric communication approaches, and we must address this gap by taking advantage of our technological advancements. As our country evolves into a technology-friendly environment, bridging these gaps is not only possible but also necessary to promote inclusive communication strategies,” he added. 

During the inauguration session Raj Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, Thakar Chemical Ltd said, “Snail Integral is doing a great job towards bridging the communication gap. He further added that Snail Integral has helped Thakar Chemicals in its rural communication initiatives.”