Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & The Development Innovation Lab Partner to Improve Food Security & Double Farmer's Income

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has entered into a partnership with The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) at the University of Chicago founded by Nobel Laurite Dr. Michael Kremer, founder of DIL, University Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and 2019 co-recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, represented by University of Chicago trust in India, on February 3rd, 2023 at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, to explore the opportunities to harness innovation to improve food security, address climate change, and allow farmers to increase their incomes. 

The partnership will look into innovation opportunities related to agriculture and food security in the context of climate change, in the present scenario of experiencing a rise in extreme temperatures, floods, and droughts, as well as changes to the monsoon system. Innovations in digital services, weather forecasts, and soil health management could help farmers adapt to these shocks and improve their livelihoods while improving the environmental sustainability of agriculture. DIL will assist DA&FW in its efforts to identify, develop, test, and refine innovations in these and other priority areas, to support India’s smallholder farmers.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary (A&FW), expressed happiness over the signing of the MoU with DIL and felt that this would immensely help the small and marginal farmers in addressing the challenges of climate change and increasing farm productivity.

The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries.