Experts Discuss Challenges, Priorities & Strategies at ‘National Conference on Digitalization of Agriculture and Rural Management’

On July 19, 2024, National Conference on Digitalization of Agriculture & Rural Management was held at Shobhit University Tower, Mayur Vihar Phase -2, Delhi. This event was organized by the Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed to be University), VillageNama and Shobhit University Gangoh in association with African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO). Experts shared insights on the role of digital tools in empowering farmers & transforming agricultural practices, focusing on Smart Irrigated Farming, Smart Rainfed Farming, and Smart Tribal Farming. The conference featured engaging Plenary talks and Panel Discussions, delving into the challenges, priorities, and strategies for the digitalization of agriculture and rural development.

The conference commenced with an auspicious lamp-lighting ceremony attended by distinguished guests. Among them were H.E. Dr. Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General of AARDO; Alok Sinha, IAS (Retd), Chief Content Officer at VillageNama; Dr. Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj; Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, Chancellor of Shobhit University; and Dr. Rashmi Sinha, Co-Founder Member of VillageNama.

Prof. Moni Madaswamy, Professor Emeritus, Chairman, CAIRS, Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed to be University) Meerut began the inaugural session with a welcome address, followed by an Introductory remark by Alok Sinha, Dr. Ajay Vir Jakhar, H.E. Dr. Manoj Nardeosingh, Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra. During the inaugural session, experts shared their views on the digitalization of agriculture and rural development. They highlighted the challenges faced by the farming community and emphasized the need to bridge the gap in implementing technology at the grassroots level. The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Rashmi Sinha.

Following this, Plenary Talk-1 began centered around ‘Empowering the Farmers through Agri-Extension Services & Knowledge Dissemination with reference to National Policy Framework – Kisan Sarathi: System of Agricultural Information Resources Auto Transmission and Technology Hub Interface (A Joint Initiative of Indian Council of Agricultural Research & Digital India Corporation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, New Delhi. This session featured experts including Dr. A. K. Choubey, ICAR-Emeritus Professor, Former Director (IASRI) & Senior Technical Director (NIC), Government of India, and Sanjeev Kumar, Development and Research Scientist & Project Investigator- Kisan Sarathi Project, ICAR- IASRI, PUSA Complex, Delhi. These discussions highlighted the critical need for collaborative efforts in leveraging digital technologies to bridge the gap and empower farmers.

During Plenary Talk-2, Prof. Moni shared insights on Smart Tribal Farming-Achieving Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood Opportunities towards VIKSHIT Bharat by 2047. He said, "Tribal agriculture is the sustainable agriculture. It is not affected by green revolution, but they don't have global agriculture value chain. It all broken." Nirav Seth, Founder & CEO of Kathyawad Ventures, Ahmedabad, Gujarat also shared the story of his venture with the audience. 

Dr. Rashmi Sinha Co-Founder, VillageNama & Director, Center for Rural Policies and Studies, Former Consultant UN Women & Former Director Mahila Samakhya Uttar Pradesh (MHRDGOI), Faculty and Deputy Lead Operations Director India-School Leadership Programme of UKIERI and NIEPA(GOI) shared her views during the Plenary Talk-3: Key challenges faced by rural communities, especially women in terms of livelihood opportunities, resource management, and access to digital technology. Dr. Sanjeeb Kumar Behera, Head - IEC&PPP Division, African - Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), New Delhi also shared his views on how to empower women farmers whether digitally, digital literacy, financially or through ownership of land.

Following this, a panel discussion titled "Technologies for Rural India: Integrating Development with Sustainable Delivery" was held. This discussion featured several notable speakers, including Raj Vardhan, President of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) in Cornwallis, USA; Prashant Mittal, Deputy Director General of the National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India; Cmdr. Sridhar Kotra, Founder of Agri Matrix India Pvt. Ltd in Indore, Madhya Pradesh; Pedmchandra Rrahul Dalmia, Chairman and Managing Director of Pervyukt Agrinnovaters (P) Limited; Shiv Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of OneVarsity in Sector-54, Gurgaon, Haryana; and Alok Sinha IAS (Retd), Chief Contents Officer of VillageNama and Former Chairman and Managing Director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Government of India, New Delhi.

Panel Discussion-2 on Precision Agriculture and Data Analytics featured Sachin Aggarwal, Founder & CEO of PashuSevak Pragati Kendra, Herdsman Development Private Limited; Utkarsh Kapoor, CEO & Co-Founder of Qboid IoTech; Mayur Kataruka, Associate Director of Data and Analytics at PricewaterhouseCoopers, New Delhi; Dr. Anup Kalra, Director of QCS Herbals Pvt. Ltd and Agriliv Research Foundation; Bharati Sinha, Director of Amity Software Systems Limited, Noida (India) & Nairobi (Kenya); and Dr. Dinesh Kumar Tyagi IAS (Retd), Former Managing Director of CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, New Delhi.

Panel Discussion-3 on Farming As A Service: The Need for Establishing AgriTech Startups at the Gram Panchayat Level to Help Small and Marginal Farming Communities featured speakers including Dr. K. K. Singh, Former Additional Director General of the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD); Kumar Singhal, Managing Director & Principal Officer of Hindustan Insurance Brokers Limited; Ajay Muttreja, Strategy Advisor & Mentor for MSMEs and Startups (including Social Impact Enterprises); Sanjay Kumar Pandey, Deputy Director General of the National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; and Dr. Gagnesh Sharma, Director (In Charge) of the National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.

Panel Discussion-4, focused on adopting a value chain approach to reduce farm loss and increase farm productivity, featured a distinguished panel of experts. The panel included Dr. Amit Tuteja, Founder of Connecting Dreams Foundation; Nirav Seth, Founder and CEO of Kathyawad Ventures, Ahmedabad, and Promoter of the Centre of Excellence (COE); Dr. Gagana Kumar Mahapatro, National Professor and Principal Scientist at ICAR-IARI, Indian Agricultural Research Institute; Suvidit Sharma, Director and CEO of Akiko Sherman InfoTech, Sherman Group of Companies; and Professor Dr. Seema Mehra Parihar, Fellow at the Delhi School of Public Health (DSPH), Institute of Eminence (IoE), University of Delhi.

The valedictory session featured a discussion on the way forward by Professor M. Moni, followed by the signing of an MOU for the Centre of Excellence. Alok Sinha, IAS (Retd), Chief Contents Officer at VillageNama and former Chairman and Managing Director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), delivered the concluding remarks. Dr. Vinod K. Tyagi, Vice-Chancellor of Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed to be University), Meerut, gave the valedictory address. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Devinder Narain, Senior Director of Corporate Relations and HR at Shobhit University, Meerut.