Pushes for research collaborations in Indian agri ecosystem

The recently held  Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit recommended development of a strong research collaborative network within India and international labs for developing microbial technologies for Indian agriculture, as per a press release issued by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI).

The Summit is a collaborative initiative by Science and Technology and Academic Organizations of India to enable deliberations on thought process, practices and R & D culture with a problem-solving approach and forge collaborations. In this pursuit, the session on ‘Microbial Resources for Sustainable Agriculture’, was conducted on October 10, 2020.

It explored the scientific and technological gaps for harnessing the microbial resources for sustainable agriculture, with regard to livestock and fisheries sector to achieve national food and nutrition security and employment. The technological options, opportunities and collaborative needs were also discussed.

The major recommendations of the session were to initiate research collaborations to develop Centers of Excellence in Microbial Resource Technologies, Microbiome initiative in Indian agri ecosystem, inclusion of microbiological indices in soil health card in tiered fashion and Skill development and capacity building for enhancing the research quotient in serving the farming community.