changeadminThe Agricultural Education Division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) organised a consultation meeting with industry experts and academic stakeholders on the proposed Postgraduate (PG) and PhD programmes in Natural Farming.
The ICAR is the autonomous body in India responsible for coordinating, guiding, and managing research and education in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and animal sciences.
Director General of ICAR, Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, chaired the meeting to gather input from industry and academia to strengthen and finalise the proposed curricula and ensure the programmes address the emerging requirements of natural farming, farmers and the wider agricultural sector.
Given the challenges associated with chemical farming, natural farming relies entirely on local, on-farm resources and natural soil processes rather than purchased synthetic or external inputs.
In November 2024, India launched the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
Postgraduate (such as M.Sc. and M.Tech courses) and PhD in natural farming will provide scientific rigour, technical standardisation, and policy credibility to chemical-free farming systems.
Addressing the meeting, Dr M. L. Jat emphasised that the proposed PG and PhD in natural farming should be future-ready, globally relevant and closely connected with farmers, industry and society.
He stressed the need to incorporate emerging areas such as biological inputs, soil health, certification, value chains, marketing, digital technologies and entrepreneurship in the curriculum.
Dr Jat also emphasised the importance of developing conceptual clarity on different streams and approaches to chemical-free farming, enabling students and researchers to understand the principles, practices, and emerging dimensions of Natural Farming comprehensively.
Earlier, Dr Yashpal Singh Malik, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR, emphasised the need for multidisciplinary, competency-based and industry-oriented curricula aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
He highlighted emerging opportunities in Natural Farming and the need to prepare students with relevant knowledge and skills to meet evolving sector requirements.
Dr C. K. Timbadia, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat Natural Farming Science University (GNFSU) and Chairman of the Syllabus Formulation Committee, and Dr A. S. Yadav, Assistant Director General (Education Quality Assurance and Reform), ICAR, presented the proposed M.Sc. and PhD curricula before the stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with valuable input from industry experts and academic stakeholders, which will support the timely finalisation and implementation of the proposed PG and PhD programmes in Natural Farming.
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