Strengthening Local Food Systems for Healthier Communities

Quick summary:

• The 55th convocation ceremony of Professor Jayashankar telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) was held in Hyderabad on Saturday.
• Mangi Lal Jat,Secretary of DARE and DG of ICAR,highlighted the need to revive local food systems for health and sustainability amid India’s dominance in rice,wheat,and horticulture production globally.
• Mr. Jat emphasized transitioning agrifood systems from commodity-centric to systems-centric by prioritizing research, data-driven strategies, technology delivery reforms, and increasing agricultural R&D investment from the current 0.43% of agri GDP to at least 1%.
• Governor and PJTAU Chancellor Jishnu Dev Varma noted the university’s legacy in agriculture innovation, including establishing India’s first-ever Center for digital Agriculture and Ag-hub incubation centre.
• PJTAU Vice-Chancellor Aldas Janaiah reported achievements such as GI tag facilitation for Tandur Redgram, growth of improved crop varieties/agro technologies/patents during the period 2021-22.
• The university signed numerous national (34 MoUs) and international (19 MoUs) partnerships while granting degrees to a total of 844 students.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The discussions at PJTAU’s convocation highlight pivotal shifts necessary for India’s agriculture sector.With substantial achievements like becoming a global leader in rice production and excelling in wheat cultivation, India must leverage this position toward sustainable growth by adopting systems-centered approaches that integrate policy reforms with technological advancements.reviving local food systems can address diversity gaps while promoting health benefits across consumers-key goals raised during this event.

Moreover,calls to increase agricultural R&D spending underline an urgent need for investment as India lags behind compared to global benchmarks (many countries invest about 2% vs India’s current rate). This would enable more innovations such as digital agriculture initiatives seen at institutions like PJTAU-all critical steps toward advancing inclusivity while boosting productivity sustainably.

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