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Jagran correspondent, Bhagalpur. A three-day national conference started on Wednesday at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour. It is being organized under the joint aegis of the University and Academy of Natural Resource Conservation and Management, Lucknow.
The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Topics, through online medium. Linking soil health to climate-smart agriculture, carbon sequestration and sustainable agricultural intensification, he said that future agricultural policies will have to keep soil at the center. Praising this joint initiative, he said that such platforms act as a bridge between policy, research and practical implementation.
Vice Chancellor Dr. DR. Singh said that it is the priority of the university to further strengthen soil science research and take resource conservation based innovations directly to the farmers. He clarified that agricultural and environmental sustainability can be ensured only through coordination of scientific research, policy making and farmer-friendly technologies.
Dr. Biswapati Mandal, former Pro-Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Agricultural University, present as the chief guest, while emphasizing on the concept of resilience in the agricultural system, said that maintaining the productivity and quality of the soil in the changing climate scenario is the biggest challenge. He also stressed the importance of local knowledge and participation of farmers along with scientific interventions.
The special guest was Dr. DK, former Director of ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute. Highlighting soil salinity management, alkaline land reclamation and rehabilitation techniques, Sharma said that even barren and infertile lands can be made productive with proper use of scientific methods.
Earlier, the inaugural session started with the welcome address by Organizing Secretary Dr. Anshuman Kohli. He said that climate change, land degradation, nutrient deficiency and increasing pressure on natural resources have posed a serious challenge to soil health.
In such a time, only strong soil health management can become the cornerstone of agricultural productivity, nutritional security and environmental protection. He stressed on wide-scale adoption of resource conservation based technologies like conservation agriculture, crop rotation diversification, organic carbon enrichment and micronutrient management.
In the presidential address, Academy President Dr. AK. Singh described collaborative research and institutional partnerships as essential for long-term agricultural sustainability. He said that there is a need to look at soil, water and biodiversity conservation from an integrated approach, only then the agricultural system will be able to become resilient to climate shocks.
During the inaugural session, a Safarnama presentation was given by the Media Center of the University, which showcased the University's research achievements, extension programs and innovation initiatives reaching out to farmers. The guests present on the stage released the compendium book, souvenir and other publications of the conference, which is considered an important initiative towards documenting this national discussion.
The inaugural session ended with a vote of thanks by soil scientist Dr. Sagar. There will be detailed discussion on concrete strategies for strong soil health management through technical sessions, research paper presentations and expert dialogues organized over the next two days. It is expected from the conference that this national brainstorming will provide practical solutions and policy direction for agricultural and environmental sustainable development, which will ultimately benefit the farmers and society.
To benefit from farming, it is important to pay attention to the health of the soil: Dr. Rajaram Tripathi
The country's most prosperous farmer Dr. Rajaram Tripathi attended the conference as a guest. He stressed the need to pay attention to soil health to get benefits from farming. Dr. Rajaram basically cultivates medicinal plants and does special work on water management and soil health using hi-tech techniques in farming. Their spices and medicinal products are in demand in foreign countries also.
He left his job as a bank officer and germinated his farming business in the forests of Naxal-affected Bastar. Vice Chancellor Dr. DR Singh said that such innovative farmers are a source of inspiration for the farmers of the country.
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