SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday inaugurated four infrastructure facilities at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), calling for greater use of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to improve farmers’ incomes and strengthen the rural economy.
He also set a target for the university to facilitate the establishment of at least 100 student-led enterprises and start-ups within the coming year, while stressing that young people and women farmers should remain at the centre of agricultural development programmes.
The four facilities inaugurated by the Lieutenant Governor include a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT)-based irrigation and fertigation system, a Prototype Design and Development Centre, the Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a Health and Wellness Centre.
Addressing the gathering, Sinha said agricultural universities had a crucial role in converting challenges related to food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development into practical solutions.
He said the solar-powered irrigation and fertigation system would help provide crops with water and nutrients in the required quantities and at the appropriate time. The technology, he said, could benefit small and marginal farmers by reducing labour-intensive irrigation practices and dependence on conventional energy sources.
The Prototype Design and Development Centre, he said, would help translate innovative ideas into practical agricultural tools and technologies, promote mechanisation and bridge the gap between laboratory research and field-level applications.
Describing the Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship as an important initiative, the Lieutenant Governor encouraged students to become job creators by establishing enterprises in areas such as seed testing, cold-chain management and soil health services.
He asked the university to develop the directorate as a platform providing mentoring, guidance and assistance in accessing capital for aspiring entrepreneurs across Jammu and Kashmir.
“The University must become a strong bridge between laboratories and cooperative societies, between farmer-producer organisations, and between researchers and small and marginal farmers. I want youth and women farmers to be at the centre of every programme,” Sinha said.
He also directed SKUAST-Kashmir to take the new irrigation technology to villages within the coming year and involve farmers in improving its applications.
Emphasising the need to make technology accessible, he called for converting sensor-generated data into simple agricultural advisories in local languages and delivering them to farmers through digital platforms.
Highlighting the challenges posed by climate change, Sinha said sustainable development and environmental protection should become central to the university’s institutional priorities.
He said the success of modern agricultural technology should be assessed by its impact on the incomes of small farmers.
“The real success of any modern technology or modern tools will come only when their benefits reach the small farmers in villages and bring about a real increase in their incomes,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said the true measure of progress lay in improving farmers’ incomes, strengthening their economic security, ensuring a better future for their families and creating employment opportunities in rural areas.
Referring to the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), he said its projects and farmer-centric policies over the past six years had contributed to strengthening Jammu and Kashmir’s rural economy and creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship among young people.
On the occasion, Sinha also released a coffee table book documenting SKUAST-Kashmir’s achievements and institutional journey.
A Multi-Tier Data Management and Accreditation Workflow System was also launched to strengthen the university’s institutional data management and accreditation-related processes.
Minister for Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperatives Javid Ahmad Dar, SKUAST-K Vice-Chancellor Professor Nazir Ahmed Ganai, SKIMS Director Professor Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Akshay Labroo, SKUAST-K Registrar Professor Azmat Alam Khan, heads of departments, senior officials, faculty members and students attended the programme.
