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In sync with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 when the country completes its 75 years of independence, the VIF, in collaboration with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) and J. Farms, assembled a two-day national workshop on ‘Doubling Farmers’ Income through Scaling up’ on March 15-16, 2017. Stakeholders from diverse backgrounds – key officials from concerned ministries, agriculture scientists, officials from meteorological department, academic institutions, and farmers’ representatives, among others, engaged in comprehensive deliberations over two days and eight sessions, aimed at identifying challenges, opportunities, innovations, enabling policies, institutions and strategy for increasing the productivity and doubling the farmers’ income in different agro-eco regions of India. Besides developing a framework for implementation of strategies, evaluation and monitoring etc. the workshop also focused on bringing out a blue print for establishing a pilot in Vidarbha region in Maharashtra which could be subsequently scaled up to other agro-eco regions of India.

The workshop was played out in the following order:

Opening Session:

Welcome Remarks - Gen NC Vij, Director, VIF

Scene Setting – Mr Dhirendra Singh, EC, VIF

Objectives of the Workshop and Expected Outputs - Dr SP Wani, RPD-Asia, ICRISAT

Inaugural Address - Dr David Bergvinson, DG, ICRISAT

Special Address - Dr T Mohapatra, DG, ICAR

Challenges & Opportunities for Mechanization - Mr TR Kesavan, COO, TAFE

Keynote Address - Dr Hameed Nuru, Country Director, WFP

Special Address - Sri Shobhana K Pattanayak, Secy, Agriculture

Chief Guest Address - Mr. Vijai Kapoor, Former Lt Governor, Delhi

Vote of Thanks Dr AK Padhee, Director-Bus&Con Relations, Delhi, ICRISAT

Technical Session I: Climate Change and its Impact on Agriculture

Chair: Dr AK Singh

Role of Agromet Advisory Services in Managing Risk under Changing Climate - Dr SD Attri, IMD

Land Use Planning for Sustainable Management of Resources in Vidarbha Region, Maharashtra - Dr SK Singh, NBSS & LUP

Sustainable Development of Farmholders through Integrated Farming and Mechanization - Dr K Srinivasan, TAFE

Agro-forestry for Promoting Diversifying Livelihoods in Dryland Agriculture - DrMohd Osman, CRIDA

Technical Session II: Challenges and Opportunities for Doubling the Farmers Income

Chair: Dr SK Singh

Enabling Policies for Unlocking the Potential of Dryland Agriculture in India -Dr PK Joshi, IFPRI

Challenges and Opportunities for Unlocking the Potential of Dryland Agriculture - Dr SP Wani, ICRISAT

Strategies for Developing Farmers Income in Central India - Dr AK Singh, RVSKVV

Strategy for Doubling the Farmers Income in Maharashtra - Dr KP Viswanatha, MPKV

Integrated Watershed Management Program Opportunities for Improving Dryland Agriculture– Dr CP Reddy, DepComm, DOLR

Technical Session III: Enabling Institutions and Policies for Desired Impact

Chair: Dr Vilas Tonapi

Tata Trusts Initiatives on Agriculture: Strategic Directions into the Future – Mr Abhay Gandhe, SRTT

Linking Farmers with Market through FPOs: Challenges and Opportunities –Dr KV Raju, ICRISAT

Pathway for Pulses Self-sufficiency in India – Dr NP Singh, IIPR

Role of Nutri Cereals in Sustainable Development of Vidarbha - Dr Vilas Tonapi, IIMR

Use of Technologies for Harnessing the Potential of Agriculture – Mr Anirban Ghosh, M & M

Technical Session IV: Building Climate Resilient Agriculture through Integrated Watershed Management

Chair: Dr NP Singh

Sustainable Rainfed Agriculture Initiatives of Government of India - Sri Ashok Dalwai, IAS

Watersheds for Unlocking the Potential of Dryland Agriculture: Need for Convergence-Dr CS Kedar, Rtd IAS, JSW

Innovations in Water Pressure and Water Budget – Dr Hariharan, ZED/Mr T Pradeep, ZED

Challenges and Opportunities for Dryland Agriculture in Maharashtra - Dr DP Waskar, VNMKV

Technical Session V:Strategy for Transforming Agriculture in Vidarbha, Maharashtra

Chair: Sri Ashok Dalwai, IAS

National Food Security Mission: An Overview - Dr B Rajendra, IAS

Farm Mechanization and Post-harvest Technologies -Dr KK Singh, CIAE

Farm Mechanization - Mr N Subramanian, TAFE

Financing and Financial Inclusion - Mr Sunil Prabhune, L&T Financial Services

Jain Irrigation -Mr SP Jadhav, Jain Irrigation

Technical Session VI: Brainstorming for Strategy and Blue Print Session – Parallel Sessions

Brainstorming for Strategy and Blue Print Session – Parallel Sessions

Group 1 Facilitators

Challenges, Opportunities and Objectives for the Initiative - Dr KV Raju, ICRISAT

Group 2

Strategies and Approaches for Transforming Agriculture in Vidarbha, Maharashtra - Dr SK Singh, NBSS & LUP

Group 3

Building Partnerships for achieving the Impact in Vidarbha, Maharashtra - Mr Ganesh Neelam, SRTT

Group 4

Monitoring, Evaluation and Key performance Indicators forthe Specified Activities – NABARD

Concluding Session:

Chair: Mr Dhirendra Singh; Co-Chair: Dr SP Wani

Presentation by Group 1

Presentation by Group 2

Presentation by Group 3

Presentation by Group 4

Concluding Remarks

Vote of Thanks