G20 – Meeting of Agri Chief Scientists To Be Held on April 17-19 in Varanasi

G20 agricultural chief scientists will gather in Varanasi on April 17-19, and the forum will be useful in exploring coordinated activities toward science-based solutions to establish sustainable and lucrative agri-food systems.

Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (Department of Agriculture Research and Education) and Director General of ICAR stated in his message before the meeting, "Indian agriculture is unique, diverse, and vast, providing livelihood and income to more than half of our population."

In the last 75 years, the country has progressed from a ship-to-mouth economy to self-sufficiency to food exportation, according to an official statement.

Agri-revolutions supported by science and policy, such as the Green, White, Blue, Yellow, Golden, Silver, Brown, Grey, and Rainbow revolutions, changed Indian agriculture.

"Food production has increased by 6 to 70 times since 1950, while the net cultivated area has increased by only 1.3 times," Pathak said.

He noted that the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) is important in supporting collective action to implement science-based solutions for creating sustainable, resilient, and lucrative agri-food systems.

Pathak stated that the summit would give a good venue for discussion, deliberation, and the exchange of knowledge, science, and innovations for food and nutrition security, as well as increasing G20 collaboration.

The meeting will focus on food and nutrition security, resilience to climate change, One Health initiatives, digital agriculture, and public-private partnerships for research, education, and extension, in keeping with India's G20 Presidency theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future."

The focus of the 12th MACS meeting, held under India's presidency, was sustainable agricultural and food systems for healthy people and the world.

There are four priority areas that will be discussed in depth.

Food Security and Nutrition - the Role of Frontiers in Science and Technology; Building Resilience and Sustainable Agriculture Through Climate Resilient Agriculture and One Health Approaches; Digitalization for Agricultural Transformation; and Public-Private Partnerships for Research and Development are among them.

The symposium will also showcase the MAHARISHI initiative, which stands for Millets And Other Ancient Grains International Research.

"The event will create new opportunities for collaboration in agricultural research, education, and extension, as well as strengthen the G20 forum for international economic cooperation," Pathak said.

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