ICAR Consults Industry and Academic Experts on PG and Ph.D. Programmes in Natural Farming

6 October 2026, New Delhi

The Agricultural Education Division, ICAR, organised a consultation meeting with industry experts and academic stakeholders on the proposed Postgraduate (PG) and Ph.D. programmes in Natural Farming. The meeting was chaired by Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Jat emphasised that the proposed PG and Ph.D. programmes should be future-ready, globally relevant and closely connected with farmers, industry and society. He highlighted the need to cover emerging areas such as biological inputs, soil health, certification, value chains, marketing, digital technologies and entrepreneurship, along with conceptual clarity on different streams of chemical-free farming.

Dr C. K. Timbadia, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat Natural Farming Science University (GNFSU) and Chairman, Syllabus Formulation Committee, and Dr A. S. Yadav, Assistant Director General (EQAR), presented the proposed M.Sc. and Ph.D. curricula and invited feedback and suggestions from the participating stakeholders.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Dr Yashpal Singh Malik, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR, highlighted the importance of developing multidisciplinary, competency-based and industry-oriented curricula aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and emerging opportunities in the field of Natural Farming.

Dr S. K. Sharma, Assistant Director General (HRM), ICAR, proposed the vote of thanks. The meeting concluded with valuable inputs and suggestions from industry experts and academic stakeholders to facilitate the timely finalisation and implementation of the PG and Ph.D. programmes in Natural Farming.