“With the last two decades having witnessed complacency not only in India but across the world as far as food security is concerned, there are ample challenges now before farm scientists and farm science students, which in turn will pave way for many opportunities”, Additional Secretary, Union Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Ashok Dalwai, said here on Wednesday.
He was delivering the convocation address at the 29 annual convocation of his alma mater, the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.
Referring to the various challenges in agriculture, Mr. Dalwai said: “Geographical information system, remote sensing and crop modelling need to be emphasised to generate new concepts, tools and methodologies. Agronomic research will have to support small and marginal farmers by developing new cropping systems and crop diversification models consistent with sustainable use of land, water and other natural as well as purchased production resources”.
He said that frontier technologies that involved genetic modification and crop physiology also needed due attention and there was need to focus on research and development programme on transformation of C3 plants into photosynthesis-efficient C4 plants as the latter had 50 per cent higher radiation-use efficiency. He said food security could be better if C3 rice was transformed into C4 rice.
Referring to the impact of climate change, he said variation of one degree in temperature would result in a decrease of 4 to 10 per cent in yield and the farm scientists had to tackle the challenge.
Elaborating on the scope of farm science, he said: “Agriculture is a subject of all times and it is the harbinger of change in the country and will continue to be the harbinger of the changes to come”.
Mr. Dalwai told the students that there was much more to life than just science. Referring to the life and contributions of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda and the achievements of farm scientists M.S. Swaminathan and Verghese Kurien, he called on the students to have courage to follow their destiny. “You can arrive wherever you want to, provided you are willing to walk the first half-distance.”
Earlier, after Vice-Chancellor D.P. Biradar welcomed the gathering and presented a brief report, Governor Vajubhai Vala declared open the convocation. Pro-Chancellor and Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda conferred degrees to 1,003 candidates. Subsequently the Governor and other dignitaries presented gold medals and cash awards to meritorious students.
