Srinagar, Nov 11 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said the agricultural universities play a crucial role in delivering practical solutions to challenges related to food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development.
He was addressing a gathering at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir after inaugurating four key infrastructure facilities, according to a statement released here.
Sinha said agricultural universities are unique institutions where concerns and aspirations linked to a nation's food security can be transformed into concrete solutions.
He said that the four facilities collectively reflect a “comprehensive vision of smart agriculture and rural advancement”.
One of the facilities inaugurated by him is a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT)-based irrigation and fertigation system, designed to provide crops with water and nutrients in the right quantity and at the right time.
The LG said the technology has significant potential to benefit small and marginal farmers by reducing labour-intensive irrigation practices and dependence on conventional energy sources.
Sinha also inaugurated the Prototype Design and Development Centre, which aims to help translate innovative concepts into practical agricultural tools and technologies. He expressed confidence that the facility would promote mechanisation and bridge the gap between laboratory research and field-level application.
Highlighting the importance of entrepreneurship, he described the newly established Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship as a transformative initiative.
Sinha 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 into a platform that provides mentoring, guidance and assistance in accessing capital for young entrepreneurs across Jammu and Kashmir.
Calling for sustained action, the LG asked SKUAST-Kashmir to take the new irrigation technology to villages within the coming year and actively involve farmers in its improvement.
He stressed the need to convert data collected through sensors into simple agricultural advisories in local languages and deliver them to farmers through digital platforms.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)