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Ludhiana: The four-day international conference on “Transforming Agrifood Systems in the Face of the Climate Change and Energy Transitions” concluded at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Friday. Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, vice-chancellor, PAU, chaired the valedictory function, whereas Dr Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, vice-chancellor, YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, co-chaired the concluding session. The conference, organized by the Indian Ecological Society in collaboration with PAU, saw the participation of national and international delegates.
A technical session on “Future Forest Management: Towards Climate Resilience” was also held on Friday, which was chaired by Dr Chandel and co-chaired by Dr MS Bhullar, Director of Extension Education. Dr Gosal pointed out the threat being posed by the climate change to the entire humanity, thus affecting the global food security and agricultural eco-systems. The degradation of natural resources was equally a serious concern, he observed, while calling for efficient management of natural resources for the preservation of air, soil and water.
The PAU VC hoped that sharing of scientific knowledge during the international conference would help in developing improved farming practices for the sustainability of agrifood systems. Dr Chandel, while delivering a thought-provoking lecture on “Visioning Agrifood System Pathways through Natural Farming,” observed that transforming agrifood systems through natural farming addressed environmental, social and economic challenges in modern agriculture. “By prioritizing soil health, reducing chemical inputs and enhancing biodiversity, natural farming offers a pathway to a more resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems,” he said.
Speaking on “Eco-system Services for Sustainable Agrifood System Transformation,” Dr Kiran Kumar TM, Director, ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, said that ecosystem services were the direct and indirect benefits that humans derived from ecological system. We also published the following articles recently NEP 2020 to transform edu system Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat addressed the Regional Children's Congress 2024, highlighting the transformative potential of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He emphasized the need to boost India's gross enrolment ratio in higher education, currently at 30%.
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