NEWSUPDATES
VC Prof. Pillai with distinguished guests at the workshop on ‘Reclaiming Research in Livestock Development through Policy Interventions.’
FACILITATING POLICY UPTAKE OF LIVESTOCK RESEARCH Professionals interact for meaningful policies based on proved research
T
he contribution of livestock to the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AgGDP) of India has increased from 18 percent in 1980s to 22 percent in 1990s and 27 percent during 2010, informed Dr K.D. Kokate, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the two-day National Workshop on ‘Reclaiming Research in Livestock Development through Policy Interventions’, held at the University campus in New Delhi on April 26-27. The workshop was organised by School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS), in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (RAGACOVAS), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP), with funding support from Department for International Development (DFID). “There is a need to figure out locationspecific, income generating technologies to attract and retain people, particularly youth, in agriculture. This workshop would serve a useful purpose in making suitable policies for the livestock development,” said Dr Kokate.
10 IGNOU OPEN LETTER | MAY 15, 2011
The resource-poor livestock keepers are not able to utilise the technologies/ practices developed by livestock research effectively, remarked Vice Chancellor Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai. “The factors contributing for ‘Livestock Revolution’ and
Dr. P.V.K. Sasidhar, Workshop Coordinator and Associate Professor, SOEDS, presenting a paper at one of the technical sessions.
increase in demand for livestock products are human population growth, increasing urbanisation, rising incomes, purchasing power parity and associated changing food preferences from vegetarian to foods of animal origin, and boosting trade in both inputs and outputs due to globalisation,” stressed Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Latha Pillai. At the valedictory session, Chief Guest Dr V.V. Sadamate, Adviser (Agriculture), Planning Commission, said the recommendations of this workshop will benefit Planning Commission in a major way. Two technical sessions on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Marketing were held on the first day. The second day saw delegates brainstorming on Veterinary Education, Animal Production and Livelihood Sustainability. The moderators of the five sessions — Dr V. Rasheed Sulaiman, Director, CRISP, Hyderabad; Dr Ranjitha Puskur, ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dr B. Ashok, IAS, ViceChancellor, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University; Dr Iain Wright, Regional Representative (Asia), ILRI; and Dr D.V. Rangnekar, Livestock Advisor, National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad — presented the recommendations derived from the workshop, which concluded with a vote of thanks from Dr P.V.K. Sasidhar of SOEDS.