Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has actively organized key events in 2023–2024 that facilitate knowledge sharing and technology transfer between local farmers and food producers. These events include the 2023 Smart Tech and Sustainable Farming Symposium by the ACORD Center, which connected farmers, agronomists, and tech experts focusing on innovations for coconut farming. The 2024 International Workshop on Waste-to-Wealth invited farmers to explore sustainable composting and value-added practices using agro-residues. Additionally, the 2024 Participatory Conference on Abiotic-Stress-Tolerant Rice brought researchers and farmers together to co-develop resilient rice farming strategies. These platforms align strongly with SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), fostering sustainable agricultural development and empowered food systems in the region.
Date: September 28, 2023
Organized by the ACORD (Amrita Coconut Research and Development) Center, this one-day symposium convened coconut growers, agronomists, and tech experts to discuss robotics, drones, precision nutrient management, AI-driven yield forecasting, and bio-product development for smallholders. Interactive panels enabled farmers to share challenges and co-design site-appropriate solutions.
Date: July 8, 2024
Hosted by Amrita’s Center for Environmental Studies, this workshop gathered farmers, food processors, and sustainability practitioners to explore converting agricultural and food processing residues into organic inputs. Sessions covered EM Bokashi composting, vermicomposting, mushroom cultivation on agro-residues, and value-addition of byproducts. Hands-on stations let participants trial fermentation and substrate preparation.
Date: April 22, 2024
Under the School of Biotechnology’s outreach program, local paddy farmers joined researchers in field demonstrations of drought- and salinity-tolerant rice lines. Farmers co-evaluated agronomic traits, exchanged seed-selection techniques, and discussed on-farm management practices to enhance resilience under climate variability.
These events have fostered peer learning, built trust between researchers and practitioners, and accelerated uptake of sustainable agriculture and food-waste valorization technologies among Amrita’s neighboring farming communities.