BBSRC-Bioscience for future & TIGR2ESS: Transforming India's Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies

BBSRC-Bioscience for future - TIGR2ESS (2017………..)

TIGR2ESS: Transforming India's Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies

The record grain outputs of India's Green Revolution in the 1970s established India as one of the world's largest agricultural producers, transforming the country from a starving nation to a food exporter, creating jobs and boosting the economy. However, behind this extraordinary achievement were varying levels of success across different Indian regions, and overuse of water, fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals on an unsustainable scale. In terms of agricultural productivity, the technologies of the Green Revolution plateaued in the 1980s, yet the continued adherence to a strategy of intensive agriculture has led to increasing pressure on water and nutrient resources.

The objectives of this proposal are:

1. To define the requirements and set the policy agenda for a 'second Green Revolution' in India, framed by demographic

changes affecting rural communities and feminization of smallholder farming systems. The aim is to ensure a more resilient

outcome for the country's future food production, including overcoming the regional bias of the previous Green Revolution

that favored production in certain areas and created unbalanced markets and tackling its negative impacts such as

overuse of water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

2. To develop and strengthen alliances across a carefully selected network of UK and Indian experts, to build a

collaborative, long-term research partnership in sustainable agriculture that will set India on the path to a second Green

Revolution.

This will involve:

a) two-way knowledge exchange, working together from the outset to contextualize the challenge in terms of the

widespread changes taking place in Indian society today;

b) building a collaborative fundamental scientific research approach to address sustainable crop production and sustainable

resource use (with a focus on water use from farmer to consumer in a changing monsoon climate);

3. To develop and build ongoing capacity for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable agriculture in both

the UK and India, training young scientists in areas critical to a sustainable agricultural system and enhancing their career

progression, across career stages.

4. To open a dialogue with both small-holder and large-scale Indian farmers, helping promote gender equality and stimulate

entrepreneurial activity through training workshops and on-farm demonstrations.

5. To create employment opportunities in India across the entire food chain from farm to fork, thus boosting the country's

economy, by interacting with Indian ministries, NGOs, multinational corporations and SMEs.

6.     To engage with the wider rural and urban communities in India to overcome malnutrition, and enhance understanding

of food and nutrition through community educational programs, and empower local people to adapt sustainably

agriculture practices, improve nutrition and enhance the wellbeing of communities.