Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, has entered into a partnership with The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) at the University of Chicago, in New Delhi today, to explore the opportunities to harness innovation to improve food security, address climate change, and allow farmers to increase their incomes. The DIL, founded by Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Kremer, University Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and 2019 co-recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel, was represented by the University of Chicago Trust in India during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The partnership will look into innovation opportunities related to agriculture and food security in the context of climate change, in the present scenario of experiencing a rise in extreme temperatures, floods, and droughts, as well as changes to the monsoon system. Innovations in digital services, weather forecasts, and soil health management could help farmers adapt to these shocks and improve their livelihoods, while improving environmental sustainability of agriculture. DIL will assist DA&FW in its efforts to identify, develop, test, and refine innovations in these and other priority areas, to support India’s small holder farmers.
Secretary (A&FW) Shri Manoj Ahuja expressed happiness over the signing of MoU with DIL and felt that this would immensely help the small and marginal farmers in addressing the challenges of climate change and increasing farm productivity.
The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries.
