During July 15-17, 2026, a team from the Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS) visited Hyderabad, as part of the projects titled “Dynamics of Agricultural Innovation in North India” and “Dynamics of Agricultural Innovation in South India”, funded by CGIAR–Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA).
The FAS team, comprising Dr. Sandipan Baksi (Director) and Dr. Tapas S. Modak (Joint Director), visited International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), and ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR).
At ICRISAT, the team met with Dr. Himanshu Pathak (Director General), Dr. Stanford Blade (Deputy Director General-Research and Innovation), and Dr. Swamikannu Nedumaran (Principal Scientist I-Agricultural Economist) to gather their valuable insights on a range of scientific agricultural innovations and their development and dissemination in rural India. The team also met Dr. C Tara Satyavathi, Director of IIMR, and Dr. M. Srinivas Prasad, Director (acting) of IIRR, along with Dr. Amtul Waris, Principal Scientist at IIRR.
These interactions provided valuable insights into the long-standing partnerships between India’s National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) institutions and CGIAR centres, as well as their collaborative efforts in developing, adapting, and disseminating various agricultural innovations.
The visit also provided an opportunity to invite the distinguished scientists and institutional leaders to participate in the upcoming “One-day Consultation on the Dynamics of Agricultural Innovation in South India,” scheduled for October 1, 2026, in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Here are a few glimpses from the visit…
