Agri education system should cater to farmers' needs: Shivraj Singh

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has stressed on the importance of training young students with agriculture degree programs. Inaugurating the 36th Conference of Vice Chancellors of Agriculture Universities and Director of ICAR Institutes in New Delhi on Tuesday, Chauhan said, it is the need of the hour that AI be inculcated in the agricultural education pedagogy. Talking about agri education, the Minister said, such education can not be taught in a classroom rather it should be on farms, amongst other farmers. He appealed Vice Chancellors to make informal relationship with their students so that they can get the best out of them. Chouhan said the research work must move from laboratories to fields through stronger collaboration among agricultural universities, ICAR, KVKs, FPOs, industry and farmers. He asked universities to set clear goals, develop actionable roadmaps and measure outcomes.

समय बदल रहा है, खेती भी बदल रही है और इसलिए हमारी कृषि शिक्षा को भी बदलना पड़ेगा। pic.twitter.com/NQyY0fyVOy

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) August 25, 2026

Secretary, DARE & Director General, ICAR Dr M.L. Jat, emphasised that achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat requires a fundamental transformation of agricultural higher education—from traditional models to a future-ready, skill-driven and innovation-led ecosystem. He stressed the need to strengthen industry–academia partnerships, promote demand-driven research, ensure robust accreditation and leverage data-driven decision-making. He highlighted that the seamless integration of education, research and extension is essential to translate scientific knowledge into field-level solutions and tangible benefits for farmers. “The objective of future agricultural education should go beyond awarding degrees to creating skilled, innovative and globally competitive human capital aligned with national priorities and the evolving needs of Indian agriculture,” he added.
Discussions also addressed timely ICAR-AIQ counselling and verification, separate Ph.D. counselling for Veterinary Sciences, and UG eligibility for agriculture-qualified and Hindi-medium students to make agricultural education more accessible and inclusive. The Conference also reviewed measures to align JRF/SRF research with national priorities, strengthen accreditation and quality assurance, and improve financial management, accountability and performance-based funding. Emphasis was placed on stronger industry–academia linkages, apprenticeships and internships, curriculum revision, and promotion of dual, twinning and joint degree programmes and academic exchange.