The Agriculture and Sustainable Rural Development (ASRD) division aims to take up research for providing evidence based policy inputs towards growth of agricultural and rural sector of the country. The rural areas mainly depends upon agriculture as a means of livelihood, its growth is critically dependent upon growth of agriculture for poverty eradication, income enhancement, employment and livelihood generation. But agriculture in the country faces many challenges like unpredictable monsoons and weather which impact the crop production and yield. Natural calamities like flood, drought, cyclones etc. damage the crop, livestock and land also adversely impact agriculture. Heavy loss caused to agriculture by these factors results in poverty and underdevelopment of rural areas. Apart from this another important factor is the sustainability of agricultural practices. As it has been observed that measures taken in the past are now creating many unwanted side effects in this sector, therefore issue of sustainability is to be addressed very carefully. Another aspect is coordination among rural development initiatives taken by Government, National Missions and state level strategies.

Against the above background, ASRD group intends to carry out research in following thematic areas:

1. Rural needs Identification and Impact Analysis (RIIA)

   • S & T content, sustainability assessment and direction in government schemes
   • Impact analysis of rural development schemes
   • Impact analysis of CSIR Technologies to highlight their contribution in socio-economic development

2. Sustainable Rural Innovations Policy (SRIP)

   • Stimulating rural innovations (by networking of academic institutions, line departments, grass-root local rural institutions, other stakeholder etc.)
   • Science and Technology ( S & T) for livelihood creation in rural areas through effective transfer/implementation of technologies from agencies like CSIR

3. S&T Policy and Decision-Making

   • Explore technological mapping and dissemination strategies to improve rural livelihood and sustainability
   • Undertake projects on need-based technology mapping in rural areas based on grassroots resources and issues
   • Undertake evidence-based studies for policy recommendations and strategies for rural development
   • Undertake projects on creating livelihood opportunities in rural areas through S&T interventions
   • Study barriers to technology adoption, including socio-economic, infrastructural, and knowledge gaps in rural areas
   • Develop Strategies and policies to accelerate the dissemination of technologies, technology transfer, and technology adoption with high TRL in rural settings
   • Develop Technology readiness frameworks and assess the technologies for commercialization and deployment of Technologies in Rural areas
   • Undertake the projects on assessment of socio-economic impact of technologies and existing policies for rural development

4. Sustainability Assessment

   • Comprehensive Water Sustainability Framework for water sustainability assessment and effective policy implementation, particularly in areas like water usage and crop sustainability
   • Develop and refine methodologies for water footprint analysis, water usage trends, and hotspot identification at various scales (regional, national, and crop level)
   • Develop strategies to reduce water-intensive cropping patterns and promote sustainable practices
   • Agricultural/Food Sustainability Assessment and study impacts of constraints that affect long-term sustainability
   • Publish research in high-impact journals and present findings at national and international forums

Completed projects

1. Creating Livelihood Opportunities in rural areas using CSIR Technologies through UBA and VIBHA Network

   MLP project, 2022-2025, PI: Dr. Yogesh Suman, Co-PI: Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad, Dr. Vinayak, Ms. Meetali Bharti

2. Assessment of Water footprint assessment verses water availability: A Case Study of Bundelkhand Region of India. OLP-2022-23, PI: Shiv Narayan Nishad, Co-PI: Dr. Naresh Kumar

3. Regional Assessment of the Water Footprint of the Major Food Producing States: A Case Study of Uttar Pradesh, OLP-2023-24, PI: Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad, Co-PI: Dr. Naresh Kumar

4. Workshop cum Training on “Making value added products using CSIR technologies” in Andaman region

   GAP project funded by DSIR 2023-24: PIs: Dr. Yogesh Suman and Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad

5. Understanding the Technology upgradation requirement and market expansion of BFBR technology of CSIR-NIIST

   OLP project 2023-24: PIs: Dr. Yogesh Suman, Co-PI: Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad

6. A Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment of Water Use for cereal production in Uttar Pradesh

   OLP 2024-25, PI: Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad, Co-PI: Dr. Naresh Kumar

Team:

Dr. Yogesh Suman, Chief Scientist & Head ASRD Division

Dr. Shiv Narayan Nishad, Principal Scientist

Dr. N.K. Prasanna, Principal Scientist

Ms. Meetali Bharti, Senior Scientist

Dr Mukul Bajpai, Scientist