ICAR-CCARI, Goa organized a Symposia on “Coastal Agriculture: Livelihood and Sustainability” during XVI Agricultural Science Congress & ASC Expo-2023

     ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI) organized a Symposia on “Coastal Agriculture: Livelihood and Sustainability” during XVI Agricultural Science Congress & ASC Expo during 10-13 October 2023 at Kochi, Kerala. ICAR-CCARI, Goa has also displayed an exhibition unit wherein around ~1250 participants visited. Shri. Parshottam Rupala, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. Of India visited the exhibition stall and discussed about newly released varieties of cashews. He appreciated the efforts of the institute for the development of agriculture in the coastal region. In the symposia, Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari (Hon’ble DDG (NRM), ICAR) chaired the symposia while, Dr. R.N. Chatterjee Director, DPR, Hyderabad was the co-chair. Dr. Parveen Kumar Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa was the convener of the symposia. Dr. Rajkumar R.S. was the coordinator of the symposium. Dr. Gokuldas P.P. and Dr. Sreekanth G. B., Senior Scientists of ICAR-CCARI, Goa were the rapporteurs.

Dr. Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, DDG (NRM), ICAR, New Delhi delivered the opening remarks and highlighted the importance and need of coastal agriculture. There were six invited lectures including one recorded presentation from the experts. Dr. Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa delivered a keynote address on “Integrated Farming System Approaches for Sustainable Intensification, Livelihood Security and Diversification of Coastal Agriculture”. Dr. M.R. Dinesh, Former Director, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru delivered a lecture on “Innovative Technologies to Augment the Productivity and Sustainability of Horticultural Crops in the Coastal Regions”. Dr. Grinson George, Head, MBEMD, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi (Reframing Indian Coastal Aquaculture and Fisheries: An IPCC Risk Assessment Framework Perspective), Dr. Sejian. V., Dean, Rajiv Gandhi Institute Veterinary Education and Research, Puducherry (a recorded presentation on “Impact of Climate Change and Mitigation Strategies for Sustainable Livestock Production in Coastal Regions”), Dr. N. Ravisankar, Principal Scientist, ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram (Natural Farming for Systemic Transformation of Coastal Agriculture) and Dr. R. Solomon Rajkumar, Senior Scientist and Coordinator, Agro-Ecotourism Centre, ICAR-CCARI, Goa (Agro-ecotourism for Livelihood Diversification and Scaling of Entrepreneurship among Rural Youth) were the other invited speakers. At the end of the symposia, a discussion was held about the challenges and opportunities of coastal agriculture. About 300 delegates participated in the symposia including progressive farmers.

 

Major Recommendations of the symposia

•    Crop diversification, emerging novel propagation techniques, entrepreneurship development and innovative marketing for fast availability of quality planting material can greatly aid in productivity and income enhancement and sustainability of horticultural crops in the coastal region.

•    Adoption and promotion of region-specific IFS models have potential to ensure food, nutritional and livelihood security for small and marginal farmers of coastal region besides delivering numerous ecosystem services.

•    Climate change induced extreme weather events are posing serious threats to the coastal fishery and livestock sectors, therefore assessing vulnerability, devising and promoting appropriate coastal adaptation strategies are urgently required for hand holding of small and marginal coastal farmers and fishermen.

•    Area specific promotion of Natural Farming through IFS can enhance profitability, sustainability, climate resilience and conservation of biodiversity in the coastal region.

Agro-eco-tourism offers greater potential in the coastal region as a tool for doubling farmer’s income, attracting youth in agriculture, and conserving natural resources and agro-biodiversity.