Solan: Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni will be hosting an International conference on Enabling Sustainable Food Systems through Natural Farming (ESFS-NF) at the University on September 13-14. The two-day event will take place at the university’s campus and will feature distinguished personalities working in the agriculture sector from across the globe.
Organized in collaboration with the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), France and the Himachal Chapter of the Indian Ecological Society, the conference aims to advance the discourse on sustainable agriculture and natural farming.
Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Himachal Pradesh will be the Chief Guest during the inaugural function while Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat will be the Guest of Honour and main speaker. The conference will also host Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Dr. PL Gautam, Chancellor of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar; as well as Vice Chancellors, Directors of various agricultural universities, and ICAR institutes. Over 200 participants, including international scientists from countries such as France, Serbia, Britain, Mauritius, and Nepal, will be participating in the conference.
The conference is dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture, natural farming, and agroecological crop protection. It is being organised as part of SuSPNF and Agroecological Crop Protection towards International Co-innovation dynamics and evidence of Sustainability (ACROPICS) project, which addresses the need for sustainable agricultural practices that use little to no harmful crop protection inputs. The conference will be organised in four thematic areas: Natural Resource Management through Agroecological Practices for Climate Resilience, Nature based Solutions for Crop Protection, Natural Farming for Socio-Economic Transformation and Innovations in Sustainable Food Systems.
The conference will unite a diverse group of participants, including international experts, academicians, professionals, extension experts, students, local farmers and other stakeholders. It will serve as a platform for discussing cutting-edge research, exploring innovative practices, and co-designing strategies in agroecology. The event aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange to enhance food and nutritional security through sustainable agricultural practices.