• Calls for women-led innovation, rural incubation platforms
• Seeks greater support for women entrepreneurs
• Says “AI and robotics must be affordable”
• Accessible, usable in low-bandwidth rural areas
• Young engineers asked to focus on field-ready solutions to climate change
Srinagar | Oct, 05: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday called upon agricultural engineers and innovators to develop affordable, practical and field-ready technologies that can improve the lives of small and marginal farmers.
Addressing the 60th Annual Convention of the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers (ISAE), co-hosted by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor said agricultural technology must be designed for real-world conditions and the limited resources of farmers.
“Create technology that can endure in real fields, under real monsoon conditions, and within the limited budgets of real farmers. Do not measure your success solely by patents or published research papers. Measure it by whether, five years later, a small farmer in Anantnag, Amritsar or Akola is genuinely better off because of your tools,” Sinha said.
Congratulating ISAE on completing six decades of service, Sinha commended SKUAST-Kashmir for hosting the convention and highlighted the significance of its themes, “Women-Led Engineering Innovations in Smart Farming” and “AI and Robotics for Gen-Z Farming”.
He said the themes reflected India’s transition from addressing food security challenges to emerging as a leader in global agriculture. Jammu and Kashmir, with its rich agricultural heritage and challenging terrain, provides an appropriate setting for discussions on the future of farming, he added.
Recalling the contribution of agricultural scientists and engineers to the Green Revolution, the Lieutenant Governor said mechanisation and technological innovations had played a major role in increasing agricultural productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.
He urged the younger generation to draw inspiration from these achievements while developing solutions to contemporary challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity and the need for sustainable agriculture.
Sinha also underlined the need to strengthen the role of women in agricultural technology. He said a large proportion of rural women are engaged in farming and allied activities, often without adequate wages or land ownership, and called for greater opportunities for women innovators.
He urged educational institutions and private-sector stakeholders to support women-led start-ups and establish laboratories, fellowships and incubation platforms to help young women engineers and scientists from rural areas turn ideas into market-ready products.
“Women-led start-ups in agricultural technology should receive financing with the same confidence with which any other start-up is provided the necessary support and facilities,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor stressed that AI and robotics in agriculture must be developed with affordability and accessibility at their core. He said innovations should not remain limited to large landholders but must also reach small and marginal farmers.
He advocated technologies that can function on ordinary smartphones in low-bandwidth villages and suggested collective ownership and leasing models through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
“I urge the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers, SKUAST-Kashmir, and every young engineer and innovator to develop tools with affordability and access at their core,” Sinha said, adding that robotic equipment could be leased through FPOs or collectively owned by farming communities.
He cited drones, IoT-based sensors and machine-learning models as examples of technologies already transforming agriculture, while stressing the need to ensure that such innovations remain accessible to farmers.
Sinha also described Jammu and Kashmir’s Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) as a model that could be replicated in other parts of the country. He expressed confidence that agricultural scientists and engineers from across India would draw lessons from the Union Territory’s experience in precision agriculture and sustainable resource management.
The Lieutenant Governor also felicitated recipients of the ISAE awards on the occasion.
Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperative and Election Minister Javid Ahmad Dar; Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production, Dr Ashish Chandra Verma; SKUAST-Kashmir Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai; ISAE President Dr S.N. Jha; Prof V.P. Singh of Texas A&M University; ISAE Secretary General Dr P.K. Sahoo; Convention Convener Prof Rohitashw Kumar; Organising Secretary Dr Mudasir Ali, besides researchers, academicians, technocrats, innovators, industry representatives, faculty and students, attended the convention.
