Shimla (The Hawk): In an effort to upscale and out-scale farming knowledge and developed technologies within the state and regions with similar geographies, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Himgiri Agri Solutions, a Rohru based company.&nbsp;
The MoU was signed at the university to build cooperation between both parties for enhancing the core strengths and meet the institutional objectives of both organizations in the interest of the farming communities. “Through this accord, both parties will collaborate for research, education and skill upgradation of farmers in fruit production, production and manufacturing of fruit and vegetable-based value-added products from organic and natural farming produce,” said Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajeshwar Singh Chandel.
Dr. Sanjeev Chauhan, Director Research of the university and Jatinder Singh, Director of the company signed the MoU. Dr. NS Thakur, HOD of Food Science and Technology, Dr. Sudhir Verma, OSD to VC and Joginder Singh, Director of Himgiri were also present on the occasion of MoU signing.
Prof. Chandel said that there is a huge scope for upscaling the knowledge and university-developed technologies within the state and in similar geographies and extending research to the farmers’ field. Under this MoU, both parties will agree to cross-sharing of academic, technical and extension knowledge. Himgiri, will also upscale technologies developed by the university.&nbsp;
Himgiri also runs ‘Khetiyari, an ed-tech platform for imparting education and training in apple farming and orchard management. The two parties will further collaborate for farming certificate courses and the development of content through this platform. Himigiri will provide training and internship opportunities for university students and will host students for conducting research studies at the company facilities and its network.
Besides, another important area of collaboration will be in product development and processing of organic/ natural farming produce. The university will guide Himigiri and develop a product range from natural farming produce and also utilize the university’s processing facilities. The MoU will be a platform to strengthen and further the reach of the university and enhance its penetration with the farmers. The students of the university will also get to conduct research trials on the company’s farms and provide internship opportunities to them.

 In an effort to upscale and out-scale farming knowledge and developed technologies within the state

Nauni Varsity, Himgiri Agri Solutions To Collaborate On Upscaling Farm Tech; Develop Farming Certificate Course 

Shimla (The Hawk): Efforts must be made to increase convergence between labs and fields to become more field-friendly. As plant health affects the whole agri-horticulture sector, therefore an ideal combination of local. indigenous and modern strategies are needed to ensure proper plant health. Amitabh Avasthi, Horticulture Secretary of Himachal Pradesh expressed these views while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day ‘National Symposium on Confluencing Indigenous and Modern Strategies for Plant Health Management’ at the Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni on Friday.
The symposium is being organized under the aegis of the Himalayan Phytopathological Society and the Department of Plant Pathology of the university. Eminent scientists and researchers working on different areas of plant health management from ICAR-National Institutes, reputed universities and agrochemical industries are attending the event.
The Horticulture Secretary said that it was important that the experience of the farmers must be accommodated into the system as they are the real masters and eventually the technologies and strategies will have to be adopted by them. He urged the scientists to keep the issue of the farmers in mind and also stressed on the need to ensure the proper plant health of planting material.
Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, UHF Vice-Chancellor who was the Guest of Honour said that we need to narrow the gap between indigenous and modern technologies and check how the practices which are prevalent are relevant in today’s times. Prof. Chandel said that there is a need to address how some agricultural produce from our country, which has low average agrochemical usage as compared to developed countries, often show high traces of residue above the maximum residue level. He also gave the example of Himachal Pradesh, which through its natural farming movement has shown the way towards scientifically backed sustainable and environmentally friendly natural farming practice which have been successfully adopted by thousands of farmers and have ensured good returns at a lesser input cost.
Earlier, Dr. Sunita Chandel, HOD of Dept. of Plant Pathology and President of HPS informed that the symposium aims to provide deep insights on different aspects of plant health management and the forum will focus on advocating the importance of plant health among the scientists, farmers and industry. The symposium would outline the potential role of traditional and current technologies in deciphering combined stress tolerance in plants. Emerging plant health challenges such as the impact of climate change, loss of biodiversity, the rapid emergence of new pests and diseases, soil health, and other challenges will also be addressed in different sessions.
With the increase in world population, the pressure on agriculture production systems has also increased and plant health plays a vital role in ensuring sustainable agriculture and food security across the globe. Plants are continuously being challenged by biotic and abiotic factors that reduce the quality and quantity of produce which calls for sustainable management strategies to ensure plant health.
Symposium themes
Plant health management under natural and organic crop production, Bioactive compounds in botanicals and plant defense, Plant health management strategies under changing climate scenario, Mushroom cultivation for nutrition and livelihood; Biotechnological approaches for plant disease management; Artificial intelligence and IoT-based approaches in plant disease management; Plant quarantine, biosecurity, certification and seed health and Farmers-Scientist-Industry interaction and technology demonstration.

Efforts must be made to increase convergence between labs and fields to become more field-friendly

Scientists Discuss Issues Affecting Plant Health At National Symposium At Nauni Varsity

Shimla (The Hawk): The solid waste management plan of two doctoral students of the Department of Environmental Science, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni bagged the second prize at the Hackathon-Ideation event conducted by the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board on the occasion of World Environment Day held on Monday. The students- O Sadish and Priyanka, under the chairmanship of Dr. Satish Kumar Bhardwaj, HOD, Department of Environmental Science, bagged the prize.
The award along with a cash prize of Rs 75,000 was presented to the students by Himachal Chief Minister Shri Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu during the Environment Day celebrations, in which innovative ideas in waste management were presented. Over 250 participants from different universities and colleges of Himachal Pradesh applied for the Hackathon, out of which 12 teams were selected for the 1st round. The students made their presentation before the committee on 30th May 2023 and were selected in the final round involving the top 5 teams. On Monday, students, academicians, scientists, and industrial stakeholders gathered together to celebrate World Environment Day organized by the Pollution Control Board, wherein the final presentations were made. The presentation was evaluated by an expert panel of judges.
The team from Nauni presented their idea on ‘Sustainable Circular bioeconomic strategy for solid waste management in Himachal Pradesh’. Sadish and Priyanka gave an innovative idea wherein the solid waste generated in the state could be thermochemically processed to produce carbon-rich valuable products like Hydrochar and Biochar. These useful materials obtained from waste can be used as an alternative energy source, filter for wastewater treatment and organic nutrient fertilizer for agriculture. Eventually, processing units can be installed at the panchayat level, so that the circular bioeconomy could be achieved among local communities in a sustainable manner with this new waste management technology. Sadish has attained one research expertise at Queen’s University Belfast in the UK under the Commonwealth Fellowship recently. Priyanka who has also worked on Biochar, is also a recipient of the UGC JRF fellowship.&nbsp;
University Vice-Chancellor Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel congratulated the students on their novel idea and their efforts to give new innovative technology to the state for waste management. He added that the university has also taken several steps in solid waste management and a solid waste management plant has been established at a cost of Rs 28 lakh under the green initiative of NAHEP IDP. The solid waste is being converted into compost. The quality parameters have been checked and all the microbial activity and major heavy metals have been found to be within permissible limits. Dr CL Thakur, Dean COF; Dr SK Bhardwaj and the staff and students of the Department congratulated Sadish and Priyanka on their achievement.&nbsp;

The solid waste management plan of two doctoral students of the Department of Environmental Science

Nauni Varsity’s Students Bag Second Position In State-Level Hackathon

Shimla (The Hawk): A 10-member student contingent of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni was flagged off for a month-long International training programme at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Bangkok. The students will take part in the Agricultural Systems and Engineering academic programme as ‘special students’ for a period of one month from July 6. The topic of the training will be ‘Smart Farming Technologies for Sustainable Development of Horticulture and Forestry’. The fully-funded international training programme has been organised under the ICAR National Agricultural Higher Education Project's (NAHEP) Institutional Development Plan. The Asian Institute of Technology is a public-funded, international educational Institute promoting technological change and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region through higher education, research, and outreach activities since 1959. A total of 10 students, three each from the Horticulture and Forestry disciplines covering two colleges from the main campus and four students from the University’s constituent college at Neri have been selected for the programme based on their academic performances. The selected students- Swadha Sood, Anushuman Thakur and Siya represent the College of Horticulture, Nauni while Shaifali Sharma, Dhriti and Taniya are from the College of Forestry on the main campus. Apoorwa Sharma, Palak, Aryan Mahajan and Anjali Sharma represent the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri in Hamirpur district.  Professor Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor and statutory officers of the university interacted with the students before they left for Delhi for boarding their flight to Bangkok. Prof. Chandel congratulated the students on being selected for the programme and thanked the ICAR and the Government for making it possible for undergraduate students to visit and learn from institutes of global repute. He urged the students to make the most of this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and also utilize this visit as a chance to tell the world about our country, state and the university. He congratulated Dr. KK Raina, PI IDP and the whole team for arranging this training programme. This is the third batch of students who have been selected for the international training programme by the university under the NAHEP IDP. Earlier, a batch of 32 students attended a month-long programme at AIT while another batch of 10 students completed a three-week programme at Western Sydney University, Australia. Additionally, 31 faculty have also got an opportunity to enhance their skills through international training programmes in Australia, Canada, Israel, Germany, Thailand, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Another batch of 15 students will be leaving for Germany later this month, while the process of sending four faculty to Germany is also underway.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A 10-member student contingent of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry

10 Nauni Varsity Students To Attend Month-Long Training Programme At AIT Bangkok

Shimla (The Hawk): A 10-day Annual Training Camp (ATC 125) organized by the 1st HP Boys Battalion NCC Solan concluded at the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni. The camp was attended by 556 cadets from 6 Universities and Colleges from the state 15 schools from district Solan. The camp began on June 29 and concluded today at the University. While 177 cadets were from the Senior division, 379 students represented the junior division. The camp was organized for the overall development and growth of NCC cadets under the supervision of Col VS Panag, Commanding Officer 1 HP Bn NCC Solan, Administrative Officer Col A P Singh and his team of Army and civilian staff and teachers from various institutions. During the camp physical and weapon training and firing of .22 rifle, drill, cultural and skill development activities, social and motivation lectures, disaster management and social responsibility and several sports events were held. Speaking during the concluding ceremony Col VS Panag, Commanding Officer of 1 HP Boys Battalion welcomed the Chief Guest Prof Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice Chancellor of UHF Nauni. He thanked the university for hosting the training camps. Addressing the participants, Prof Chandel said that it was great to see the discipline in command and drill and compliments the team from 1 HP Boys Battalion. He urged the cadets to inculcate the learnings and discipline in day-to-day life. The cadets also showcased their talent in the cultural programme during the concluding ceremony. Prof Chandel gave the prizes of the various competitions held during the ATC. In the firing competition, Cdt. Raj Negi from Florence Public School and Cdt. Anmol from GMSSS Rajgarh bagged the 1st and 2nd prizes respectively in the junior division. In girls, Cdt. Yogaya Parocha from Florence Public School and Cdt. Naaz Akhtar from St. Lukes School bagged the first and second prizes. In the senior division, Cdt. Gopal Krishan from Chitkara University stood first in firing while Cdt. Mukesh Kumar from UHF Nauni bagged the second position. In girls, Cdt. Jalpa Magar from Govt. Degree College Arki stood first while Cdt. Manvi from UHF Nauni bagged the second position. In the drill competition (Jr Division) Cdt. Rahul Sharma from DPS Dagshai stood first while Cdt. Aryan Roka from GBSSS Subathu stood second. In Girls, Cdt. Priyanka Sharma and Cdt. Mehak from GMSSS Rajgarh stood first and second respectively. In the senior division, Cdt. Pushpneet and Cdt. Umesh Kumar from Government Degree College Karsog bagged the first and second positions respectively. In girls, Under Officer Mahima Thakur and Cdt. Banita from Government Degree College Karsog bagged the first and second prizes. In badminton doubles, Cdt. Nivesh and Abhilash were the winners while Cdt. Suraj and Sahil stood runners up. Cdt Rimjhim Thakur and Alins were the winners while Cdt, Vanita and Pratibha Singh were the runners-up. In badminton singles, Cdt. Varun Thakur was the winner while Cdt Umesh stood runners up. In Girls, Cdt. Banita was the winner and Cdt Pragati Gupta was the runner-up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A 10-day Annual Training Camp (ATC 125) organized by the 1st HP Boys Battalion NCC Solan concluded 

The Hawk

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Nauni Varsity, Himgiri Agri Solutions To Collaborate On Upscaling Farm Tech; Develop Farming Certificate Course

Inam Ansari

The Hawk

Tag : Nauni

Nauni Varsity, Himgiri Agri Solutions To Collaborate On Upscaling Farm Tech; Develop Farming Certificate Course

Inam Ansari

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