ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation), the CSR arm of the ICICI group, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for collaboration towards inclusive growth in agriculture for rural development.

Under the aegis of this MoU, ICICI Foundation through its ‘Rural Livelihood programme’ will leverage ICAR’s knowledge and research, and enrich ICICI Foundation’s existing training programmes for farmers, spanning in over 1,000 villages across 29 states. Further, ICICI Foundation along with ICAR will evaluate and design various new courses for enhancing farmer productivity in various commodities.

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The two partners will also undertake collaborative programmes in sharing technical knowledge and know-how for training and capacity building for the benefit of farmers. They will also take up R&D and outreach activities to touch the lives of farmers. Additionally, the collaboration will focus on an integrated farming approach with allied activities (like dairy, fisheries, apiculture, horticulture, etc.) to ensure that farmers are able to earn a sustainable livelihood.

Mr. Saurabh Singh, President, ICICI Foundation and Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Director General, ICAR signed the MoU in New Delhi last week.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Saurabh Singh, said, “We at ICICI Foundation believe that comprehensive socio-economic development of villages will be a key driver of growth in India going forward. ICAR has been forthcoming in sharing its knowledge and research in agricultural sciences for the benefit of the farmers as well as for ensuring nutritional security of the country. With the MoU with ICAR, ICICI Foundation will act as a bridge that will connect the marginal farmers with ICAR in an attempt to significantly improve the agricultural productivity and farmers’ income. The collaboration will focus on developing large agri-value chains.”

Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra said, “This MoU is a significant development that will lead to wide dissemination of the expert knowledge residing with ICAR institutes, universities and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s including, application of various research that is undertaken.”

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About ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (ICICI Foundation) and Rural Livelihood programme: ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth is the CSR arm of ICICI Group. ICICI Foundation focusses on skill development. The Foundation’s Rural Livelihood programme improves the sources of income and provides a sustainable livelihood at more than 1,000 villages across the 29 states in the country with over 2,50,000 beneficiaries. Overall, ICICI Foundation has trained and enabled sustainable livelihood for 5,00,000 people.

About The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): ICAR under, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country. With 113 ICAR institutes, 75 agricultural universities and 715 KVKs spread across the country, ICAR is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.