The Niti Aayog will help the Indian Institute of Sustainability, Gujarat University start an MBA programme in agripreneurship and value chain management.

This was disclosed at the signing of a Statement of Intent (SoI) between the Niti Aayog and the Gujarat University today.

The Niti Aayog will extend all possible technical expertise and advice to IIS to set up the Centre of Agripreneurship and Natural Farming, including collaborations with agri-preneurs and exposure to policy-making.

IIS’s MBA in agripreneurship and value chain management will empower agribusiness leaders, agriculture entrepreneurs, and value chain experts with the necessary skills, knowledge, exposure and attitude.

“It will foster an understanding of agribusiness, agro-based enterprises, rural and allied sectors. This is an excellent initiative by Gujarat University. The course is much-needed to develop an appropriate ecosystem for natural farming,” said Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar.

Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendra Sinh Chudasama added, “Gujarat has been at the forefront of education and agriculture. Globalization, policy reforms, and consumer awareness have brought about structural changes in Indian agriculture. There is a significant demand for agriculture entrepreneurs and value-chain management professionals.

IIS’s MBA course will create enormous opportunities for students and nurture an entrepreneurial spirit to serve the agri-food industry and rural development. It is a uniquely designed course that will provide global exposure to students in understanding the agriculture ecosystem.

The SoI signed today is expected to give a thrust to India’s efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It will focus on technical collaboration between the two institutions to strengthen knowledge-sharing and policy development in India.

The objective is to encourage and promote cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. The very real threat of climate change necessitates the development of mitigation strategies. Agriculture and the associated value chain have a crucial role to play in this regard, it was stated.

“While the government will extend all possible support to such strategies, without the private sector developing and embracing climate-smart solutions, our targets are unlikely to be met,” the Niti Vice-Chairman said.

The two SoI parties will conduct capacity-building programmes on farm sector development, agripreneurship, natural farming, climate change, etc.