Srinagar, Oct 5 (KNS): Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday urged agricultural engineers and innovators to develop technologies that can withstand real field conditions, including monsoons, and remain affordable for 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, Sinha said the success of agricultural technology should not be measured merely by patents or research papers but by its impact on 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,” he said.

Congratulating ISAE on completing six decades of service to the nation, the Lieutenant Governor commended SKUAST-Kashmir for its pioneering role among India’s leading agricultural universities.

He said the convention's themes — Women-Led Engineering Innovations in Smart Farming and AI and Robotics for Gen-Z Farming — were significant in the context of India's transition from overcoming food security challenges to emerging as a global leader in agriculture.

Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir, with its rich agricultural heritage and challenging terrain, was an appropriate venue for deliberations on the future of agricultural engineering.

Recalling the journey of agricultural engineering since ISAE's inception in 1960, he said scientists and engineers had contributed significantly to the Green Revolution through mechanisation and innovations that helped reduce post-harvest losses.

He urged the younger generation to draw inspiration from these achievements while addressing contemporary challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity and sustainable farming.

The Lieutenant Governor also called for greater participation and leadership of women in agricultural technology, noting that nearly 64 to 76 per cent of the rural female workforce is engaged in farming and allied activities, often without wages or land ownership.

He urged institutions and private-sector stakeholders to support women-led start-ups and establish laboratories, fellowships and incubation platforms to nurture young women engineers and scientists from rural areas.

“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,” Sinha said.

“We must ensure that our engineering colleges and agricultural universities actively nurture them to reach positions of technological leadership.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelLaboratories, fellowships and incubation platforms should be created where a young woman engineer or scientist from a village in Kishtwar or Kupwara can see her idea progress through a credible journey into a market-ready product,” he added.

On artificial intelligence and robotics, Sinha said innovations in the agriculture sector must have affordability and accessibility at their core.

He cautioned against limiting new technologies to large land-holding farmers and stressed the need to ensure that they reach small and marginal farmers, who constitute nearly 86 per cent of India's farming community.

He advocated developing tools that can operate on ordinary smartphones in low-bandwidth villages and promoting collective ownership models through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).

The Lieutenant Governor cited drones, Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensors and machine-learning models as examples of technologies already transforming agriculture.

“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. Create instruments that work not only on cloud infrastructure, but also on an ordinary smartphone in a low-bandwidth village in Reasi,” he said.

“Develop robotic instruments that can be leased through Farmer Producer Organisations or collectively owned by farming communities. I believe that this is the true meaning of developing technology for Gen-Z farming, technology that progresses alongside small and marginal farmers,” Sinha added.

He said Jammu and Kashmir's Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) was a replicable model for other states and expressed confidence that agricultural scientists and engineers from across the country would learn from the Union Territory's experience in precision agriculture and sustainable resource management.

The Lieutenant Governor also felicitated recipients of 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 SN Jha; Prof VP Singh of Texas A&M University; ISAE Secretary General Dr PK Sahoo; Convener of the 60th ISAE Convention Prof Rohitashw Kumar; Organising Secretary Dr Mudasir Ali; besides members of ISAE, researchers, academicians, technocrats, innovators, industry leaders, faculty members and students were present.

The Lieutenant Governor called upon agricultural engineers and innovators to prioritise practical, accessible and farmer-centric technologies so that advances in AI, robotics and smart farming translate into tangible improvements in the lives of small and marginal farmers.(KNS)