Role of Higher Education Institutions in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture Practices in India

This paper will look at the contribution of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) towards promoting sustainable agriculture in India in the context of Viksit Bharat 2047. Agriculture continues to play a pivotal role in the Indian economy, with a share of approximately 15-18 percent in the GDP, employing approximately 45 percent of the workforce, but the agricultural sector is experiencing increasing sustainability pressures, such as soil erosion, climate change, and a decline in resources. Through a descriptive and analytical research design solely founded on secondary data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, ICAR, and other allied government reports, the study examines outreach and research capacity, and sustainability indicators of an institution. The results show that the system of agricultural education in India consists of 74 or more agricultural universities, 113 ICAR institutes, and 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, creating a large knowledge base and innovation infrastructure. Training of farmers annually, climate-resilient agriculture programmes, organic farming growth, and the coverage of micro-irrigation show gradual changes towards sustainability. The adoption is, however, low when it comes to the magnitude of national agricultural problems. The study identifies the significance of improving the research-extension interface and supporting participatory models of innovation and incorporating sustainability competencies into agricultural education. Further evidence at the state level, Maharashtra, also indicates that the higher institutional density is the greater outreach of sustainability. The paper concludes that though India has a large higher education potential to spur agricultural transformation, to reach the objectives of Viksit Bharat 2047, the system needs to be reformed, and impact measurement and scaling of sustainable agricultural practices in an integrated institutional effort needs to be done.