India-US Launch Innovative Agriculture Programme

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the second phase of the” Feed the Future : India Triangular Training Programme”, bringing specialized agriculture training to 1,500 agricultural professional across Africa and Asia
• Under this programme, 32 Training programme of 15 days duration will be conducted in India and 12 Training programs of 10 days duration will be conducted in selected African and Asian Countries during 2016-20 i.e., for 4 years.
• The entire expenditure including participants travel, insurance, lodging, boarding, local travel and programme fee will be met by USAID and MANAGE(National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management).
• The training areas will be identified based on demand analysis conducted in participating countries.
• This programme will cover 17 countries covered under the programme are Kenya, Malawi, Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Sudan, Botswana, Ethiopia in Africa and Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Vietnam in Asia. Also faculty of MANAGE visited Cambodia and Vietnam in Asia and Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa as part of Demand analysis.

Analysis:

• The programme will help in harnessing the expertise and innovation of the two countries, i.e. India and the US, which in return will unlock new opportunities to address global development challenges. It will also help in bringing closure of the shared objective of eliminating global poverty and hunger.
• A new Agriculture Partnership between US and India to achieve Ever Green Revolution to address Global Food Security was announced during the State visit of US President Barak Obama to India in November 2010.
• The Feed the Future Initiative was created to address the immense challenges facing the global food and agricultural system. Currently 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger, mostly in Sub-Saharan African and South East Asia. By 2050, the global population will reach 9 billion and global food demand will increase by 40 to 70% depending on the level of income growth in poor countries.
• In spring 2009, the Obama Administration launched Feed the Future with a pledge of $3.5 billion over the next three years; other members of the G8 and the G20 pledged an additional $18.5 billion
• The Feed the Future initiative brings additional resources and better alignment of donor and multi-lateral coordination to the fight against global hunger, the longer term challenges of global food security, and building future markets.
• Members of the G8 and G20 agreed to invest according to a new set of guiding principles. These include supporting country led plans, comprehensively addressing the root causes of food insecurity, increasing coordination, utilizing the strength of multi-lateral institutions, and making sustained and accountable commitments.

By: Vishal