Monday 23 March 2009

Talk on "Rethinking Food & Agricultural Research"

K.N. Ramachandra, Member, Mysore Grahakara Parishat writes

Mysore Grahakara Parishat and The Institution of Engineers(India), Mysore Local Centre have organized a talk on "Rethinking Food & Agricultural Research" by Dr. Satheesh Periyapatna, Director, Deccan Development Society, Hyderabad. The talk will be at 6 PM on Tuesday, 24-3-09 at the S.P. Bhat Hall of The Institution of Engineers, JLB Road. The public is invited.

For the last several decades, agricultural research has been oriented away from the ordinary farmer. Today's research emphasis on biotechnology and biofuels is of little relevance to the average farmer. There are relatively few direct inputs from small scale farmers, food workers and ordinary citizens on what kind of food and agricultural research they want. Deccan Development Society is proposing a new initiative to rethink food and agricultural research under the assumption that scientific innovations can be beneficial to small scale producers, the rural poor and the ordinary consumer.

Dr. Satheesh Periyapatna will give a presentation on this initiative.