WSU invests $5m into food security research

Western Sydney University (WSU) will collaborate with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and 13 state agricultural universities on research to address global issues of food security and climate change.

WSU plans to invest $5 million into the partnership, which will focus on new research and developments in protected cropping and related aspects of horticulture and agriculture, as well as collaborative teaching and learning. This is expected to make a significant contribution towards doubling farmers’ income in the long term, which forms part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.

ICAR stated the research will help “bridge the gaps between potential and realized yield, mitigate the effect of climate change on agriculture, employ artificial intelligence, strengthen pollinator research and enable academic exchange between the two countries”.

WSU Vice Chancellor and President Professor Barney Glover said, “This is the beginning of vitally important relationships between our countries that will contribute to addressing global food security challenges. This highly innovative Indian–Australian collaboration will be driven by world’s best research, teaching and learning.”

Joint research training programs in horticulture and agriculture will help upskill the industry and train early-career academics, and industry will play a critical role in jointly funded scholarships with ICICI bank, Eurochem, Syngenta and Olam International.

“Collaborative research between ICAR and WSU will bring together researchers, academics and students from partnering institutions and provide them with a platform to benefit from mutual expertise,” concluded the Director General of ICAR, Dr Trilochan Mohapatra.

The network includes state agricultural universities from Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kashmir, West Bengal, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Gina Sanders