Umiam, September 11: The National Conference on “Natural Farming: Pathways to Self-Reliant Farming and Rural Prosperity (NCNF 2026)” concluded today at CAU-CPGSAS, Umiam, Meghalaya, bringing together agricultural scientists, academicians, administrators, extension professionals, policymakers, and representatives of the farming community. The three-day conference focused on strengthening agricultural extension, promoting innovation, and ensuring effective transfer of scientific advancements to farmers. It was organized under the patronage of Dr. Anupam Mishra, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal, and the guidance of Prof. Dwipendra Thakuria, Dean, CPGSAS, and Organizing Secretary, NCNF 2026.
The valedictory session was graced by Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, New Delhi, as Chief Guest. The Guests of Honour included Shri Dinesh Kulkarni Ji, All India Organizing Secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh; Dr. P. Das, Former DDG (Agricultural Extension), ICAR; Prof. B. R. Kamboj, Vice-Chancellor, CCS HAU, Hisar; Dr. P. S. Pandey, Vice-Chancellor, RPCAU, Pusa; Dr. J. P. Sharma, Former Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST, Jammu; Prof. S. Koteswara Rao, Former Vice-Chancellor, RSKVV, Gwalior; Dr. A. K. Mohanty, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Zone-VII, Umiam; and Dr. Alpana Das, Director, ATARI, Guwahati. Dr. Anupam Mishra presided over the programme.
The programme commenced with the arrival of the dignitaries, followed by the rendition of Vande Mataram and the National Anthem, and a screening of a highlight video showcasing the key moments and activities of NCNF 2026.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Rajbir Singh congratulated CAU for organizing the conference around the theme “One Farm, One Ecosystem, One Health.” He highlighted the participation of scientists, academicians, extension professionals, farmers, students, and policymakers through technical sessions, farmer–scientist interactions, research presentations, success stories, and exhibitions. He noted the growing national momentum in natural farming through academic programmes, research centres, KVK demonstrations, model farms, capacity building, and farmer training. He emphasized its potential contribution to quality food, environmental sustainability, human health, farmer self-reliance, and rural prosperity.
Presiding over the valedictory session, Dr. Anupam Mishra emphasized the role of agricultural universities in developing skilled human resources, promoting location-specific technologies, and strengthening research–extension–farmer linkages, particularly in the Northeast. Highlighting challenges such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and rising cultivation costs, he stressed self-reliant farming and rural prosperity as key to sustainable agriculture. He also highlighted the Northeast’s biodiversity and traditional knowledge for developing scalable natural farming models and proposed consolidating the NCNF 2026 recommendations into a policy document, the “Shillong Declaration.
Further, Shri Dinesh Kulkarni Ji emphasized farmer self-reliance as central to natural farming and envisioned Northeast India as a starting point for a nationwide movement, urging greater focus on youth entrepreneurship, farming, and scientifically validated curricula. Dr. P. Das, Former DDG (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, highlighted the conference’s significance in advancing natural farming and called for scaling successful practices, farmer-friendly certification, appropriate standards, and greater youth engagement through education and innovation. Prof. B. R. Kamboj, Vice-Chancellor, CCS HAU, Hisar, emphasized natural farming’s potential as an agricultural revolution driven by convergence, skilling, innovation, and location-specific approaches. Dr. P. S. Pandey, Vice-Chancellor, RPCAU, Pusa, proposed consolidating the recommendations as the “Umiam Declaration on Natural Farming” for concrete action and sustainable agricultural development. Dr. J. P. Sharma, Former Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST, Jammu, appreciated the multi-stakeholder participation and the efforts of the organizing team. Prof. S. Koteswara Rao, Former Vice-Chancellor, RSKVV, stressed reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers through location-specific research, scientific validation, and standardized natural farming practices. Dr. A. K. Mohanty, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Zone-VII, highlighted the participation of 39 KVKs in the Government of India’s Natural Farming Project, including training and field demonstrations for scientific validation. Dr. Alpana Das, Director, ATARI, Guwahati, noted the participation of 14 KVKs in Assam and three in Arunachal Pradesh and encouraged wider application of the conference learnings.
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The programme commenced with the welcome address delivered by Prof. Dwipendra Thakuria who, provided an overview of the conference, which received 270 abstracts and 37 full-length articles and attracted more than 480 participants. A total of 67 stalls showcased diverse exhibits, innovations, and activities. While, ended with concluded remarks by Prof. Ram Singh, Dean, College of Agriculture, Kyrdemkulai.
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During the valedictory session, awards were presented for Best Poster, Best Oral Presentation, Young Scientist, Best Master’s Thesis, Best Doctoral Thesis, and Best Exhibition. The session also featured 32 success stories of natural farming practitioners, showcasing their experiences and achievements. The conference concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening research, education, extension, technology transfer, and stakeholder collaboration for sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant agriculture.
