Nongpoh, March 07: The two-day Consultative Workshop on “Transforming Agricultural Extension Education and Advisory Service System in North-East India: Policy Perspectives for Viksit Bharat 2047 (T-AEAS-NEI 2047)” was inaugurated today at the Auditorium of the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), Umiam, Meghalaya, under the aegis of Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal, in collaboration with ICAR–ATARI Zone VI, Guwahati and ICAR–ATARI Zone VII, Umiam.
The programme is being organized under the guidance of Dr. Anupam Mishra, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal. The workshop is coordinated by Prof. Dwipendra Thakuria, Dean, CPGSAS, Umiam, and Prof. L. Devarani, Professor, School of Social Sciences, CPGSAS, along with faculty members and organizing team of the institution.
The inaugural session witnessed the participation of distinguished scientists, academicians, extension professionals and policymakers to deliberate on strengthening the agricultural extension and advisory service system in the North-Eastern region to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
During welcome address and inaugural briefing, Dr. L. Devarani, Professor (Agricultural Extension), CPGSAS, Umiam, highlighted the importance of transforming extension education to meet emerging agricultural challenges and to enhance farmers’ access to knowledge, innovation and digital advisory services.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. P. Das, Former Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, New Delhi, emphasized the need for agricultural innovation systems and integrated extension approaches to harness the region’s diverse agro-ecological potential. He stressed that strengthening institutional collaboration, digital technologies and farmer-centric advisory services is crucial for sustainable agricultural development in the North-East.
An invited talk was delivered by Dr. Rajkumar Josmee Singh, Associate Professor (Agrl. Extn) and Dr. N. Janaki Singh, Professor (Soil Science), CPGSAS, CAU(I), Umiam elaborated on the application of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) for agricultural transformation and improved planning in the North-Eastern region.The session also included an industry perspective talk by Ms. Ankita Sindhu from Esri India, who discussed the role of geospatial technologies in shaping modern agriculture and advisory services.
During the two-day deliberations, several thematic sessions will be conducted focusing on areas such as digital and AI-driven extension services, monitoring and impact assessment of extension systems, innovations in extension instructional design, climate-resilient agriculture, social inclusion and livelihood resilience, market-oriented extension, and governance reforms in extension systems.
The workshop is expected to culminate in two major outcomes: the “Umiam Declaration 2026,” outlining regional priorities for strengthening agricultural extension systems, and a comprehensive policy roadmap for transforming extension education and advisory services in North-East India to support sustainable and market-oriented agricultural growth.
The workshop aims to generate policy recommendations and strategic frameworks for strengthening extension education, digital advisory services, and institutional collaboration to support sustainable agricultural development in the North-East. The deliberations of the workshop are expected to contribute significantly towards reimagining the agricultural extension system in the North-East region in alignment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
