Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and ABAN celebrated the launch of a new initiative to build an agricultural research institute in Chennai, India in a virtual ceremony on Monday.
Israel is globally famed for its agro-tech, and BGU is among the world leaders in the field of desert agriculture and water-related research.
BGU will be consulting regarding the establishment, development, launch and operation of the joint Academic Research Institute.
Interested students who have completed their undergraduate studies in an academic institution in India and meet the academic and administrative requirements of BGU can apply to study towards a certificate course, postgraduate diploma or master’s degree at BGU.
The research part of the degree will be carried out at the ABAN-BGU Academic Research Institute under the guidance of the faculty of the University or staff trained by BGU, in one of the fields of dryland agriculture and biotechnology, hydrology and water quality, desert studies, or ecology and conservation.
BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz said that “as part of the international research community, it is our obligation to share our scientific knowledge for the benefit of all of the world’s citizens.”
“We have been deepening our knowledge and researching myriad aspects of desert agriculture up close for more than 50 years. We are proud to be leading global research in these fields and therefore it is natural for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to direct the academic establishment of an agriculture institute in India,” he said.
The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) Director Prof. Noam Weisbrod, who visited India earlier this year to check out the site for the new institute, stated that “through this partnership with ABAN, we are looking forward to being able to offer the vast knowledge and experience we develop here at the BIDR to students in India so that they will be able to have an impact in their home country.”
“This new generation of local scholars will receive the tools to tackle some of the most pressing concerns of the modern world: the need for an efficient and modern agriculture to optimize and improve food production, and the methods and technologies to increase and improve water availability and quality, all while keeping in mind the environmental concerns,” he explained.
BGU’s Vice President for Global Engagement Prof. Limor Aharonson-Daniel has been working steadily for the past year and a half with her Indian partner, Sailendra Bhaskar, to bring this agreement to fruition.
“I am delighted that despite the challenges set by Covid-19 we were able to move forward with this important project, reinforcing BGU’s mission of combating desertification and exploring global challenges by bringing together water, food, energy and environmental research,” she said.
Israel has a long and proud history of providing aid to Indian farmers and has signed agreements with local governments and institutions and has exported agro-tech and knowledge that has helped farmers overcome their farming challenges.
