ICAR Signs MoU with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation to Strengthen Agricultural Skills and Rural Livelihoods

16 February 2026, Hyderabad

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation (DRF) today at the ICAR–National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The agreement marks an important step toward strengthening structured agricultural skilling, modernizing extension delivery systems, and enhancing livelihood opportunities for farmers and rural youth through a science-based and institutionally anchored public–private partnership model.

The MoU was formally exchanged between Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, and Mr. Suman S., Director (Rural Livelihoods), Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, in the presence of the Director, ICAR-NAARM; Director, ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes, Hyderabad; Director, ICAR-ATARI Bengaluru; and senior officials and technical representatives from both organizations. The partnership reflects ICAR’s continued commitment to expanding the reach of its research and extension systems through collaborative frameworks that are aligned with national development priorities.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Suman S stated that the MoU marks an important milestone in promoting high-quality skill development in agriculture. He noted that by integrating ICAR’s strong research and technical expertise with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation’s effective community engagement approach, the collaboration aims to deliver long-term benefits for rural livelihoods and sustainable agriculture.

He further highlighted that the Foundation’s experience of working with over 80,000 farmers underscores the vital role of robust extension services and skill development. He added that this partnership with ICAR will enable the scaling up of impactful initiatives while maintaining technical excellence and alignment with national priorities, with special focus on empowering rural youth, marginalized communities, and persons with disabilities.

Under this MoU, ICAR will extend its scientific and technical expertise to support the development and delivery of structured vocational education and training programmes in agriculture and allied sectors. The collaboration will focus on aligning skill development initiatives with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and the National Credit Framework (NCrF), thereby creating flexible learning pathways and enabling credit accumulation and mobility for rural youth. ICAR will provide technical guidance, curriculum development support, and access to its extensive network of subject matter specialists, research institutes, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) to ensure that training programmes are technically robust, regionally relevant, and evidence-based.

The partnership will also emphasize capacity building of small and marginal farmers by integrating ICAR’s validated technologies with DRF’s Lead Farmers Platform model for community-level outreach. Special attention will be given to promoting climate-smart and regenerative agricultural practices, resource-use efficiency, soil health restoration, and sustainable crop management strategies. Through this collaboration, ICAR’s proven technologies and best practices will be disseminated more effectively at the grassroots level, strengthening last-mile extension services and improving adoption outcomes.

Another important dimension of the collaboration is enhancing youth employability and entrepreneurship in agriculture and allied sectors. By leveraging DRF’s field presence and recognition as an Awarding Body by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), the initiative will facilitate standardized certification and industry-aligned skill training. This will contribute to creating a future-ready agricultural workforce capable of supporting productivity enhancement, value addition, and market integration.

The MoU also supports national priorities such as the Skill India Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Education Policy’s emphasis on vocational integration, the National Agricultural Education Policy, and the Government of India’s focus on climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable development. By strengthening institutional convergence between research, extension, and skill ecosystems, the collaboration aims to create scalable models that can be replicated across states.

Initial implementation will be undertaken in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, with scope for expansion based on performance and outcomes. The MoU will remain valid for five years from the date of signing, with a joint monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation, ensure milestone-based progress, and maintain quality standards.

Through this partnership, ICAR reaffirms its mandate of advancing agricultural research, education, and extension for national food and nutritional security, while strengthening skill-based rural transformation through science-led, institutionally coordinated efforts.