CIRDAP celebrated the New Year in a vibrant manner, hosting a special program at the scenic Chameli House Garden. The event was inaugurated by the Honorable Director General, HE Dr. P.Chandra Shekara, who delivered an insightful speech and symbolically cut the cake to mark the occasion. Throughout the program, all CIRDAP staff members expressed their personal commitment to strengthening the organization. The campaign, launched in the beginning with New Year’s celebrations, seeks to raise awareness about the importance of rural development across the world. It focuses on the transformative potential of rural areas in driving sustainable growth and improving the quality of life for millions.Dedicated website for the event https://worldruraldevelopmentday.org/ has been activated.

The Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) and Nepal Farmers Advisory Council (NFAC) Pvt. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 8, 2024, to collaborate on advancing agribusiness and rural development initiatives in Nepal. The MoU was formalized by HE Dr. P. Chandra Shekara, Director General of CIRDAP, and Dr. Yogendra Kumar Karki, Chairman of NFAC. This partnership aims to enhance technical support, capacity building, and the implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices. Under the agreement, CIRDAP will facilitate international knowledge exchange and exposure for Nepalese agricultural stakeholders, focusing on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and e-agriculture. Meanwhile, NFAC will collaborate with various levels of government in Nepal to ensure the effective rollout of projects. This five-year collaboration is expected to improve the livelihoods of marginalized farmers in Nepal, particularly by introducing innovative rural development models and ensuring integration with local government initiatives.

CIRDAP organized a webinar titled “International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Five Decades of Excellence in Alleviating Poverty in South Asia” on December 5, 2024. The honorable speaker was Dr. Sreenath Dixit, Principal Scientist and Strategic Advisor, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India. The webinar marked the Institute’s 50 years of pioneering agricultural research, focusing on improving dry land farming and agri-food systems in the semi-arid tropics. The speaker emphasized the need of ensuring food security, boosting nutrition, and supporting environmental sustainability in dry land regions. Dr. Dixit also talked about how ICRISAT transform ancient water system knowledge – “Reviving traditional rainwater harvesting systems: Haveli cultivation” – into modern day technology and innovation. For more please see the attached presentation: ICRISAT, a leading international scientific organization, has focused on resilient, climate-smart, and nutritious legumes and cereal crops, utilizing value web and value chain approaches. The institute’s vision is to create a prosperous, food-secure, and resilient dryland tropics, aiming to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and environmental degradation Click here to see the Presentation

The Programme “Micro Enterprises for Rejuvenation of Rural Economy: Policies, Programmes & Learnings” aims to empower stakeholders with knowledge, strategies, and best practices to foster the development of micro-enterprises as a catalyst for sustainable rural economic growth. By leveraging collaborative learning and policy insights, the Programme seeks to address challenges, promote innovation, and strengthen the resilience of rural economies across CIRDAP member countries and beyond. The Programme also tries to address digital advances, startups, entrepreneurship, development Programme engaging micro enterprises. The Programme also ensures “Back AT Work Plan” to all participating executives. Relevant Documents  Brochure: Click Here  Application-Form: Download

Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) and Krishi Jagran, a prominent Indian agricultural media group have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 1, 2024, to jointly strengthen rural development, sustainable agriculture, and empower farmers across member countries.Under the agreement, Krishi Jagran will serve as a key media partner to raise awareness about CIRDAP’s initiatives and projects. The MOU includes the extension of the prestigious “Millionaire Farmers of India (MFOI) Awards” to CIRDAP member countries, recognizing farmers who exemplify innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Additionally, Krishi Jagran will become the official media partner for World Rural Development Day, an initiative led by CIRDAP and recognized by the United Nations. The MoU was signed by HE Dr.P.Chandra Shekara,DG,CIRDAP and Mr.Dominic,Chairman,Krishi Jagaran Group in presence of farmers and dignitaries.

CIRDAP and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) November 25, 2024, to enhance nutrition and public health through the HarvestPlus Program. Mr. Wahidul Amin, Country Coordinator of Harvest Plus with the Four Harvestplus team members visited CIRDAP and had an introductory session with the CIRDAP team. The honorable Director General of CIRDAP, Dr. P. Chandra Shekara was also present in the MoU signing event. HarvestPlus, part of IFPRI, develops and promotes biofortified food crops rich in vitamins and minerals, fighting hidden hunger worldwide. Over 100 million people in farming households are now eating biofortified crops, making food systems more nutritious and resilient to shocks. The program has worked on Enriching Diets with Bio fortification for 20 years, aiming to improve the health and livelihoods of smallholder farming households and low-income consumers. Bio fortification is one of the many important solutions being implemented by global research partners working together across CGIAR to ensure a food-secure future for all.

The Webinar on “International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Five Decades of Excellence in alleviating poverty in South Asia” will be held on December 5, 2024, at 11 a.m. Bangladesh time (10:30 a.m. Indian time). Honorable Speaker: Dr. Sreenath Dixit, Principal Scientist and Strategic Advisor, Office of the Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India. Please registrar in the link below to attend the webinar: https://forms.gle/q9oZGD7LQ555rKkr5 CIRDAP’S Upcoming Webinar on December 5, 2024 The Webinar on “International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Five Decades of Excellence in alleviating poverty in South Asia” will be held on December 5, 2024, at 11 a.m. Bangladesh time (10:30 a.m. Indian time). Honorable Speaker: Dr. Sreenath Dixit, Principal Scientist and Strategic Advisor, Office of the Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India.

CIRDAP organized a webinar titled “Small Enterprises to Strengthen Rural Economy: Challenges & Opportunities” on 19 November, 2024.  Dr. S. Glory Swarupa, Director General, National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ni-msme), Ministry of MSME, Government of India was embraced as the honorable speaker.  Along with the overview of the MSME sector, Dr. Glory Swarupa talked about the contribution of the sector (contributing 29% of GDP in 2021–2022). The MSME sector is the second largest employer after agriculture, accounting for 44% of exports in 2022–2023 with almost 6000 goods.  As a Center of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, NI-msme also trained 11,019 International Executives representing 145 developing countries. The Speaker stressed the need for enhanced policy and financial support for MSME sector As an Institute, NIMSME intends to support the long-term expansion of MSMEs while conforming to national priorities for attaining global standards. For Details please see the link of the presentation below: Click here to see the Presentation