IIM-K signs pact to promote sustainable agriculture in over 30 countries

Asian-African region will immensely benefit from pact, says AARDO Secretary General

The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) and African Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and collaborate in research, consultancy, technical and knowledge support in promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development practices in the 33 member-AARDO, which includes 31 countries in the Asian-African region.

IIM-K Director Debashis Chatterjee and Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General, AARDO, inked the agreement in New Delhi, a press release said here on Thursday.

On the game-changing collaboration, Dr. Nardeosingh said the agreement would now bring regular interaction between officials of member countries and the learned faculty members of IIM-K through different technical programmes in addressing issues and challenges being faced in the rural areas of AARDO. The AARDO would immensely benefit from the advanced scientific management methodology and tools to improve life in rural areas, he said.

Expressing happiness on the growing global footprints and international collaborations that IIM-K has been pioneering, Prof. Chatterjee said that the coming together of these two institutions had the tremendous potential to make a difference to the life of billions of people of two continents, Africa and Asia, which are bound by similar legacies and aspire for a bright future.

Considering the mutual interest in agriculture and sustainable rural development in AARDO member countries, the MoU seeks that both the organisations would cooperate and collaborate with each other to achieve common objectives, in particular with regard to addressing challenges in agriculture and sustainable rural development; through research, publication, consultancy and advisory. Impetus will also be given to advance new knowledge and its sharing, innovative solutions, interventions and capacity enhancement to benefit and strengthen rural communities of these countries.

Both IIM-K and AARDO will endeavour to organise international, regional and on-the-spot or in-country training programmes, workshops, seminars to strengthen the institutional capacity of the member countries. It will also conduct research, implement development projects jointly, exchange experts, specialists, create exchange programmes with universities and institutes in member countries and provide technical support in project formulations and consultancy, to make this coming together a success for developing countries in the Asian-African region coming under the umbrella of AARDO.