The scientists of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) will now research the mode of vertical farming to be introduced in Bihar to meet the shortage of agricultural land.
Announcing while inaugurating the three-day 15th annual research council meeting at Pusa (Samstipur) on Monday, RPCAU’s vice-chancellor P S Pandey said the scientists of the university would also research soil-less farming techniques like hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics to augment crop yield and benefit the farmers.
Pandey said the main advantage of utilizing vertical farming technologies is the increased crop yield that comes with a smaller unit area of land requirement. Another advantage is the increased ability to cultivate a larger variety of crops at once because crops do not share the same plots of land while growing, he said.
The VC called upon the scientists to undertake multi-disciplinary research with the assistance of experts in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and gene editing. He said the university has already been developing a digital agricultural lab, and another lab for gene editing would also be established soon. Studies should also be made on whether the research carried out in the university is benefiting the farmers in increasing their farm output. He also appealed to the scientists to work on the prospects of secondary agriculture to add value to the basic agricultural commodities and increase farmers' incomes.
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