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Visit:
Dr. J.D.H. Keatinge, Director General, AVRDC and
his team Dr. Warwick Easdown, Regional Director of
South Asia and Dr. Hemant Nitturkar, Project
Development Officer visited ailing Dr. Prem Nath at
his residence on February 11, 2014. Dr. Keatinge
recollected his first visit to Bangalore when he
delivered a memorial lecture on behalf of Dr.
William Dar, Director General, ICRISAT, Hyderabad
during the first International Conference on
Vegetables (ICV-2002) organized by PNASF in November
2002.
During the XXX Group Meeting of the AICRPV held
during January 13-16, 2012, Dr. Prem Nath visited
seed multiplication farm where breeders and
commercial seeds were produced on a large scale.
This ensured purity of seeds as well as availability
of seeds to farmers of the region at the same time
generated income and facilitated proper utilization
of available cultivable land.
The private organization Farm Secure Holding,
Bethlehem, South Africa contacted PNASF to explore
the possibilities of collaboration in agriculture on
large scale farming, processing and marketing. The
representatives Mr. Trevor Francis and Mr. James
Moore visited PNASF on July 05, 2012 and held
discussion with Dr. Prem Nath obtaining scientific
human resources and technical know-how.
Visit of Prince of Thailand:
On invitation by the PNASF, H.S.H. Prince Bhisatej
Rajani of Thailand visited Bangalore on November
22-26, 2001 and held consultations with the private
and government organizations to initiate joint
activities on vegetable seed production.
Visit of FAO-Madagascar Team:
PNASF facilitated the
visit of FAO-Madagascar team to different Ecological
Based Institutions in Bangalore from August 18-22,
2002.
PNASF / HORTIVAR / 2002:
FAO in collaboration with
the PNASF had organized the Hortivar training
programme for the ICV-Participants during the
International Conference on Vegetables held from
11-14 November, 2002 at Bangalore. It is the
database developed by the FAO, which gives the
information about the cultivars of vegetable grown
in different parts of the countries and the regions.
Visit to USA Research Fellow:
Dr. Usha Palaniswamy of the University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA
visited PNASF and VEGINET during 21st December 21,
2006 to January 13, 2007 in relation to her project
entitled ‘International Farming Systems: Sustainable
Farming and Natural Resources Management Practices
in the Developing World. The project is funded by
USDA-CSREES for the benefit of university students
in the USA. The PNASF appreciates this support in
enhancing the educational collaboration with the
institutions in the Asian countries including India.
Visit of the Nuffield Scholars from Australia and
France:
Mr. Jack Milbank an Australian horticulture
grower and Mr. Romain Vacherot, a French grower
visited PNASF and India from November 13-26, 2007
They were recipient of Nuffield Scholarship for
agriculture/horticulture study tour in India, UAE
and Taiwan. On their request, the PNASF organized
their tour to Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Karnataka to study particularly the production,
processing and marketing of both temperate and
tropical horticultural crops. The visiting sites
included grower’s field including crop and seed
production, agricultural universities, experiment
stations and marketing centers. Both the visiting
foreign growers and the national growers benefited
out of the sharing of knowledge on horticulture
industry. On completion of their tour they conceived
and expressed the potential of cooperation among
these growers. It was also highlighted that these
scholars would work on possible continued
collaboration between PNASF and Nuffield Australia
in order to initiate Nuffield India.
Visit of the Nuffield Scholar from Australia:
The PNASF had been identified to coordinate and conduct
the study visit of the Nuffield Scholarship
recipients in India by Nuffield Farming Scholarship
Trust, Leicestershire, UK. The first batch of
scholars viz; Mr. Jack Milbank, an Australian
horticulture grower and Mr. Romain Vacherot,
a
French grower visited India and PNASF during
November 2007 and shared their experiences with the
growers and scientists of India. During the current
year, Mr. Sam Archer, an Australian grower visited
India and the PNASF and held discussion with Dr. Prem Nath on 05th July, 2008. His area of interest
centered around Environmental Resource Management.
These visits have generated interest of contacts
between the Indian and Australian farmers and farm
business entrepreneurs.
PNASF/AHS/2001:
The project “Top working in mango
funded by the PNASF implemented by the Agri-Horticultural
Society (AHS), Hyderabad provided practical training
to more than 50 growers in Hyderabad and
Maharashtra. More than 1000 mango trees were top
worked in about 30 orchards of the farmers. The AHS
has bought out a leaflet entitled “Old mango into
gold mango”. The AHS is of the opinion that the new
varieties developed by the research institutions
could be top-worked to update the existing orchards.
Visit of PNASF International Research Fellow:
Dr. Usha Palaniswamy of the University of Connecticut,
Storrs, USA visited PNASF and VEGINET
during 21st
December – 13th January, 2007 in relation to her
project entitled ‘International Farming Systems:
Sustainable Farming and Natural Resources Management
Practices in the Developing World. The project is
funded by USDA-CSREES for the benefit of university
students in the USA. The PNASF appreciates this
support in enhancing the educational collaboration
with the institutions in the Asian countries
including India. Apart from the discussion at the
PNASF and VEGINET arrangements were made for her to
visit collaborating institutions like University of
Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Agriculture, Man and
Ecology (AME) Foundation, Ashok Trust for Research
in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Green
Foundation, Namdhari Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Indian
Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR),
Institute for Social and Economic Changes (ISEC),
Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka,
and Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI),
Mysore. The visit and discussion enriched her with
the farming systems being practiced by farmers and
developed by different institutions in selected
areas of Karnataka. The PNASF will support the
activities of the said project. As a life-member of
the VEGINET, Dr. Usha intends to support its
activities and will encourage fellow
scientist/professors in the USA to participate in
its networking and particularly in the upcoming
International Conference on Vegetables (ICV-2007) at
Fortaleza, Brazil during 10-13 September, 2007. With
the assistance of possible grants, Dr. Usha also
plans to facilitate the participation of some
selected Indian farmers to this International
Conference in Brazil.
USA Focal Point on VEGINET Visits PNASF:
Dr. Usha
Palaniswamy, Chair, Division of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, Excelsior College, Albany, New York,
visited PNASF on 19th and 20th December, 2008. Dr.
Usha is the member of the VEGINET and the focal
point for the members in the USA since 2007. She has
been taking interest in the activities of the
VEGINET and also had presented the activities under
the USDA-ISE Programme- Award-2006-2011 during the
Annual Conference of the American Society of
Horticultural Science. Dr. Usha held detailed
discussion with Dr. Prem Nath on the activities of
the PNASF and its mission, programmes and projects
related to promotion of agricultural education,
research and development. The ongoing field projects
on the nutrition of school children in the urban
community and on women development in the rural
community were explained. Dr. Nath informed the
preparations of PNASF initiated and sponsored
International Conference on Horticulture (ICH-2009).
Dr. Usha showed keen interest in participation
during the conference along with VEGINET members in
the USA. Dr. Usha was also briefed on the ongoing
activities of the VEGINET including the sponsorship
to the ICH-2009. Dr. Usha was appreciative of the
activities of the PNASF and VEGINET and agreed to
participate in the ICH-2009 during November 9-12,
2009. She thanked PNASF for hosting her visit to
Bangalore.
PNASF/HORTIVAR/2009:
FAO jointly with the PNASF
organized the HORTIVAR Training Programme for three
days to the benefit of the participants of the
ICH-2009 during November 9-12, 2009 at Bangalore.
The Hortivar is a geo referred database on
performances of horticulture cultivars and platform
for horticulture knowledge management and exchange
globally. The training course was undertaken under
the supervision and guidance of Dr. Remi Nono-Womdim,
AGPC, FAO, Rome. Dr. Remi gave orientation to
selected trainers and the trainers in turn trained
the registered trainees. About 100 scientists,
professors, students and progressive farmers were
trained. |
