Role of vegetables in nutritional security

Nauni, February 22, 2024: The Centre for Advanced Faculty Training in Horticulture (CAFT) of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni organized a 21-day National level advanced training programme on ‘Nutritional Security through Diversified Vegetable Production’, for 17 scientists of various universities and institutes from across the country. The training was sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.  

Speaking at the valedictory function on Thursday, the Director of Research and Chief Guest of the programme Dr Sanjeev Chauhan said vegetables were important to realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of No Poverty, Zero Hunger and Good Health and Well Being. He said that vegetables were an integral part of the diet system and were instrumental in meeting our nutritional requirements. Dr Chauhan urged the participants to focus on agricultural extension and developing replicable models that can cater to the farmers, especially the small and marginal ones. Guest of Honour and former Dean College of Horticulture Dr UK Kohli highlighted the role of vegetables in the diversification of crops and also the challenges faced in the mass propagation of some vegetable varieties.
Both speakers outlined the future strategies to develop successful technologies and cultivars of vegetables for diversified vegetable production with high nutritional values. They exhorted the need for speedy development of new innovative technologies and their transfer to farmers and the need for an increase in productivity for nutritional and health security of the growing population of the country. 

Earlier, Dr Happy Dev Sharma, Director CAFT and HoD of the Department of Vegetable Science presented the report of the training programme. Dr Sharma informed that the 17 scientists from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh participated in the training programme. Several eminent scientists of the country delivered talks on cutting-edge research aspects of diversified vegetable production and nutritional security. The deliberations focussed on the current state-of-the-art vegetable technology to match the food requirements of the ever-increasing population. He informed that CAFT has been operational in the department since 1994 and has conducted 33 such advanced training programmes on different research and development aspects of vegetables in which over 600 scientists have upgraded their skills. 

Participation certificates were also distributed to the trainees and a compendium of the training was also released. The training programme was concluded with a vote of thanks by Co-Coordinator Dr Meenu Gupta. Dr Manish Sharma, Dean, College of Horticulture, Dr CL Thakur, Dean College of Forestry, Dr KK Raina, Librarian along HODs and faculty of the department also took part in the training.