Young scientists benefit from cross-CGIAR expertize in digital innovation for agriculture

Photo: Rajita Kulkarni (Sri Sri University President)(l) and Ranjitha Puskur (International Rice Research Institute)(r) at the online course inauguration

The CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation has partnered with Sri Sri University in Cuttack, Odisha to launch an International Certificate Course on Digital Agriculture. The online course is targeted at young scientists and researchers pursuing their bachelor’s degree in either agriculture, environmental sciences or data science.

The inaugural session of the course was held on 19 August 2023, and saw 95 students from universities in India selected from 1,000 who registered their interest, in addition to extension workers. The session surpassed the goal of achieving a 50:50 gender balance with 54 women participating.

Students enrolled in the course receive guidance from experts in the field of digital agriculture from around the globe across all CGIAR centers, in addition to partners such as the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute.

The course is delivered over 40 hours in weekends. With goal of introducing learners to the basic terms, technologies and tools used in digital agriculture, it includes lessons and hands-on sessions in the following modules:

• Human-centred design and digital inclusion
• Existing software and their use
• Data science (including data collection, data management, and data integration)
• Crop modelling and applications
• Scaling digital innovations

The online diploma course is one of several activities undertaken under Digital Innovation to improve digital capabilities and inclusion, including a separate Digital Agriculture course launched in Guatemala in 2022.