International meet on climate-smart rice cultivation

Amrita School of Agricultural Sciences, Coimbatore, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), hosted a two-day international conference on climate-smart rice farming. The event, held on April 29–30, brought together over 200 farmers and researchers to explore participatory strategies for tackling abiotic stress in rice cultivation.
Experts stressed the urgent need to form more Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to empower small and marginal farmers, improve market access, and reduce reliance on intermediaries. 
Swami Tapsayamritananda Puri inaugurated the event and shared a message from Chancellor Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, highlighting compassion-led, inclusive research. Dr. Kannan Warrier (Kerala Forest Research Institute), Dr. N. Maragatham (Dean, TNAU), Dr. Sudheesh Manalil (Dean, Amrita), and Dr. Krishna Jagadish (Texas Tech University), spoke. 
Sessions addressed stress-tolerant rice varieties, cold storage, milling, and the use of satellite imaging for early stress detection.
The role of sacred groves, region-specific technologies, and improved post-harvest infrastructure were also explored.