Events and field studies for local farmers
Farmer Engagement
91探花 places local farmer engagement at the very heart of its community impact strategy. Through events such as the Village Conclave and various seasonal outreach initiatives, the university fosters robust, mutually beneficial relationships between the academic community and neighboring agricultural populations. These events offer targeted agricultural training, help develop self-help groups (SHGs), and facilitate participatory action research designed to address pressing local issues from improving market access to climate resilience and resource stewardship. Village Conclave stands out as a platform where farmers share their experiences, co-develop plans with JGU faculty and students, and access skill-building workshops led by agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, and policy advisors. The approach builds trust, values indigenous knowledge, and ensures research outcomes are grounded in lived realities. JGU is also committed to strengthening its collaborations with community-based organizations to develop and run sustainability programmes in neighboring regions.
Faculty Research
JGU’s faculty research supports this engagement. An ICSSR-funded study examines the effectiveness of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the national crop insurance scheme, in western Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Sriroop Chaudhuri’s research covers food insecurity, smallholder innovation adoption, agricultural technology, and groundwater management for irrigation. Prof. Rupesh Kumar’s research addresses sugarcane supply chains, irrigation system performance, and land use change.
Student Research Impact
JGU’s students are key players in action-oriented agricultural research, supporting local development while deepening their own learning. Interdisciplinary projects span critical areas including farm debt cycles, innovative crop resilience strategies, sustainable irrigation, and the empowerment of women in food production. Collaborative fieldwork exposes students to real-world challenges and creative problem solving, turning theoretical concepts into practical, actionable results. Many research projects involve direct interviews, field surveys, and community mapping, culminating in case studies and policy recommendations that feed back into JGU’s sustainability framework and government dialogue. This work is backed in the classroom by five cross-listed electives on SDG 2, with the spotlight course “Sustainable food, water and energy governance”. This cycle of learning and service gives students the tools to drive social transformation, amplifies local voices in academic discourse, and advances models for inclusive rural development.
Shared Giving
Embodying the spirit of community solidarity, JGU has planned to launch its campus food bank with a special farmer appreciation event, underscoring the foundational role local growers play in ensuring food security. This inaugural program will honor farmer partners, celebrate shared successes, and inaugurate regular joint activities such as produce donations, farm-to-campus distribution, and educational exchange sessions. Moving forward, the food bank will partner with village communities and SHGs to organize donation drives, co-host sustainability festivals, and pilot direct giving schemes such as fresh yield redistribution for students and staff in need.
The exchange also runs the other way. JGU is in the process of selling the compost made in its own Organic Waste Converter to local farmers at a lower cost. The converter turns campus food waste into compost, with a projected yield of about 2,112 kg a year, so waste from the dining halls in addition to being used in campus, also, returns to the land as an affordable soil amendment for the farmers who grow the region’s food. These efforts make giving and gratitude central to JGU’s campus culture, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and expanding the university’s impact on hunger relief and nutritional empowerment.
