Srinagar: A ten-day training course on ‘Hydroponics: The future of food without soil’ concluded Saturday at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir.
The training was sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, India and organized by the Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Horticulture, SKUAST-K, concluded with the valedictory session that was held under the chairmanship of Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor of the University who magnanimously graced the occasion as chief guest in spite of his very busy schedule. The Vice-Chancellor interacted with the participating scientists in the training programme who had come to attend the course from various universities of the country including scientists from state agricultural universities as far as from Assam and Kerala.
The current scenario of hydroponics in India and the world and its application for solving the problems being faced as a result of climate change were highlighted and deliberated upon during the training. Innovative approaches by combining the hydroponic soilless growing technology with vertical farming, protected cultivation under greenhouse and aquaponics, wherein hydroponic cultivation is blended in an eco-friendly way with fish farming, were stressed.
The Chief Guest of the valedictory function, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai, Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-K, in his visionary address enlightened the audience about the application of the latest technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning for solving the burning issues faced by the farmers and growers. He stressed the need for collaborative and interdisciplinary research work in the emerging and progressing agricultural fields like hydroponics so that there is efficient automation of the processes involved in soilless hydroponic cultivation at a lesser and comparatively affordable cost. Furthermore, he strongly emphasized the need for the popularization of hydroponics and associated technologies like soilless vertical farming so as to highlight its potential for entrepreneurship by our educated youth. A compendium of the lectures delivered during the training course was also released on the occasion.

KR Desk