National Conference on Natural Farming 2026 kicks off at Umiam
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 09 2026: The National Conference on "Natural Farming: Pathways to Self-reliant Farming and Rural Prosperity (NCNF 2026)" began today at the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), Umiam, Meghalaya.

The three-day conference is being organised by Central Agricultural University, Imphal under the patronage of Vice-Chancellor Dr Anupam Mishra and guidance of Prof Dwipendra Thakuria, Dean CPGSAS .

Governor of Assam Lakshman Prasad Acharya graced the inaugural session as chief guest in presence of Dr Joram Aniya, Member NITI Aayog; Dr P S Pandey, Vice Chancellor RPCAU Pusa; Dr A K Singh, Vice Chancellor RLBCAU Jhansi; Dr C K Timbadia, Vice Chancellor Gujarat Natural Farming Science University; Dr D J Rajkhowa, Vice Chancellor Assam Agricultural University; Dinesh Kulkarni, all India organising secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh; Bhagiya Vadla, all India executive member, RSS and Dr Anupam Mishra.

Welcoming the dignitaries, Dr Anupam Mishra said the conference aims to bring together institutions, researchers, policymakers and farmers to promote natural farming.

Lakshman Prasad Acharya congratulated CAU Imphal for organising the conference on a highly relevant theme.

He stressed restoring pride in traditional agricultural wisdom, respecting land as Mother Earth and reducing dependence on external inputs.

Citing Sikkim's success in organic farming, he said the biodiversity-rich North East has potential to become a hub for natural farming and promote its GI-tagged products under Local to Global vision.

Dr Joram Aniya emphasized the link between soil health, food quality and human well-being and called for reduced dependence on chemical inputs.

Other Vice-Chancellors highlighted the need for scientific research, region-specific recommendations, inclusion of natural farming in curriculum, and developing value chains with processing, branding and market access.

On the occasion, the Governor released publications including Abstract Compendium, Poster Book and Media Chronicle.

The conference, organised in collaboration with ICAR, DST-NECTAR, RLBCAU, RPCAU and Gujarat Natural Farming Science University, is attended by around 500 participants including farmers, practitioners, researchers and industry representatives.

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