The Future Agriculture Leaders of India Program will hold its FALI 8 Convention on June 4 and 5, 2022 on Jain Hills in Jalgaon. The Board of Directors met today and agreed on the expansion plans for FALI. Over the next ten years, FALI is expected to increase the number of students and schools by 25% a year in Maharashtra and Gujarat, adding Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
The Directors of FALI also reviewed the plans for the FALI 8 Convention to be held on June 1-2 and June 4-5 on Jain Hills in Jalgaon. Over its first eight years, FALI has received strong support from several leading agribusinesses in India: Godrej Agrovet, Jain Irrigation, UPL, Bayer, and StarAgri.
At the FALI Convention on June 4 to 5, senior managers of these companies will participate along with leaders of about ten other agribusinesses and banks interested in supporting FALI 9 and beyond.
These companies see that the results of FALI have shifted the attitudes of students and their parents, who before saw subsistence farming as an unattractive career for their children.
FALI students have taken home modern agriculture practices and with FALI, parents see modern, sustainable agriculture and agro-enterprise as a promising path for their children.
Commenting on the Board’s decision to expand the initiative’s reach, Nadir B Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Agrovet Limited, and Chair of the Association for FALI, said, “Despite registering impressive growth by the sector, agriculture in India is losing its sheen with the next generation. We need to overcome economic, social, and psychological barriers jointly. FALI’s efforts have steered over 11,000 students towards modern and sustainable agriculture in the last eight years. Today, as the Chair of the Association for FALI, I am delighted to announce our plans to expand the footprint of this innovative program to three more states of India. It aligns with our commitment to promote sustainable agriculture and agro-entrepreneurship among the next generation.”
FALI’s strong team, comprising agriculture educators and MSc/BSc graduates, introduces students in eight and nine standards to modern, sustainable agriculture and agro-enterprises using interactive methods and practical exposure.