Chicago/Delhi – The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) at the University of Chicago is pleased to announce a partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
“The partnership with DA&FW will provide extraordinary opportunities to harness innovation to improve food security, address climate change, and allow farmers to increase their incomes,” said Michael Kremer, founder of DIL, University Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and 2019 co-recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
DIL and DA&FW will explore opportunities for innovation related to agriculture and food security in the context of climate change. India is experiencing a rise in extreme temperatures, floods, and droughts, as well as changes to the monsoon system. Innovations in digital services, weather forecasts, and soil health management could help farmers adapt to these shocks and improve their livelihoods, while enhancing the environmental sustainability of agriculture. DIL will assist DA&FW in its efforts to identify, develop, test, and refine innovations in these and other priority areas.
“We look forward to collaborating with the Development Innovation Lab to develop innovations to support India’s smallholder farmers,” said Secretary Shri Manoj Ahuja, who heads the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries. DIL works with governments, firms, and non-profit organizations to identify, test, refine and scale innovations. Later this year, DIL will launch a global Commission on Innovation for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture, chaired by Professor Kremer.
For more information contact Benjamin Krause, Executive Director of the Development Innovation Lab, at benjaminkrause@uchicago.edu.