The 3 rd Indian Ecological Society International Conference (IESIC) 2022 on “Sustainable
Agricultural Innovations for Resilient Agri-Food Systems” was held at Sher-e-Kashmir
University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, India, from October 13–15,
2022. The conference provided a forum for deliberations on sustainable agricultural innovations
and climate-resilient agri-food systems in the areas of sustainable agricultural production
systems, climate-resilient crop improvement and production technologies, natural resource
conservation and management, biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, integrated
nutrient and pest management, sustainable livestock, fisheries and agroforestry systems, digital
agriculture, precision farming and artificial intelligence, food and nutritional security,
agricultural policies, value chains, and climate change adaptation and mitigation for resilient
agri-food systems.

Topics
1. Genetic Innovations for Climate-resilient Agri-food Systems (row/field crops,
horticulture crops and animals, and impact of genetic innovations)
2. Public Health, Food Security and Safety (common public health risks related to food
safety; pesticide residues; agriculture-based pollution and its consequences; bio-
fortification, smallholder agricultural production and food security, food supply chain,
food technology)
3. Pest Management Innovations (insect pests, diseases; weeds, innovations in new IPM
technologies in entomology, plant pathology and weed management; genetically
engineered crops, socio-economic and environmental impact at the farm level)
4. Technological, Policy, Institutional, and Scaling Innovations (IoT, ICT, engineering
for farms of the future, farm mechanization, encourage electrification of farm machinery,
impacts on socio-economic, adoption, insurance, and environment)
5. Policy Regulation for Sustainable Agri-food Systems (The United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals related to agriculture, national policies for agriculture, natural
farming, pesticide policies, biodiversity policies, financial support for developing and
dissemination of innovations, understanding the emerging issue of natural and
environmental governance, and socio-economic impact of policy regulations for
sustainable agri-food systems)
6. Biodiversity Conservation and Management (plant, animal, microbial, biodiversity,
molecular and genetic engineering tools/approaches for conservation and management of
field and horticultural crops, forest ecosystems development of crop resilient crop plants;
multidisciplinary methods/participatory research/citizen science/multi-actor co-design)
7. Innovations in Soil Health and Water Management (fertiliser and irrigation
technologies, slow-release fertilisers, green synthesis of ammonia for fertiliser, precision
farming, land degradation, soil conservation, agro-climatic interventions, micro-
irrigation, moisture conservation, etc.)
8. Agriculture and Forestry on Paths Towards Carbon Neutrality (sustainable energy
services and agriculture production, reduction in agriculture’s dependence on fossil fuels
and farm-level impacts)
9. Recognising and Identifying Invasive Species (species beyond their natural range
are rising sharply because of increased trade, transport, travel, and tourism
associated with globalisation).

More than 350 delegates from India and abroad participated in the Conference. The conference
reviewed and discussed issues related to sustainable agricultural innovations and resilient agri-
food systems in detail. The conference featured keynote lectures, plenary sessions, invited
lectures, technical sessions, oral and poster presentations, providing an excellent platform for
scientists, academicians, policymakers, industry representatives and students to exchange ideas
and discuss recent advances in sustainable agriculture and ecological resilience.

Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Development of Northeastern Region (Independent
charge) and Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office, Public Grievances & Pensions,
Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Government of India, was the Chief
Guest at the inaugural session of the conference. Guests of Honour at the inaugural session were
Dr K. B. Kathiria, Vice-Chancellor of Anand Agricultural University; Prof. Rangaswamy
Muniappan, Director, IPM Innovation Lab, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), USA. Dr KS Risam, Former Vice Chancellor, SKUAST Jammu, Dr A. K.
Dhawan, President, Indian Ecological Society, Ludhiana, India, and Prof. Rajinder Peshin,
Vice President of the Indian Ecological Society and Organising Secretary, IESIC 2022, were
present at the inaugural function. More than 350 delegates from India and abroad participated in
the conference.