THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, NOVEMBER 10, 2026
The Odisha government on Tuesday signed a five-year Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to
promote climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition security, women's empowerment,
biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods across the state.
The agreement was signed at Lok Seva Bhawan in the presence of Chief
Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary
Deoranjan Kumar Singh, secretaries of various departments and senior government
officials. MSSRF Chairperson Dr Soumya Swaminathan and other representatives of
the foundation attended the event.
Additional Secretary of the Planning and Convergence Department
Shubhasree Nanda signed the MoU on behalf of the state government, while Dr
Swaminathan signed it for MSSRF.
Under the partnership, MSSRF will function as the state's Technical
Knowledge Partner, extending scientific and technical support to various
government departments in policy formulation, programme design, research,
capacity building, innovation and scaling up development initiatives.
The collaboration seeks to integrate scientific research, traditional
knowledge and government policies to address challenges in agriculture,
nutrition, health, environment and livelihoods.
Key focus areas will include climate-resilient agriculture,
agroecological farming practices, promotion of millets and alternative crops,
conservation of traditional seeds and agricultural biodiversity, and
development of sustainable food systems.
The partnership will also work towards increasing women's participation
in agriculture, strengthening their financial independence, promoting
entrepreneurship and improving market access.
In keeping with the state's 'Subhadra First' approach, special efforts
will be made to connect women and socio-economically vulnerable households with
sustainable livelihood opportunities.
As part of the initiative, Bio-Happiness Centres will be established in
agricultural universities to promote biodiversity management, eco-friendly
farming practices and conservation of natural resources.
The partnership will also focus on improving nutrition and health
security, strengthening local food systems and creating livelihood
opportunities in tribal-dominated and remote areas.
For coastal communities, the collaboration will seek to strengthen the
livelihoods and safety of small-scale fishers through improvements to the
'Fisher Friend' mobile application, expansion of digital services, better
preservation of fishery products and promotion of value-added products.
It will also encourage entrepreneurship among women engaged in fisheries
and undertake joint initiatives for the conservation and restoration of water bodies,
wetlands, mangroves and coastal ecosystems.
In areas vulnerable to distress migration, the partnership will promote
local employment opportunities through agriculture and allied activities, skill
development, strengthening of enterprises run by women's self-help groups and
improved market linkages.
These interventions are expected to enhance income opportunities at the
grassroots level and reduce vulnerabilities arising from distress migration,
officials said.
A steering committee headed by the Development Commissioner will be
constituted to monitor the implementation of the MoU and review its progress.
Secretaries of the concerned departments and MSSRF representatives will be
members of the panel, which will meet regularly to assess programme implementation
and outcomes.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Soumya Swaminathan said the partnership
would further strengthen MSSRF's engagement with Odisha and provide
opportunities for collaborative efforts towards sustainable management of
natural resources.
She said the collaboration would focus on innovation, green technologies,
gender equality, women's empowerment, promotion of millets and development of
technologies for agricultural processing to address various developmental
challenges.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg described the agreement with the reputed
research institution as a matter of pride for Odisha and an important step
towards science-based, inclusive and sustainable development.
She said MSSRF's technical expertise would help the state undertake
evidence-based interventions in agriculture, nutrition, biodiversity
conservation and livelihood development.
Emphasising the 'Subhadra First' approach, Garg said women would be placed at the centre of agricultural and livelihood transformation, with a focus on climate resilience and sustainable income opportunities.
The five-year partnership is expected to strengthen coordination among government departments and facilitate the development of scalable solutions for the state's overall development and people's welfare, she added.
