Prof Mohua Banerjee of IMI Kolkata made a presentation at The Retail Institute, Leeds Beckett University, the UK, on September 20. The topic was ‘Impediments to impetus: cases of agri value-chain from India’, which was widely appreciated by distinguished delegates from the retail industry.
This is a part of the UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) and UGC’s Research Grant Project, which has been received for collaborative research with Leeds Beckett University from 2018-2020 on ‘Fostering entrepreneurship for sustainable and inclusive agri-food innovation – a comparative analysis of India and the UK’.
During the course of her travel to the UK, Prof Banerjee conducted field visits to Precision Decisions Ltd, Wildon Grange dairy farm, Fourth Milestone dairy farm, Higher Barn Farm, and Farmer Copleys, along with the research team.
The objective of this two-year research grant project is to evaluate the existing agri-entrepreneurial environment in India, investigate the capabilities of agri-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in allied sectors, locate lacunae and identify opportunities for agriculture as a profession (this coincides with the government’s initiative to double farmers’ income by 2022-23).
The ultimate goal is to develop ‘learning and training’ packages for potential agri-based entrepreneurs to enhance their entrepreneurial competences, skills and behaviours, in both the Indian and the UK contexts.