About

ICAR is an autonomous body relating to agricultural education and research in India. 

It was established on the 16th of July 1929.

It reports directly to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture and The Union Minister of Agriculture serves as the President of ICAR.

It is the largest agricultural research and education research network in the world today.

Regulatory issues

Agricultural education in India is regulated by ICAR.

Veterinary education despite being a branch of agar culture is regulated by the Veterinary Council of India, and 

Forestry education, also part of agriculture, is regulated by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, which falls under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.

Yashpal Committee Recommendation

The Yashpal Committee in 2009 recommended the establishment of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research as a supreme body to regulate all branches of higher education, including agricultural education.

Accreditation Authority

The National Agricultural Education Accreditation Board (NAEAB) which is under ICAR was established in 1996.

It does the accreditation programme: 

(i) to assist students, educational institutions, societies, Government and any other concerned agencies in identifying institutions and programmes for the minimum norms and standards as prescribed by the Council, 

(ii) to provide support and guidance to improve the standard of existing agricultural education institutions/ programmes, and 

(iii) to develop or flourish new institutions/ programmes. 

Key Roles and Initiatives

Farmers Innovation Fund: It will be established to propagate farmer and agricultural innovations, with a centre in New Delhi.

Nano Fertilisers and Pesticides: ICAR helped in the development of Nano urea to promote organic farming and reduce chemical use.

Technology in Agriculture: ICAR has supported and nurtured 105 startups with farmers to advance technology use.

Farmers’ Science Congress: It was inaugurated in 2020 to emphasise farmer innovations in India. The theme for 2020 was "Science & Technology: Rural Development".

Organic Farming: ICAR validated 51 integrated farming systems and 45 organic farming models for various agro-climatic zones in India.

ARYA (Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture): It is the initiative of ICAR which aims to boost rural bio-economy and attract youth to agriculture.

Green Revolution: ICAR pioneered the Green Revolution in India and other agricultural advancements. 

It made a significant contribution to increasing the production from 1950-51 to 2017-18- which is foodgrains 5.6 times, horticultural crops 10 times, fish 16.8 times, milk 10.4 times, and eggs 52.9 times.

Milestones

1957: ICAR initiated the All-India Coordinated Research Project on Maize.

1958: IARI was granted status of Deemed University.

1960: ICAR established the first State Agricultural University at Pantnagar.

1966: Many Agricultural research institutes were placed under ICAR.

1973: Creation of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).

1974: The first Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Puducherry was established.

1975: The Agricultural Research Service and Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board was established.

1979: There was a launch of the Lab-to-Land Programme and National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) by ICAR.

1989: ICAR received the King Baudouin Award, from the King Baudouin Foundation of Brussels for its Green Revolution contribution.

1995: ICAR initiated the Institution-Village Linkage Programme (IVLP), which aimed to link ICAR to the villages in India.

1996: ICAR established the National Gene Bank in New Delhi.

1998: There was a launch of the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) by iCAR.

2004: ICAR was again awarded the King Baudouin Award for efforts in the Rice Wheat Consortium.

2005: Launching of the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) was done by ICAR.

Name

Acronym

Establishment Year

City

Advanced Research Centre for Bamboo and Rattan

ARCBR

2004

Aizawl

Arid Forest Research Institute

AFRI

1988

Jodhpur

Centre for Forestry Research and Human Resource Development

CFRHRD

1995

Chhindwara

Centre for Social Forestry and Eco-Rehabilitation

CSFER

1992

Prayagraj

Centre for Forest Based Livelihood and Extension

CFLE

2013

Agartala

Centre for Urban Forestry and Landscape Management

UF&LM

Planned

Gandhinagar

Forest Research Institute

FRI

1906

Dehradun

Himalayan Forest Research Institute

HFRI

1977

Shimla

Institute of Forest Biodiversity

IFB

2012

Hyderabad

Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding

IFGTB

1988

Coimbatore

Institute of Forest Productivity

IFP

1993

Ranchi

Institute of Wood Science and Technology

IWST

1938

Bengaluru

Rain Forest Research Institute

RFRI

1988

Jorhat

Tropical Forest Research Institute

TFRI

1988

Jabalpur

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements about the Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR): 

1. ICAR is a statutory body relating to agricultural education and research in India. 
2. The Ministry of Agriculture and The Union Minister of Agriculture serves as the President of ICAR.
3. Veterinary education in India is regulated by ICAR.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C. All Three

D.None

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: 

ICAR is an autonomous body relating to agricultural education and research in India. 

It was established on 16th of July 1929.

Statement 2 is correct: 

It reports directly to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture and The Union Minister of Agriculture serves as the President of ICAR.

It is the largest agricultural research and education research network in the world today.

Statement 3 is incorrect: 

Agricultural education in India is regulated by ICAR.

Veterinary education despite being a branch of agriculture is regulated by the Veterinary Council of India, and 

Forestry education, also being part of agriculture, is regulated by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, which falls under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.