Fact Sheet United States Department of Agriculture Washington, DC March 2, 2006 U.S.-India Knowledge Initiative on Agricultural Education, Teaching, Research, Service, and Commercial LinkagesOn July 18, 2005, President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced the U.S.–India Knowledge Initiative on Agricultural Education, Teaching, Research, Service, and Commercial Linkages (AKI). Recognizing the long history of cooperation in agriculture and the success of India's Green Revolution launched 40 years ago with U.S. assistance, the AKI builds on this tradition of collaboration and addresses new challenges and opportunities of modern-day agriculture. Through public-private partnerships, it will help to facilitate technology transfer, bolster agricultural research, education, and extension, and strengthen trade and regulatory capacity building. These, in turn, will contribute to increased prosperity for farmers and agricultural growth. To lead the AKI, both countries created a board comprised of academia, government, and private sector representatives from the United States and India. Following a meeting on February 13–14, 2006, the board agreed to a 3-year work plan that supports the envisioned "Evergreen Revolution" that is based upon environmentally sustainable, market-oriented agriculture. The plan focuses on the following themes: The board also acknowledged the importance of robust market institutions and an enabling environment for investment in agribusiness. Both countries are providing funding, with the United States pledging a total of $24 million over 3 years. For more information on the U.S.-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative, please see: http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/india_knowl_init/india_knowl_init.asp |