LUCKNOW, July 5 -- India must shift to a tech-driven, climate-resilient 'Next-Generation Agriculture' model to secure food, nutrition, income and environment for the future, said director-general International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Himanshu Pathak, on Saturday. He was speaking as chief guest at the 9th Prof KN Kaul Memorial Lecture organised by CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute at the Lotus Auditorium of the institute. Pathak said that India moved from food shortages in the 1950s to self-sufficiency by 2000 and a surplus by 2010. "Foodgrain production has grown nearly sevenfold in seven decades without major expansion in farmland. Milk, fisheries, fruits and vegetables have also seen record growth, making India an exporter in many agri-commodities. However, the sector now faces new stressors: population growth, climate change, natural resource degradation, and changing socio-economic and geopolitical conditions," said Pathak. Outlining the way forward, he stressed the need for a framework that enhances productivity, profitability and sustainability together while ensuring energy and nutrient security. "The role of advanced technologies: genome editing, artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, remote sensing, big data analytics, and precision agriculture. Future agricultural systems must be productive, protective, predictive, precise and profitable," he said. He also called for focus on climate-resilient crops, digital agriculture, smart agro-advisory services, stronger extension systems, value-chain development, and collaboration between research institutes, industry and farmers to build a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047. He shared ICRISAT's major research initiatives in sustainable agriculture during the lecture. The lecture series commemorates Prof Kailas Nath Kaul founder director of the National Botanic Gardens, now CSIR-NBRI. htc...