Indo-Uzbek academic meeting highlights Space Tech in agriculture
In a significant move to bolster international academic ties, the MERI Centre for International Studies hosted a high-level delegation from Uzbekistan on Saturday to explore collaborative frontiers in research, innovation, and specifically, space technology.
The delegation, comprising senior officials from Bukhara State University (BSU) and Samarkand State University of Veterinary Medicine, Livestock and Biotechnologies, met with Indian academic leaders to bridge the gap between traditional research and modern technological applications.
A primary focus of the diplomatic exchange was the integration of space technology into the agricultural and livestock sectors. Lt General PJS Pannu (Retd), Chief Mentor and Dean of the Department of Space Studies at MERI, detailed how satellite-based innovations are revolutionizing land development.
The discussions highlighted several critical applications of space science for the modern farmer, like Precision Agriculture for utilizing satellite-based practices for enhanced crop yields; Environmental Monitoring to leverage space tech for soil analysis and real-time climate monitoring and Advanced Research for collaborative opportunities in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and military space studies.
Prof. Lalit Aggarwal, Vice-President of MERI Group of Institutions, and Prof. Ramakant Dwivedi opened the session by reaffirming the organization’s commitment to global innovation. Representing the Uzbek side, Dr Abror Juraev of BSU expressed a keen interest in academic collaboration, noting that his university—a classical institution covering nearly all disciplines—is currently undergoing a state-supported expansion.
Tolip Taylako, Vice-Rector at Samarkand State University, further emphasized that the future of Uzbekistan’s economy relies heavily on the synergy between veterinary medicine and innovative space-based livestock development.
