BGU Israel’s PG Fellowship Recipient for 2023-24 Session(after completion of PGCDS Program @ ABIDAT, Chennai)
- O. REXLEY CHARLES - 1st Batch PGCDS Graduate
Open Testimonial PDF- ZANETA PRARTHANA B. - PGCDS Graduate of Batch 2022-23
Open Testimonial PDFPGCDS PROGRAM DATES
Registration for Admissions
Open
Program Duration: 1 year (2 semesters)
Mode & Location:: On-Campus @ Chennai Fully On-Line
Mode (Off-Campus) of ‘PGCDS Program’
Available Now!
Why choose Us
Learn from the best - Professors & Scientists of Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Study from India for a fraction of the cost of studying overseas.
Read MoreWhat you get
Learn in 1 year to transform drylands and degraded ecosystems to productive sectors, and get yourself an International Certificate in Dryland Studies. The International Academic Credits earned in India will be considered for partial fulfilment of Course requirements for a Master’s degree in Desert Studies in BGU, Israel, with a possibility of grant of Fellowship (Scholarship), as obtained by 100% of our 1st Batch (2022-23).
Read MorePhoto Gallery - Activities and Events
Opportunities through PGCDS Program
- Valuable proposition for everyone looking forward to a career in regions of Dryland Systems, including Agriculture (either dryland farming with mean annual precipitation of 750 to 1150 mm &/or dry farming with mean annual precipitation of less than 750 mm), the avenue for the immediate future global food and nutrition security.
- Option to pursue Master’s degree program in Desert Studies at BGU, Israel, by spending only 1 more year, with a possibility of grant of Fellowship/Scholarship, as acquired by 100% of our 1st Batch (2022-23). Hence obtaining 2 International Certificates (2 Programs) within 2 Years, at much lower & reasonable cost.
- Placement openings with some of India’s top Agri-Business Entities.
- Access to the advanced research & development arena for an in-depth multidisciplinary approach (including Applied Biotechnology) to varied ecosystems of a wide biota, including production systems with much emphasis on the drylands and fragile ecosystems towards sustainable agriculture.
- The Certificate Program that would enhance the worth of students seeking to become entrepreneurs in a variety of ecologies, including the drylands.
- Excellent opportunity for the “In-Service Personnel” to upgrade themselves for their performance, career and ultimate improvement in the ‘Production Systems’ for the advantage of Agroecology of India.
PGCDS PROGRAM @ ABIDAT
(why take
admission to the 3rd
Batch in 2024-25 Session?)
Importance of Dryland Agriculture being introduced by Prof. Avigad Vonshak , Professor Emeritus, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands (FAAB), Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
ABIDAT: an Indo-Israeli Venture
Get Equipped for the Challenges in Ecologies, Agriculture, Biotechnology and much more, under Climate Change Scenario!
"TOP STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND OVERSEAS CAN EXPECT TO BE WELL EQUIPPED IN THE MOST ADVANCED WAYS TO MAKE AGRICULTURE AND BROADER SECTORS SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE VENTURE, EVEN IN WATER AND RESOURCE DEFICIT CONDITIONS, BOTH QUANTITATIVELY AND QUALITATIVELY."
Our Program
Duration: 2 Semesters
2nd Batch starts in Fall Semester
2024 (Fully On-Line Mode
of ‘PGCDS
Program’ Available Now!)
PGCDS (Post Graduate Certificate in Dryland Studies) Program consist of the following Courses
- Dryland Functioning and Human Interventions
- Water & the Environment: Current Challenges and Solutions
- Carbon Metabolism and Photosynthesis in a Changing Environment
- Theory and Applications of Geographic Information Systems and Science (GIS)
- Introduction to Aquaculture
- Physiology and Metabolism of Fruits
- Crop Irrigation Regimes
- Cytogenetics and Plant Reproduction
- Dryland AgroEcology
- Biology and Biotechnology of Microalgae
- Epigenetics in Plant Stress Response and Breeding
- Runoff Agroforestry in Drylands
ABIDAT: ABAN-BGU (Israel) Institute for Dryland Agriculture Technology
ABIDAT is a collaborative venture between the ABAN Group of India and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. This Institute attempts to bring to India the proven concepts, applications and adaptation approaches of Israel so that stakeholders, including farmers in India may benefit and acquire to innovate and learn ways to grow crops and manage the entire Farming systems with lesser water and resources. It is a known fact that water will be very scarce in the foreseeable future because the demand for the elixir of life far outstrips the supply in most parts of the world. Human enterprise extracts nearly a trillion cubic meters of groundwater annually around the world, with 70% of it flowing to agricultural uses. India ranks 1st among countries in the use of groundwater, and extraction has spiked from 25 billion cubic meters in 1960 to 250 billion cubic meters in 2015.
Read More
Dryland Agriculture in India
Drylands constitute ~47% of the Earth's terrestrial surface, and are home to >2 billion people. In a few decades, it is likely to even touch 75%. Currently about 45% of the agriculture comes under this sector, and about 130 districts in India have been recognized as dryland farming areas. Of these, 91 districts are in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, representing typical dry farming tracts. Other districts belong to areas in Central Rajasthan, Saurashtra region of Gujarat and the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. Almost 17 states and UTs have substantial tracts of drylands.
India has about 108 million hectares of rainfed area which constitutes nearly 75% of the total 143 million hectares of arable land. In such areas crop production becomes relatively difficult as farmers here are mainly dependent upon intensity and frequency of rainfall. Farming or crop production in such areas is called rainfed farming as there are little or no possibility to irrigate crops, even protective or life-saving irrigation is rarely possible with current strategies. Besides, the huge challenge of the national mandate to rehabilitate degraded lands to the tune of 26 million hectares warrants urgency of policies, plans and concerted actions.
Read MoreTestimonials from our 1st Batch Students (during the course of PGCDS @ ABIDAT, Chennai)
(Contact numbers can be obtained by emailing admin@abidat.in)
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My experience with the PGCDS Program has been very wonderful till now. The 1st Semester is coming to an end and I have learned a lot, not just academically but in all aspects of my Career development. The Faculty members are extremely supportive throughout the journey and I feel that I have chosen the best!
SHALIN MANO S. A. - PGCDS Student of the 1st Batch (2022-23) -
It has been a truly valuable learning experience through the highly interactive platform of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The assistance and help rendered by the Faculty, both from Israel and India has been simply excellent. The assignments are constructive and to the point. This PGCDS Program has given me a great input for boosting my morale. Considering the International standards, the fees structure is reasonable. Truly a very good environment for learning and improving oneself!
- SAN NOELA R.L. - PGCDS Student of the 1st Batch 2022-23
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Testimonial from Prof Sir Brian Heap – Senior Adviser
About Prof Sir Brian Heap – Senior Adviser:
Based at Cambridge and past President of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, and former Master of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, Sir Brian was one of the originators of the Smart Villages concept and initiative. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and its former Foreign Secretary and Vice-President, an honorary Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, and past Director of Research at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Now an Associate of the Department for Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, Sir Brian’s interests include international engagement in science, sustainable development and science advice for policy makers.
