Enhancing Agricultural Policy: A New Training Initiative in Bhubaneswar

Capacity-Building Training for Agricultural Officers
Bhubaneswar: In a bid to enhance the participation of officials from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (A&FE) along with other stakeholders in shaping agricultural policies and planning, a two-day capacity-building training on ‘Data Interpretation and Economic Impact Analysis’ was held in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The training was officially launched by Subhransu Mishra, the additional secretary of the department.
Mishra emphasized the significance of utilizing data for planning and assessment, noting that it has already begun to produce positive outcomes in Odisha's agricultural landscape. He highlighted the necessity of such training to maintain this progress.
Sangram Keshari Patnaik, the deputy director of agriculture, and assistant director Nagan Kumar Mallick also took part in the training, underscoring the importance of enhancing internal data capabilities to foster innovation, accountability, and responsiveness in serving farmers.
Approximately fifty participants attended the session, which included representatives from prominent organizations such as PRADAN, Samagra, ACCESS Development Services, Centre for Sustainable Markets, WASSAN, Niruthi, and the Indian School of Business (ISB).
The second phase of the training focused on data analysis, visualization, and agricultural policy evaluation, utilizing datasets like NSSO, Census of Agriculture, and PLFS, along with tools such as Excel, STATA, R, and Python, demonstrating their practical applications.
Experts from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) led the training, stating, “This program was not only about understanding concepts but also aimed to motivate officials to implement their newfound knowledge in their respective areas.”