IIT Delhi, an Institution of Eminence, and African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) signed an MoU on Wednesday to cooperate and collaborate with each other for agricultural and rural development by addressing the challenges through technological interventions and capacity enhancement.

The collaboration aims to strengthen the rural communities, farmers, executives, functionaries and policy makers of the Member Countries in Africa and Asia.

The MoU was signed by His Excellency, Dr Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General, AARDO and Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi.

The cooperation between IIT Delhi and AARDO will be in the following main areas: Technological Interventions, Bio-energy, Biomass, Biogas, Ecological Sanitation, Food Quality & Safety, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Housing, Food Processing & Valueaddition, Water & Waste Management, towards Development, Diffusion, Transfer and Adoption of Innovative/Appropriate Technologies, etc

IIT Delhi’s Centre for Rural Development and Technology (CRDT), an outreach centre of the Institute to address challenges faced by rural communities and to improve their quality of life, will play the key role in making the collaboration with AARDO successful.

The CRDT has made significant contributions by developing and transferring technologies in areas including algal bio-energy, biomass technologies, biogas technologies, ecological sanitation, food quality and safety, sustainable agriculture, sustainable housing, valueadded food products, water and waste management etc.

Welcoming the MoU with IIT Delhi, His Excellency, Dr. Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General, AARDO said, “Most AARDO member countries would immensely benefit from the synergy foreseen with the merger of both IIT Delhi and AARDO networks by leveraging on technological solutions developed by India’s eminent specialists and appropriate interventions to transform rural areas in Africa & Asia and hence, assisting them in achieving inclusive growth, UNSDGs and AU 2063.”

Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi said, “IIT Delhi puts strong emphasis on investing in research areas of social and national importance such as Rural Development. This collaboration would facilitate the diffusion of high end technologies to strengthen the rural communities. Goal is to connect our student, faculty and startup communities with problems in the rural areas in African nations so that win-win partnerships can be developed between all the stakeholders. Center for Rural Development and Technologies (CRDT) at IIT Delhi is expected to take a lead in this collaboration.”

Prof. Anushree Malik, Head, CRDT said, “I am sure the collaboration with AARDO, initiated by CRDT and Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), will widen our network in the African-Asian region and provide us a unique platform for consultation and dissemination of appropriate technologies”

Under the MoU, IIT Delhi and AARDO have also agreed to,

• Organize international, regional and On-The-Spot (OTS)/in-country training programmes / workshops to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Member countries in sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.
• Joint Implementation of Tech-based Development Pilot Projects by utilizing each other's human, technical and financial resources, subject to modalities, towards achieving common goals.
• Conducting research and action research studies of specific or common interest.
• Exchange of experts for sharing knowledge, expertise and experiences.
• Exchange of Scholars/Students/Volunteers to assist in adoption of technology solutions.
• Exchange programmes and internships for students with universities and institutes in the Member countries.

About African-Asian Rural Development Organization

The African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), an autonomous, intergovernmental organization, with its permanent headquarters in New Delhi comprises thirty three (33) members, which include thirty one (31) countries namely, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia from Africa, and Bangladesh, R.O. China (Taiwan), India, Iraq, Jordan, R.O. Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria and Yemen from Asia; besides, Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) and The Agricultural Bank of Sudan (ABS) as the Associate Members.

About IIT Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is one of the 23 IITs created to be National Centres of Excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technology in India. Established as College of Engineering in 1961, the Institute was later declared as an Institution of National Importance under the "Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 1963" and was renamed as "Indian Institute of Technology Delhi'.

Since its inception, over 50,000 have graduated from IIT Delhi, of which more than 5500 are with a Ph.D. degree, in various disciplines including Engineering, Physical Sciences, Management and Humanities & Social Sciences.

In 2018, IIT Delhi received the special status of Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the Govt. of India, giving it greater autonomy in various matters including hiring of foreign faculty and starting collaborations with foreign institutions.