Thiruvananthapuram, The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode and the African Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where the former will support sustainable agriculture and rural development in 31 countries.

The MoU was signed between Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIMK and Dr Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General, AARDO.

Consequent to this, 33 members, which include 31 countries in the African Asian Region, are now set to receive renewed research, consultancy, technical and knowledge support in promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development practices from India's premier B-School.

Speaking on the game-changing collaboration between a multilateral agency promoting sustainable development in some of the most vulnerable countries and an Indian institution of national importance, Nardeosingh said that through this, it will now bring regular interaction between the officials of member countries with the learned faculty members of IIMK through different technical programmes, which would bring better management skills to the officials in addressing the issues and challenges being faced in the rural areas of AARDO member countries.

"AARDO would immensely benefit from the advanced scientific management methodology and tools to improve the life of rural areas," said Nardeosingh.

Chatterjee said the coming together of these two institutions for the greater good of the common people has tremendous potential to make a difference to the life of billions of people of the two continents, Africa and Asia, which are bound by similar legacies and aspire for a bright future.

"IIM Kozhikode seeks to contribute the Indian management wisdom for solving ever-changing technological meta trends, which will overwhelm the rural life and agriculture sector in the new world order, driven by the rising Asia and aspiring Africa by means of successfully implementing studied sustainable agriculture and sustainable rural development practices," said Chatterjee.

Through the new arrangement, both the partnering agencies will cooperate and collaborate with each other to achieve common objectives, in particular with regard to addressing the challenges in agriculture and sustainable rural development; through research, publication, consultancy and advisory.