Agricultural Communication: Advances in Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems

Ms. Meetali Bharti is Senior Scientist at CSIR–National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi, India, with extensive experience in science communication, scholarly publishing, digital knowledge systems, and research dissemination. She has been actively associated with several national initiatives aimed at strengthening access to scientific knowledge, enhancing digital research infrastructure, and promoting the wider dissemination of scholarly information in India. She has played a significant role in the National Knowledge Resource Consortium (NKRC), contributing to the development and management of digital knowledge platforms that provide seamless access to global scholarly resources for research and academic institutions across the country. Her work focuses on advancing knowledge accessibility, strengthening research visibility, and supporting the effective communication of science and technology.
Her professional interests include digital information management, scholarly communication, social media–based science outreach, agricultural knowledge dissemination, sustainability, and rural development. She has been actively involved in initiatives related to scientific publishing, digital outreach, technology dissemination, and the promotion of science for societal impact.
Ms. Bharti has authored and contributed to several books, research publications, and knowledge resources in the areas of agriculture, science communication, and information dissemination. She currently serves as an Editor of the Indian Journal of Engineering and Materials Sciences and previously served as an Editor of the Indian Journal of Radio and Space Physics, where she contributed to maintaining high editorial standards and promoting quality scientific research.
Recognized for her multidisciplinary contributions, Ms. Meetali Bharti continues to work at the intersection of science, communication, digital knowledge access, and sustainable development, promoting the effective translation of scientific research into accessible knowledge for academia, policymakers, and society.

Dr. Bhavnesh Jaint is presently working as Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi. She has more than 20 years of teaching, research, academic, and administration experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and telecommunication engineering and a Master of Engineering in control systems from the Government Engineering College, Jabalpur. She was awarded a Ph.D. from Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi. Her areas of specialization include control systems, fuzzy logic control, wireless sensor networks, soft computing, intelligent systems, and modern control techniques. She has made significant academic and research contributions in these domains through quality teaching, project supervision, and scholarly publications.
Dr. Jaint continues to work in the fields of advanced control systems, intelligent technologies, and interdisciplinary engineering research with a focus on practical and industrial applications. Dr. Jaint has published numerous research papers in reputed national and international journals and presented several technical papers at national and international conferences. She has guided undergraduate and postgraduate students in innovative projects and Ph.D. scholars in research activities.
She has been associated with curriculum development, examination work, research mentoring, and various institutional academic responsibilities. Her commitment to excellence in technical education and research has contributed significantly to the academic growth of the institution. She is a life member of IUPARI and an annual member of IEEE since 2016.

Dr. Rohitashw Kumar (B.E., M.E., and Ph.D.) is Associate Dean and Professor in the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India. He worked as Professor and Water Chair (Sheikh-ul-Alam Shiekh Nuruddin Water Chair), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, at the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar (J&K), during 2018–2021. He is also Professor and Head, Division of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in water resources engineering from NIT, Hamirpur, and a Master of Engineering degree in irrigation water management engineering from MPUAT, Udaipur. He received the National Fellow 2025, Gold Medal Award 2022, Leadership Award in 2020, Special Research Award, and Student Incentive Award (Ph.D. Research) from the Soil Conservation Society of India, New Delhi. He also got faculty fellow from IIT Bombay. He also got the first prize in India for the best M.Tech thesis in Agricultural Engineering in 2001. He has published over 165 papers in peer-reviewed journals, more than 30 popular articles, 10 books, 4 practical manuals, and 40 book chapters. He has guided 8 Ph.D. students and 19 M.Tech students in soil and water engineering. He has handled more than 20 research projects as a principal or co-principal investigator. Since 2011, he has been Principal Investigator of ICAR All India Coordinated Research Project on Plastic Engineering in Agriculture, Structural and Environment Management.

Dr. Chaithra N. R. is presently serving as Assistant Professor at the School of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, India. She is actively engaged in teaching, research, and academic programme development in the areas of agricultural extension, agribusiness management, and ICT in agriculture and rural development. Her work focuses on strengthening agricultural communication systems, technology dissemination, and improving the livelihood security of farming communities through innovative extension approaches.
She completed her Ph.D. in agricultural extension from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. She obtained her M.Sc. in agricultural extension from the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (UAHS), Shivamogga, Karnataka, and holds a strong academic foundation in agricultural communication, rural development, and agribusiness extension systems.
Prior to joining IGNOU, she worked with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, where she contributed to the Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) programme, a flagship initiative aimed at enhancing the knowledge and advisory skills of agricultural input dealers who act as grassroots extension agents.
Her academic and research interests include livelihood security, ICT-enabled agricultural extension, digital agriculture, agribusiness management, agricultural communication strategies, and farmer advisory systems. She has been actively involved in research projects, academic publications, and the development of self-learning materials (SLMs) for distance education programmes, particularly for postgraduate programmes such as an MBA in Agribusiness Management and other agricultural extension courses.
Dr. Chaithra has published more than 20 research papers in reputed national and international journals, 15 book chapters, 2 books, several conference proceedings, and technical reports, and also received the best oral and paper presentation awards. She has also been involved in faculty development programmes, training workshops, and outreach initiatives that promote effective knowledge transfer and farmer empowerment.

Prof. Vijay P. Singh is Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor, and the inaugural holder of the Caroline and William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research interests include surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology, hydraulics, irrigation engineering, environmental quality, water resources, water–food–energy nexus, climate change impacts, entropy theory, copula theory, and mathematical modelling. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Engineering and Technology with emphasis on soil and water conservation engineering in 1967 from the U.P. Agricultural University, India. He earned an MS in Engineering with specialization in hydrology in 1970 from the University of Guelph, Canada; a Ph.D. in civil engineering with specialization in hydrology and water resources in 1974 from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA, and a D.Sc. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering in 1998 from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He has published extensively on a wide range of topics. His publications include more than 1,365 journal articles, 32 books, 80 edited books, 305 book chapters, and 315 conference proceedings papers. For his seminar contributions, he has received more than 100 national and international awards, including three honorary doctorates. Currently, he serves as Past President of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and has previously served as President of the American Institute of Hydrology and Chair, Watershed Council, ASCE. He is Editor-in-Chief of two book series, three journals, and serves on the editorial boards of more than 25 journals. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of three other journals. He is a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, an honorary member of the American Water Resources Association, an honorary member of the International Water Resource Association, and a distinguished fellow of the Association of Global Groundwater Scientists. He is a fellow of five professional societies. He is also a fellow or member of 11 national or international engineering or science academies.