Dr. Gurbachan Singh Foundation was launched during a retirement thanks giving ceremony of Dr. Gurbachan Singh on 20th November, 2017 in the presence of about 250 scientists, research managers, educationists, civil society representatives, farmers, family members and students. It is worthwhile to share that the Founder Chairman Dr. Singh retired after serving in ICAR and Government of India for about 38 years. The notable positions which Dr. Gurbachan Singh occupied during his active professional career included: Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), New Delhi; Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India; Director, ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal and ADG (Agronomy), ICAR, New Delhi. He established this Foundation to continue his interest in research and academics and to pay back to the society after retirement.

The GSFRED was established with a mission to promote upscaling of scientific innovative interventions for skill & entrepreneurship development amongst rural youth including women, farmers and students to contribute towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) of alleviation of poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and conservation of natural resources for safe environment. To achieve this mission, the Founder Chairmen purchased 6.5 acre land near Kachhwa Town, Karnal using his retirement benefits and other savings of the family. A state of the art facilities of modern research farm, laboratories, conference halls, seminar hall, committee room, library, museum, seed processing plant, cattle sheds, fish pond etc. have been created on this piece of land.

During last about 7 years, the GSFRED research and development focus remained on location specific observations on weather parameters and correlating those variations with pheno-phases of different crops and their varieties. Based upon these observations, climate smart regenerative agricultural innovations and technologies have been generated and communicated to the farmers and other stake-holders. An integrated farming system model has been developed to double farmers income, decreasing cost of cultivation by about 60 percent, way forward for resilience to climate change and organic/natural farming. Similarly, a climate smart model has been developed to save irrigation water by about 45 percent in rice-wheat system coupled with rejuvenation of organic carbon and nutrient depleted reclaimed sodic soil. The delegates will have the golden opportunity to see live experiments and demonstrations established at the research farm (venue of the conference) on climate smart regenerative agriculture. The GSFRED regularly share these climate smart agricultural practices through its capacity building and skill development training programs, by organising Kisan Melas, school students regular visits, conducting brain storming sessions, group meetings, workshops and seminars.

The GSFRED research centre has truely become a central platform for exchange of agricultural innovations and technologies amongst the scientists of the region and its onward transfer to farmers and other stakeholders in the country and abroad. The centre is also serving as an agro eco-tourism facility for this part of the country. It is worthwhile to share that GSFRED research centre is functioning without any outside funding from public and private sectors. The entire expenditure is covered from monthly pension of Founder Chairman and revenue generated at the research centre.