Director’s Message
Dr. S. S. Kalamkar
Director & Professor
Dear Friends
AERC of Sardar Patel University has emerged as a leading Centre of its kind in the country and has to its credit several noteworthy achievements. AERC is one of the best Agro-Economic Research Centres in India which are established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The Centre has always been on the fascinating path of growth and development.
AERC was singularly fortunate to have Dr. V. S. Vyas as its founder Director, who’s pioneering efforts, has established rich traditions of research in agricultural economics. This tradition was nurtured in the subsequent phase of three and half decades by Dr. Mahesh Pathak who served as Hon. Director during 1972-2006. Another unique strength of the Centre has been the association of some of the most distinguished Economist of our Country, such as Shri H. M. Patel (ICS retired), Dr. V. S. Vyas, Prof. M. L. Dantwala, Prof. M. V. Mathur, Shri D. T. Lakdawala, Dr. R. K. Amin, Dr. Y. K. Alagh, Dr. N. S. Jodha, Dr. D. S. Tyagi, Shri J. S. Sarma, Dr. M. S. Bhatia, Shri S. S. Jain, Dr. Mahesh T. Pathak, Dr. Sudarashan Iyenger, Dr. Amita Shah, Dr. Surjit Singh, Dr. Amrita Patel, Dr. S. S. Acharya, Dr. Tushaar Shah, and many others
The Centre has now completed 60 glorious years of its journey marked by both achievements and challenges. During these years, the Centre has emerged as a strong policy feedback Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India due to the hard work and strong commitment of the staff in the Centre. The centre is known for its unbiased quality report in time with appropriate policy implications as well as objective and independent research to discover and disseminate new knowledge on issues enjoying high national priority. The centre is committed to provide all necessary support through systematic investigation in proper policy formulation for agriculture and rural development at State as well as National Level. Centre has celebrated ‘Diamond Jubilee Year’ of its establishment (2020-21) with AERC Webinar Series wherein eminent scholars have delivered lectures.
The excellence in research comes from the careful choice of faculty members in which AERC has not made any compromise. AERC has expanded its outreach to other renowned policy-making institutions and the best academic institution by entering into active collaborations with them. Research collaboration with these institutions is not an additional feather in our cap but an integral part of our growth strategy.
The Centre has by now completed 203 problem-oriented studies, 21 village surveys and 6 village resurveys. Most of these research projects have been taken up by the Centre on the recommendation of the Government of India and State Governments of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Some of the projects have also been sponsored by other national and international organizations. During its long journey, the Centre has brought remarkable improvement in every aspect of research including the methodological base of the studies. The studies have come out with useful findings and policy implications for agricultural and rural development of the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
We continue to strive for attaining new goals and open up new avenues for our academic endeavors. This is possible only through the hard work of all staff members, the guidance received from the esteemed members of the Advisory Commitee of AERC, and the support as well as appreciation from a number of individuals as well as organizations within and outside the country. I wish to place on record my appreciation of the excellent work done by the faculty and useful support provided by the supporting staff of the AERC, who worked hard for achieving greater heights of academic attainments.
My task is to continue the past good practices and maintain its status as an institution committed to excellence in research.
01.03.2022