India-Afghanistan Fellowship Program was started in 2010-11 with 115 fellowships every year for pursuing Master’s and Ph.D. in Indian Agricultural Universities (AUs), with the aim to support the agricultural human resource development in Afghanistan through formal education in India. The program was later revised to provide 614 fellowships for 50% Bachelor’s; 30% Master’s and 20% Ph.D. Programs, over a period of 2012-13 to 2020-21. The scheme has been implemented through the Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) as per the norms of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Upshots of the Program

Academic Year: 2010-11

A total of twenty one candidates were recommended to 14 Indian AUs.
Out of them, 10 candidates joined their respective programmes at 9 Indian AUs.
Six candidates of the batch (2010-11) pursuing their Master’s programme have completed and four have left the programme.

Academic Year: 2011-12

A total of 51 (50 Master’s and 1Ph.D) candidates were recommended to various Indian AUs during the year.
Three candidates (Master's) recommended in the year 2010-11, could only join their respective programmes, as the applications were received late in September and subsequently recommended to the AUs.
All three have completed their programme.

Academic Year: 2012-13

A total of 193 candidates (including 49 candidates of previous year) have been recommended in various Indian AUs.
Forty nine (49) candidates (20 UG; 29 PG) have joined their respective programmes in 18 Indian AUs.
Seventeen (12 Bachelor's and 5 Master's) fellows left in mid (without completion).
Out of remaining 32 candidates, 31 (7 Bachelor's; 24 Master’s) have completed their programme successfully.

Academic Year: 2013-14

Sixty new applications have been received. A backlog of 154 candidates (previous years) have also been reconsidered.
Sixty seven (35 Bachelor’s and 32 Master’s) candidates have joined their respective programmes in different AUs.
Twelve candidates (9, Bachelor's; 3 Master's) have left the programme in mid.
Thirty candidates (1 Bachelor's; 29 Master's) have completed their programme successfully.

Academic Year: 2014-15

A total of 116 Afghan candidates (85 Master’s and 31 Bachelor’s) have been recommended for admission in Indian AUs.
Out of which 40 (Master’s 31 and 09 Bachelor’s) candidates have joined the programme.
Twenty four candidates of Master's programme have completed the programme.
Three candidates (2 Master's & 1 UG programme) have left the programme in mid.

Academic Year: 2015-16

span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A total of 64 Afghan candidates (13 Bachelor’s; 51 Master’s) have been recommended for admission in Indian AUs.
Out of which 30 (4 Bachelor’s; 26 Master’s) candidates have joined the programme.
Three candidates (2 Bachelor’s; 1 Master’s) have left the programme in mid.
One PG student has completed the programme.

Academic Year: 2016-17

A total of 123 Afghan candidates (20 Bachelor’s; 103 Master’s) have been recommended for admission in Indian AUs.
Out of which 44 (5 Bachelor’s; 39 Master’s) candidates have joined the programme.
One candidate of Bachelor's programme have left the programme in mid.

Academic Year: 2017-18

A total of 168 (15 UG; 142 PG; 11 Ph.D) Afghan candidates have been recommended for admission in Indian AUs.
Out of which 51 (3 Bachelor’s; 48 Master’s) candidates have joined the programme.
Two candidate of Master's programme have left the programme in mid.
Two candidates of Ph.D programme are awaited to join in second semester.

Status at a Glance

Status of Admission		Academic years
Status of Admission	2010-11		2011-12	2012-13		2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	Total
Candidates joined
Bachelor’s	---		---	20		35	09	04	05	03	076
Master’s	10		03	29		32	31	26	39	48	218
Ph.D.	---		---	--		nil	--	---	---	---	--
Total	10		03	49		67	40	30	44	51	294
Candidates left (in between without degree)
Bachelor’s	---		---	12	09		01	02	01	---	25
Master’s	04		---	05	03		02	01	---	02	17
Total	04		---	17	12		03	03	01	02	42
Candidates completed the Programme
Bachelor’s	---		---	07	01		---	---	---	---	08
Master’s	06		03	24	29		24	01	---	---	87
Total	06		03	31	30		24	01	---	---	95

India Africa fellowship programme under IAFS I has come out successfully. Under this programme 75 fellowships (50 Master’s and 25 Ph.D. programme) were offered each year for a period of four years (2010-14) to the nationals of African continent to pursue Master’s and Ph.D. programmes in varied disciplines of Agriculture at Indian Agricultural Universities (AUs). A total of 195 candidates (119 Master's & 76 Ph.D.) have been enrolled under IAFS I. Table 1 and Fig. 1 represents per year data on candidates enrolled under India-Africa fellowship Programme. Country and gender wise data is presented in Table II A, B and Fig 2. During session 2013-14, seven candidates (2 PG & 5 PhD), could not join on time, hence started their programme in academic session 2014-15.

Table 1. India-Africa Fellowship Programme - Year-wise Enrolment Status (2010-15)
Academic Year	Enrolled Students
	Masters			PhD			Total
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Total
2010 - 11	27	7	34	14	1	15	49
2011 - 12	16	10	26	16	0	16	42
2012 - 13	16	2	18	12	2	14	32
2013 – 14	34	5	39	22	4	26	65
2014 – 15	2	0	2	3	2	5	07
Total	95	24	119	67	9	76	195

Fig.1

Table II A.

STUDENTS ENROLLED UNDER AFRICA-INDIA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME Country wise &Gender wise
No	Scholar's Country of Origin	Number of Candidates Enrolled
		Masters			PhD			Total
		Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Total
1	Benin	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
2	Botswana	3	0	3	0	1	1	4
3	Burundi	2	0	2	1	0	1	3
4	Cameroon	0	0	0	3	0	3	3
5	D.R. Congo	0	0	0	1	0	1	1
6	Egypt	2	1	3	3	1	4	7
7	Eritrea	1	0	1	1	0	1	2
8	Ethiopia	17	2	19	12	2	14	33
9	Ghana	7	2	9	2	0	2	11
10	Kenya	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
11	Lesotho	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
12	Liberia	4	1	5	1	0	1	6
13	Malawi	18	1	19	1	0	1	20
14	Mozambique	0	0	0	1	0	1	1
15	Namibia	0	2	2	0	0	0	2
16	Niger republic	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
17	Nigeria	14	2	16	18	1	19	35
18	Rwanda	4	3	7	1	0	1	8
19	Seychelles	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
20	Sierra Leon	1	0	1	1	1	2	3
21	Somalia	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
22	Sudan	5	3	8	11	2	13	21
23	Swaziland	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
24	Tanzania	3	5	8	4	1	5	13
25	Uganda	5	0	5	2	0	2	7
26	Zambia	3	0	3	1	0	1	4
27	Zimbabwe	1	0	1	3	0	3	4
Total		95	24	119	67	9	76	195

Table II B.

GRADUATED STUDENTS UNDER AFRICA-INDIA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME - Country wise &Gender wise
No	Scholars Country of Origin	Number of Candidates completed
		Masters			PhD			Total
		Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Total
1	Benin	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
2	Botswana	3	0	3	0	1	1	4
3	Burundi	2	0	2	1	0	1	3
4	Cameroon	0	0	0	3	0	3	3
5	D.R. Congo	0	0	0	1	0	1	1
6	Egypt	2	1	3	3	1	4	7
7	Eretria	1	0	1	1	0	1	2
8	Ethiopia	13	2	15	11	2	13	28
9	Ghana	7	2	9	2	0	2	11
10	Kenya	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
11	Lesotho	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
12	Liberia	4	1	5	1	0	1	6
13	Malawi	17	1	18	1	0	1	19
14	Mozambique	0	0	0	1	0	1	1
15	Namibia	0	2	2	0	0	0	2
16	Niger Republic	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
17	Nigeria	14	2	16	18	1	19	35
18	Rwanda	4	3	7	1	0	1	8
19	Sierra Leon	1	0	1	1	0	1	2
20	Sudan	5	3	8	10	0	10	18
21	Swaziland	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
22	Tanzania	3	5	8	4	1	5	13
23	Uganda	5	0	5	2	0	2	7
24	Zambia	3	0	3	1	0	1	4
25	Zimbabwe	1	0	1	3	0	3	4
Total		89	23	112	65	6	71	183

Fig.2 COUNTRY-WISE ENROLMENTS (IAFS I)

Participation of African Countries: Since the inception year (2010-11), a total of 195 candidates from 27 countries have been enrolled. Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan and Malawi countries are having maximum number of beneficiaries under programme. Nigerian, Ethiopian and Sudanese have maximum enrolments for doctoral (Ph.D.) programmes (Table IIA). Two candidates of Cameroon and each from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Liberia, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria and Cameroon extended their programme maximum up to six months. Four candidates from Ethiopia and one from Malawi and Somalia have left in mid without completing the programme due to ill health and domestic reasons.

Participation of Host Universities: Thirty six (36) State Agriculture Universities have contributed to enrol African candidates under IAFS. Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi TNAU Coimbatore and PAU Ludhiana has enrolled maximum number of African candidates (Table IV).

Table III

Number of fellows enrolled in Indian Agricultural Universities under India-Africa Fellowship Programme (2010-15)

Sr. No.	Indian Agriculture University	Candidates
	Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi	16
	Tamil nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore	15
	Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana	13
	University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad	12
	Maharana Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri	11
	Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, Hyderabad	11
	Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar	10
	University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur	10
	Dr Balesahab Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli	09
	Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola	06
	Junagarh Agriculture University, Junagarh	06
	Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Jabalpur	06
	Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur	06
	National Dairy Research Instiute, Karnal	06
	Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur	05
	Orissa University of Agriculture &Technology, Bhubneshwar	05
	University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore	05
	Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbani	05
	Anand Agricultural University, Anand	04
	Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner	04
	Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai	03
	Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan	03
	Sardarkrushinagar-Dantiwada Agricultural University, Dantiwada	03
	Tamilnadu Veterinary &Animal Sciences University, Chennai	03
	University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot	03
	CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur	02
	Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana	02
	Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari	02
	Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut	02
	Indian Veterinary Research Institute	01
	Dr YSR Horticultural University, West Godavari	01
	Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar	01
	Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur	01
	Karnataka Veterinary, Animal & Fisheries Sciences University, Karnatka	01
	Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Hisar	01
	Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bikaner	01
Total Candidates		195

Major disciplines pursued by African candidates under IAFS: Agriculture Economics remained the main area of study pursued by African (Fig. 3). Agronomy and Animal Science fields comes next to Economics.

Fig.3. Agriculture and its allied disciplines allotted to Africans (2010-15)

BRIEF ON INDIA AFRICA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME- IAFS III

Based on the concept of IAFS I, IAFS III, programme has been implemented from academic session 2017-18 under allotment of 100 seats (75 PG and 25 Ph.D), per annum. Slot of 500 candidates need to be filled under IAFS III. Monthly fellowship @ 18,000/- for PG students; 22,000/- for Ph.D students, medical insurance @. 2,000/- per year per student and Institutional fee @ 2,68,000/- per year is prescribed on each enrolment. Till date, a total of 34(25 PG; 9 Ph.D) candidates have joined under IAFS III.

Country-wise status As on 16.11.17

Sr. No.	Country	No. of Applications Screened	Recommendations from ICAR	Acceptance from University	Candidates Joined	Remarks
1.	Botswana	48 (PG)	41 (PG)	19 (PG)	13 (PG)	1- declined offer
2.	Egypt	5 (3 PG; 2 Ph.D)	5 (3 PG; 2 Ph.D)	3 (PG)	2(PG)	1 left; 1 terminated
3.	Ethiopia	22 (9 PG;13 Ph.D)	14 (3 PG; 11 Ph.D)	6 (2PG; 4 Ph.D)	10 (2 PG; 8 Ph.D)	3 (1PG; 2 Ph.D)
4.	Ghana	1 Ph.D	1 Ph.D	Not Eligible	Nil	Nil
5.	Malawi	1 PG	1 PG	1 PG	Nil	Nil
6.	Seychelles	1 PG	1 PG	1 PG	Nil	Willing to join in 2018-19
7.	Tanzania	47 (38 PG; 9 Ph.D)	34 (26 PG; 8 Ph.D)	21(16 PG; 5Ph.D)	7 (6 PG; 1Ph.D)
8.	Uganda	2 PG	2 PG	2 PG	1(PG)
9.	Sudan	6 (2 PG; 4 Ph.D)	3 (2 PG; 1 Ph.D)	2PG	1(PG)	Nil
10.	Mauritius	2 PG	Nil	Nil	-----	---
Total		135(106 PG;29 Ph.D)	102 (79 PG; 23 Ph.D)	55 (46 PG; 9 Ph.D)	34 (25 PG; 9 Ph.D)

* Two nominations from Government of Gambia have been received via e-mail of DS DARE dated 14.7.17; as no application was attached, it could not be processed.

** Number of candidate(s) joined is based on the joining report/information provided by the host University. It is assumed that few selected candidate(s) may join in second semester.

Suggestive points: IAFS I has been the point of attraction for other ASEAN/SAARC countries. However few discrepancies were realized during evaluation process at ICAR. Following suggestive points, if considered, may aid smooth functioning of the programme.

Fellow’s applications need pre-assessment from their concerned High Commissions/Embassies. Incomplete applications, essential document other than English language should be checked prior to submission.
English is considered as global language, hence the candidates who are not well versed to English need not to apply as medium of instruction in Indian AUs is English. Reading and writing skills of the candidates suggestively be verified by HC/Embassies.
Postage of applications must adhere to University schedule. Fellows need to look into respective website of host University.
Candidates need to undergo thorough health check-up under endorsement of Indian Mission /African Union, so that on admission he/she may complete his programme without leaving in mid due to weak health or nostalgic reasons.

Suggestive points: IAFS I has been the point of attraction for other ASEAN/SAARC countries. However few discrepancies were realized during evaluation process at ICAR. Following suggestive points, if considered, may aid smooth functioning of the programme.

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