How Kashmir’s farm university built startup culture even before NEP took off

Srinagar: Years before the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) made innovation, entrepreneurship and skill-based learning central to higher education reforms, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar had already begun reshaping its institutional model. 

The university’s early push—backed by a World Bank–funded institutional development programme—has now matured into one of Kashmir’s most active campus startup ecosystems.

Officials said the groundwork began well before 2020, when administrators and innovators at the university crafted a detailed institutional development plan aimed at transforming the agricultural campus into a hub for research-driven entrepreneurship.

The idea was simple but ambitious: integrate innovation and business creation into the curriculum and create a pipeline that would allow students to build, test and launch their own enterprises even before graduation.

Two years later, when NEP-2020 was introduced with a similar emphasis on startups, incubation and multidisciplinary learning, it synced perfectly with what SKUAST had already set in motion.
The results are now visible on the ground.

According to the university, 85 startups—mostly launched by students—have taken shape under the initiative over the last few years. At least seven of these ventures have already crossed the annual turnover of Rs 1 crore, a significant achievement in an agricultural economy where small-scale enterprises traditionally struggle to scale.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, who has been steering the reforms, said the mission was to change mindsets and aspirations. “We aim to make our students job givers rather than job seekers once they pass out,” he told DH.

He said the agriculture sector in Jammu and Kashmir offered enormous potential for innovation if supported with the right skills and initial capital. “Agriculture is our focus area and any piece of land can be turned into a business unit. The start-ups are provided with seed capital, which can go up to ₹50 lakh,” he added.

The ventures emerging from the university cover a wide spectrum: precision agriculture tools, food processing units, organic farming solutions, floriculture enterprises, agri-tech devices and new post-harvest technologies. University officials say several student-led ventures have already secured external funding and partnerships.

The World Bank–supported institutional development plan helped SKUAST build early infrastructure—that later aligned seamlessly with NEP mandates. As a result, the university transitioned ahead of the national curve, adopting a model that many other agricultural institutions are now trying to replicate.

For Kashmir, where unemployment has remained a persistent challenge, the rise of a student-driven agri-startup ecosystem marks a notable shift. Administrators say it shows that agriculture-based entrepreneurship, supported by scientific training and institutional backing, can become a viable career path for the region’s youth.

With more student ventures in the pipeline and increased interest from local investors, SKUAST plans to further expand its incubation capacity in the coming years. Officials said the ultimate goal is to create an ecosystem where research innovation directly translates into economic growth, rural transformation and employment generation.

“Entrepreneurship must be at the heart of agricultural education,” Prof Ganai said. “Our students should not just look for jobs—they should create value and opportunities for others.”