● Associate Scientist · CGIAR-ICRISAT
Dr. Akshay
Kumar Yogi
Science from the Soil Up.
Agronomist researching conservation agriculture, dryland farming systems, and climate-smart crop management across the semi-arid tropics of India — working at the intersection of field science, nutrition, and policy.
CG-ICRISAT · ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST
ICAR-IARI · RESEARCH AGRONOMIST
10+
Years of Research
15K+
Farmers Reached
145
Farmer Field Schools
15
Districts · 3 States
Research Focus
Bridging Field Science
& Agricultural Systems
Investigating sustainable intensification pathways for smallholder farmers in the semi-arid tropics — from soil carbon dynamics to cropping system resilience.
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Dryland Agronomy
Water-efficient crop systems for the Thar Desert and other arid ecosystems of Rajasthan and Bihar. TDR-based soil moisture monitoring, SLM practices, GEF LD indicators.
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Climate-Smart Agriculture
Conservation agriculture interventions improving water-energy-food-carbon nexus performance under changing rainfall patterns across 15,000+ on-farm trials.
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Millets & Minor Crops
Pearl millet, finger millet, kodo millet, and barnyard millet research under CGIAR, ICRISAT, and FAO-GEF6 programmes — yield optimization and value chain support.
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Conservation Agriculture
Long-term multi-treatment experiments on tillage × residue × cropping system interactions at ICAR-IARI. GGE biplot and WAASB-based stability analysis.
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Nutrient Management
Nano fertilizer research on sunflower and pearl millet hybrids in Vertisols. 50% RD substitution with nano NPK + nano boron — agronomic and economic optimization.
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Research Methods
Statistical analysis in R (metan, ggplot2), experimental design (RCBD, factorial, split-plot), data visualization, and biometric approaches for agricultural systems.
Recent Publications
Peer-Reviewed Research
Advancing the evidence base for sustainable agriculture in semi-arid and dryland ecosystems.
Foliar zinc fertilization improves yield, biofortification and nutrient-use efficiency of upland rice
Yogi, Akshay & Bana, R S & Bamboriya, Shanti & Choudhary, Ram & Laing, Alison & Singh, D. & Godara, Samarth & Babu, Subhash & Chaudhary, Amresh. (2023). Foliar zinc fertilization improves yield, biofortification and nutrient-use efficiency of upland rice. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 125. 1-17. 10.1007/s10705-023-10270-4.
Journal Article
Frontiers In Nutrition
2023
Elucidating the interactive impact of tillage, residue retention and system intensification on pearl millet yield stability and biofortification under rainfed agro-ecosystems
Yogi AK, Bana RS, Godara S, Sangwan S, Choudhary AK, Nirmal RC, Bamboriya SD, Shivay YS, Singh D, Singh T, Yadav A, Nagar S and Singh N (2023) Elucidating the interactive impact of tillage, residue retention and system intensification on pearl millet yield stability and biofortification under rainfed agro-ecosystems. Front. Nutr. 10:1205926. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1205926
Research Report
CGIAR Science Program for Sustainable farming
2025
Scale Appropriate Mechanization (SAM): Business Models and Employment Generation in India
Sawargaonkar, Gajanan; Yogi, Akshay Kumar; Kamdi, Prasad; Singh, Love; Shyam, Moses and Singh, Ramesh. 2025. Scale Appropriate Mechanization (SAM): Business Models and Employment Generation in India. Patancheru, India: ICRISAT.
Latest from the Blog
Field Notes & Science
Dryland Agriculture
Why Soil Moisture Monitoring Changes Everything for Semi-Arid Farmers
TDR-based soil moisture tracking reveals critical deficit points that traditional observation misses entirely — and how this transforms irrigation scheduling in Rajasthan’s kharif season.
June 2026 · 8 min read · Dr. Akshay Kumar Yogi
Millets
Finger Millet vs Barnyard Millet — Yield Stability in South Bihar
May 2026 · 5 min read
Statistical Methods
Using WAASB Scores for Multi-Environment Trial Analysis in R
April 2026 · 12 min read
Conservation Ag
Residue Management in Pearl Millet–Mustard: What the Data Actually Shows
March 2026 · 7 min read
Science Perspective
Editorial: Opinion & Analysis
Personal views on agriculture, climate policy, food systems, and the future of scientific research
Research Policy
“India's smallholder farmers need systems thinkers, not just technologists — and our research institutions aren't training enough of them.”
A reflection on the growing gap between laboratory-driven agricultural innovation and the complex socio-ecological realities of farming in the Thar Desert and the Indo-Gangetic plains.
June 2026
15 min read
Current & Past Affiliations
CGIAR · ICRISAT
ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST · AGRONOMY
SYSTEM AGRONOMIST ·
SID · BIHAR
ICAR · IARI
New Delhi
Government of Bihar
BCOEMVC, BIHAR
Dryland Sustainability
Field science, policy analysis, and research updates from the semi-arid tropics — delivered monthly to researchers, farmers, and development practitioners.
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AKY
Dr. Akshay Kumar Yogi
Agronomist · Associate Scientist · CGIAR-ICRISAT · Field Agronomy Lead, BCOEMVC & SID Bihar
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