UniSQ masters student with a plan to improve world agriculture
University of Southern Queensland student Sandiri Manaswini wants to help make agriculture eco-friendly in her home country of India.
University of Southern Queensland student Sandiri Manaswini wants to solve the problem of introducing eco-friendliness and sustainability to the large-scale agriculture methods required to feed the world.
Ms Manaswini, who is studying for a master of agricultural science, said her goal was to “find biological solutions for farming, to promote agriculture that relies on beneficial microorganisms instead of harmful chemicals”.
She is looking at the capacity for the Serendipita mycorrhizal fungi to alleviate drought stress in wheat and the results of this line of research could help solve real-world farming challenges in many countries, including Australia.
Ms Manaswini is particularly interested in the impact her work could have in India, her home country.
“India has a large population, which poses significant challenges for food production,” said Ms Manaswini, who is from Hyderabad.
“To meet the growing demand, many farmers rely heavily on chemicals and fertilisers, which has led to food adulteration and, in some cases, people becoming sick.”
She said she wanted to find agricultural solutions which combined traditional methods with modern science.
The master of agricultural science is one of the professionally-oriented master degrees at UniSQ.
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