Rural students educated on farming techniques, work opportunities
LUCKNOW: To give rural children a basic exposure to agriculture education, scientists of the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) and several progressive farmers and teachers organised a sensitisation programme at the Golden Jubilee School here on Sunday. Students of Nabi Panah village of Malihabad benefited through the initiative.
A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-CISH and the locals attended the programme, which was organised to celebrate the Agricultural Education Day. The day is observed in the memory of Dr Rajendra Prasad who was the country’s first agriculture minister as well as the first president of independent India.
The students were informed about the various opportunities they could utilise by getting some fundamental level knowledge of the Indian agricultural system. They were also told about the different agricultural fields and organic farming methods.
Shailendra Rajan, director CISH, stressed on the importance of agriculture education in improving the health and the wealth of the nation.
“Linking rural colleges with agriculture education is important for improving the influx of rural youths in agriculture colleges and universities. The field is gradually becoming attractive because of increasing job avenues,” said a scientist.
Speakers also lauded the scheme ‘Student READY’ (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojana) for providing undergraduate students practical experience in rural agriculture and knowledge about farming and allied sciences. “Initiative like this help build the confidence and skills of students. They also help pass-outs become ready for self-employment. Besides, they give them opportunities to acquire hands-on experience and entrepreneurial skills,” said a scientist.
The scientists said that armed with agricultural education and technical knowhow, rural students could set up their own ventures in villages, which could be commercialised.
Opportunities for girl students were also discussed, as in many of agriculture universities, girls outnumber boys. The participants were told that knowledge of farming could help them prepare for careers not only in agriculture departments, state agriculture universities, ICAR, but also in banks and various private companies.
The speakers also said that rural youths had an edge over their urban counterparts when it came to agriculture studies, as they were already familiar with the socio-economic conditions of farmers and their problems.
NGOs Awadh Aam Utpadak Bagwani Samiti and the Society for Conservation of Mango Diversity also participated in the event.
ICAR considers exposure to rural environment an important component of its bachelor programme, and rural agricultural work experience (RAWE) is a compulsory part of the course.