AGRICULTURE
Agriculture plays a crucial role in the Indian economy.
Almost 60 percent of the Indian workforce is involved in agriculture, but that
has not resulted in substantial growth of the sector. In fact, its contribution
to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dwindled to less than 25 percent. It is
time that students explore this largely unknown arena.
Most students are well aware of the streams like
engineering and medicine, and post-graduate degrees like the MBA. But you may
have not given any thought to a BSc in Agriculture, in spite of the fact that
agriculture is a part of the NCERT syllabus for Class 10+2 for science
students, and you prepared the chapter for your board exams.
The demand for trained professionals in the field
of agriculture is high. The course fee is negligible, barely Rs. 5,000 per
year. Scholarships are also available. A student who has completed
a BSc in Agriculture will get a well-paying job right after graduation.
It was in the mid-1960s, Dr. DS Kothari, the then
Chairman of the UGC, proposed that each state should have at least one
agricultural university, a move that was implemented across the country. This
resulted in the setting up of 49 such universities, both by the state and
the central government.
A knowledge-based curriculum
Typically, a BSc in Agriculture is a four-year
course, though some universities or institutes offer a five-year course. The
curriculum vary, from learning about soil science to agricultural meteorology,
and there is a balance between theory and practicals. Your last year will
comprise hands-on training, which helps in tying up all you have learned in the
first three years, to make you job-ready.
Agriculture is very diverse and the curriculum
allows you to choose areas of interest to you. “Students interested in
physical, biological, chemical, and computer science can specialise, based on
their interest and aptitude. Even an interest in engineering or journalism
(writing about agriculture), finds an avenue here,” shares Prof. H. S. Gaur,
Dean and Joint Director (Edu), Indian
Agricultural Research Institute.
Engineering enthusiasts can study Agricultural
Engineering. If numbers and calculations excite you, you can take up
Mathematical Statistics. Marketing has its own space within the field of
agriculture, and so do chemistry and biology. You can also opt for Agri-Botany,
Agri-Biotechnology, Agri-Chemistry, Agri-Economics, Agri-Extension, Agronomy,
Agri-Engineering and Social forestry.
Depending on your aptitude, you will find ways to
explore them in agriculture, especially in forecasting and productivity
improvement domains.
Teaching, research and extension activities are
three vital components of any agriculture college. Extension, which is
applicable to all aspects of agriculture, allows you to take the knowledge you
have accumulated back to the farmers through field trips, conferences or
hands-on experience. Choosing an institute.
It is advisable to choose an institution, which
is a member of the Indian Agricultural Universities Association (IAUA), established to promote agricultural research
and education in India. Though agricultural universities churn out trained
manpower, many jobs are handled by untrained people in this sector because the
field is still largely unexplored. Agriculture education is very standardised
and extremely knowledge-based. The demand and supply is largely controlled,
only those many students are churned out as per requirements.
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