“Agriculture cannot be ignored”. This was the message from experts at the webinar on “Current and Emerging Opportunities in the field of Agriculture” hosted by The Hindu Education Plus and presented by SRMIST, Chennai, on August 22.
“Every science that we practice, except medicine and a few others, comes under agriculture, including horticulture, biotechnology, forestry, home science, sericulture, and others,” said J.P. Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu.
“We have about 130 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes and over 1,000 agriculture colleges and universities offering related courses. Now, the focus is to convert agriculture into a dynamic entity as agro business, so that the youth get enhanced income and employment, and can work with self-respect.”
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K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, cited the example of M.S. Swaminathan. “Back in the 1940s, when thousands died in the Bengal famine, Dr. Swaminathan chose to leave his medical studies and pursue agriculture. Today, he is renowned as the father of green revolution. It is all about cashing in on the right opportunities at the right time. Now, the time for agriculture education is ripe, especially at the undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph. D levels.”
L. Ramasamy, Director of Faculty and Academics, SRMIST, said that agriculture was no longer just a traditional practice. “Today, robotics, drones and automation being used and India is developing several technologies. But agriculture faces challenges not just due to climate change and other natural factors, but due to changes in technology. Today, agriculture is not just about sowing seeds, cultivating crops and selling them; it is about coming out with organic, pesticide-free production, quality control, variety of produce, and more. Courses should, therefore, be taught by those with hands-on experience and include practical work to those pursuing it.”