One-week RAWE Orientation Programme was organized by the Department of Agriculture, Integral Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (IIAST), as per the directives of Fifth Dean committee of Agricultural Education Division of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The main aim of this Student READY programme is to provide rural entrepreneurship awareness, practical experience in real-life situations in rural agriculture and creating awareness regarding Agriculture and allied sciences.
The main objectives of RAWE are:
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To provide an opportunity to the students to understand the rural context in regard to agriculture and allied activities
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To familiarize students with the farmers' socioeconomic situation and challenges
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To impart diagnostic and remedial information to the students relevant to real field situations through practical training
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To develop communication skills in students using extension teaching methods in transfer of technology
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To develop confidence and competence to solve agricultural problems
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To acquaint students with on going extension and rural development programmes
During this orientation event, renowned speakers from various Agricultural backgrounds and Agro-industrial sectors interacted with students of B.Sc (Hons.) Agriculture VIIth Semester and gave them an overview of employability and opportunities in the field of Agriculture.
The members of the RAWE committee Dr. Malik Mobeen, Dr. Khalid Habib, Dr. Faria Fatima, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Mr Nadeem Khan, Dr. Ayush Bhushan, Dr. Sudhanshu Verma, Dr. Jitendra Kushwaha, Mr. Sunil Kumar enthusiastically organised the whole event under the guidance of Prof. Mohd. Haris Siddiqui, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Technology and Dr. Saba Siddiqui, Head, Department of Agriculture. The details of the one-week orientation program is as under:
Day 1
Dr V.K Singh, SMS- Plant Protection, KVK, Sitapur I elaborated on the progression of Agricultural techniques from traditional to sophisticated targeted approaches. He emphasized upon the importance of new agricultural practices, the status of agricultural technologies adopted by the farmers and encouraged the students to understand the problems of farmers and to develop the attitude of working with farm families for overall development of rural areas.
Mr Prashant Arya, Marketing Management, Parag Dairy, Chakganjariya, Lucknow encouraged the students to join the Agro-industries and explained the industrial opportunities. He discussed the great deal of variation in the pattern of Dairy production worldwide. He also talked about the contribution of Dairy industries which is the major source of income in India. The students also gained knowledge regarding the production of milk on dairy farms, the processing of milk and milk products at dairy plants.
Day 2
Dr. L.C. Verma, Head, KVK, Sidharth Nagar highlighted the importance of Agriculture extension and the current Agricultural policies. He stressed that extension programmes should be regularly conducted for visual publicity of improved practices. He discussed the role of KVKs in dissemination of agricultural technologies.
Mr Ritesh Sethi, General Manager (Operation ) and Mr Surendra ,Senior Manager ,Organic India, Barabanki familiarized the students with various machines, procedures, products and other applications along with relevant aspects of Agro-industries in their combined presentation. They explained the importance of organic products over synthetic ones that will help to strengthen the immune system of humans. Their address included the importance of organic products like Tulsi, Ginger, Apple Cider, Vinegar etc. which is not only chemical free, but is also better for the environment and supports small sustainable farmers as well.
Day 3
Dr. R. K. Anand, Head, KVK Amethi urged the students to develop confidence and continuity for solving the problems related to Agriculture . He sensitized about the village social work, village survey, and role of students in creating awareness amongst the farmers.
Mr. Pawan Kumar, Senior Manager, Gyan Dairy, Lucknow stated that Agriculture represents an important component of the Indian economy both in terms of contribution to the GDP as well as a source of employment to the majority of population. He discussed in detail how sustainable growing can generate decisive impetus and make significant contributions to fight against poverty.
Day 4
Dr Ram Prakash, Head/ Senior Scientist KVK, Hardoi described the importance of Organic farming, Integrated Nutrient Management, Biofertilizers, Mixed cropping patterns and Intercropping to the students. The session was flooded with questions by students and all the questions were responded well by the speaker.
Dr. S. K Singh, Director, KRIBCHO, Lucknow shared his views on the opportunities in the fertilizer-based industry. He discussed the organic and inorganic fertilizers in detail and acquainted the students with the process of manufacturing of different types of fertilizers.
Day 5
Dr Ratana Priya, SMS KVK, Unnao talked about different components of the RAWE programme and how various components are interactive and conceptualized for building skills, executing decision making, team coordination etc. with end-to-end approach.
Dr Mohammad Hasnain, Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture, IIAST shared the importance of Selenium as Potash alternative in Moong Plants. He described the effectiveness of Selenium fertilizers as it increases the nutritional quality of grain legumes by stimulating photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidative machinery under water deficit conditions.
Day 6
Dr. Ram Ratan Verma, Senior Scientist, Division of Crop Production, ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow gave a presentation on soil health. The students got an overview of Soil health card, parameters affecting Soil properties and Soil management techniques.
Dr Ashok Kumar Dubey, Senior Manager, Veeta Day Industry, Barabanki discussed the process of manufacturing Rusk, Biscuits, and Bread. He introduced Veeta Day, which is India's leading manufacturer in Bread and Rice. He very well demonstrated the manufacturing of Rusk and Bread with the help of videos.
There were 200 keen participants in total who took part in the Orientation programme and the response from the audience was overwhelming.