Natural Farming in UG- PG Courses in Agri Universities from Next Academic Session: ICAR

According to an official, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is working on revamping the curriculum of undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) agricultural courses and will include natural farming as a key component.

According to S P Kimothi, ICAR's assistant director-general, the council's education division is still working on developing a curriculum for natural farming. "A committee has been formed, and its report will be submitted shortly."

"Because natural farming is a system for improving production efficiency and lowering costs, it is critical for young professionals in the field to be well-equipped with the knowledge," said Kimothi.

An eight-member committee, chaired by Praveen Rao, vice-chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), was formed in December 2021 to incorporate natural farming components into the curriculum.

Natural farming, according to Kimothi, was not previously taught as a separate topic and was only a component of organic farming lessons. "Because the committee is still working on finalizing the coursework, it is unlikely that it will be implemented this year." "From the next academic session onwards, natural farming will be included in all UG and PG agricultural courses," he said.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Wednesday that the central government is working on a scheme to promote natural farming and is considering including this traditional method of cultivation in agri-varsities' curricula.

Tomar made the remarks while speaking at the annual conference of vice-chancellors of agricultural universities and directors of ICAR institutes. "

Scientists should research traditional farming methods, and it should be part of the curriculum in agri-varsities," he said, adding that the ICAR has formed a committee to look into the issue.

Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, stated that agriculture education curricula should be updated to reflect the rate at which the farm sector is changing. Even students' fieldwork files should be genuine, according to Rupala, as this will help them emerge as entrepreneurs.