Agriculture: ICAR Requesting to Introduce Agriculture in the School Syllabus.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) thinking of recommending to the authorities to introduce agriculture in the school syllabus in a bid to attract students towards agricultural education and research right from the tender age.

ICAR Director-General S. Ayyappan said presently most of the talented youth were choosing medical and engineering courses, especially IT. He is speaking at the inauguration of the global alumni meet organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru Alumni Association

He said “There is a dire need to attract talent to agricultural education to help the country’s farm sector. To ensure this, we must start creating awareness among them about agriculture and agri-education right from school.”

Stressing the need to create public awareness that agriculture is actually a “harvest of hope” and “not despair”, he made an appeal to the retired agricultural scientists to join hands with ICAR in mentoring farmers and taking forward the mission of knowledge-based farming.

He said “Farmers have often expressed a view that there is no substitute to a scientist of standing visiting them to provide first-hand assistance,” ,He requesting that when retired scientists get time to visit fields and district-level Krishi Vigyan Kendras as and to share their experience and expertise.

Expressing concern that the latest survey by ICAR had put the average post-harvest losses of various crops at Rs. 95,000 crore a year, he called for giving impetus to food processing and value addition to prevent such losses.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/