Two groups of agricultural students, who have been pursuing B.Sc course at the Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat, continue to have real experience with the farmers in the practical field at Mangaldai in Darrang district as part of an academic programme.
The students, who were seen busy planting saplings in a paddy field in Mangaldai, said that their experience in the practical field would immensely help them in their study in agriculture.
Two groups of AAU students, who are future agricultural scientists, have been camping in villages of Darrang as a part of an four-week-long academic programme of the university called Rural Agricultural Work Experience Programme (RAWEP).
“Studying within the four wall of the classrooms to acquire knowledge and applying such book-based knowledge in the real work field is different. During these four weeks work experience with the farmers in the practical field , we could apprehend that farmers are used to the technology which they consider to be derived from their forefathers, but they are lagging behind the proper way of applications,” shared Sunny Gogoi, who is from Dibrugarh and the leader of the group of 18 boys from AAU, Jorhat.
Sulakshana Barua, the leader of the 14-member girl students’ team, observed that the programme has benefitted both the farmers and the agricultural students.
“We have worked hand in hand with the farmers. We have helped them in demonstrating the technology in the right direction. Similarly, the farmers have shared some innovative ideas which they had gathered from their long practical experience which can equally be beneficial for farming and evolving new technology,” said Barua.
On the other hand, several local farmers including Naba Kr Deka of Dahi-Nagaon, Mahendra Baruah of Gargari and Dulal Ch. Barua of Niz Sarabari admitted that the exchange of new technological ideas with the agricultural students right in the work field have benefitted them a lot. “Such activities with the farmers are most welcome and we are inspired and benefitted in improving our socio-economic condition without hampering the soil health and environment,” the farmers observed.
The four-month residential programme of the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) has aimed at imparting knowledge to the students not just for education but for doing research for development of farming community and at the same time also to disseminate situation-specific technologies to the farmers of the State as a whole through Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) situated in every district of the State.
Besides, to gain the practical knowledge of the agricultural activities at farmers level and to acclimatize with the village environment, a Rural Agricultural Work Experience Programme (RAWEP) for the B.Sc (Agri) students was initiated since 1994.
As a part of this noble programme, a group of 32 students (18 boys and 14 girls) from the university has been rendering their activities in Darrang district since July 29, 2018 under the guidance of KVK, Darrang through demonstrating various technologies developed by the AAU, stated Manoj Kumar Chauhan, Programme Supervisor & SMS (Soil Science) &, KVK, Darrang while talking to this correspondent .
“The students have demonstrated root-dip treatment of rice seedlings at Dahi Nagaon and other four villages viz., Gargari, Senapatipara, Baneikuchi and Niz Sarabari,” said Chauhan.
The students explained the purpose of the technology before the farmers in the field. Besides, the students have already demonstrated ‘Slurry method of biofertiliser application in rice seedlings”, “Line transplanting of rice seedling”, “T-Perching” for controlling insect pest without the use of chemicals etc. in the farmers fields of the villages,” added programme supervisor Chauhan.