ICAR
AIEEA – Career in Agriculture
For a career in Agriculture its better to opt for the AIEEA
The backbone of the Indian economy still continues to be agriculture. With an employment of 54.6% of the total workforce of India engages with this sector, the prospect of pursuing agriculture as a career option is quite rewarding. Considering the entire agricultural sector, which include Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, Livestock and other subdivision the percentage of GDP is 13.9 for the financial year 2013-14 as per the estimates released by the Central statistical office. The 12th Five year plan from 2012-2017 targets a growth to 265 tonnes at a growth rate of 4%.
Green, blue, yellow and white revolutions have been in charge of acquiring thriving to the farming group. The support of the achievement, other than government strategies and high receptivity of the farming group, has been the foundation of institutions of higher agricultural education. These institutions create new type of skilled manpower who were instrumental in creating new innovations as well as in their evaluation, refinement and scattering to the farming group.
AIEEA exams the starting point of a productive agricultural career
To meet this test, managed endeavors are obliged towards logical and learning based progressions in agriculture and its allied services. To try to achieve this endeavor, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other Agricultural Universities, spread over in different agricultural zones of the nation, have assumed a key part in changing the agricultural situation of the nation through an entrance examination All India Entrance Exam for Agriculture or AIEEA exams. It is actually a launch pad that supports a competent human resource created from these universities and institutions.
The AIEEA exams are conducted by the ICAR is not only an entrance test providing a learning opportunity for all its students, but do have an understanding with other Agricultural Universities with a secured percentage of 15% seats for undergraduate students and 25% seats in post graduation levels to all the pass out students in the AIEEA exams.
The changing opportunities in the Agriculture sector
So are still in the crossroads figuring out is a career in agriculture is a good option? Does it still pop up in your mind an old farmer working hard in the field trying to cope the hot sun suffering from malnutrition. Just re-think. The agricultural sector did see a lot of changes with use of technology and innovations for the increase of productivity, but still there is a long way to achieve in the Indian scenario. It is you who can make the change, to make a difference to all the people out there by choosing a challenging career in agriculture.
There are four broad areas in agricultural science like Food Science where you have the opportunity to develop improved ways to preserve, package and store according to Industry or government standards. Plant Science is all about agronomy, plant breeding and entomology. You can also become an agricultural scientist to study plants and animals to improve the production method and quality. Soil scientists are concerned with the composition of the soil that impact the growth of the plants, the fertilizers to be used, the crop rotation and so forth. Animal Science deals with the production and processing of dairy products, fish and meat.
Career with ICAR
Career with ICAR: Learning Opportunities
The Indian Council of Agriculture or ICAR an independent organization under the guidance of the department of Agriculture and Education governed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of India since 1951 have played a pioneer role in the radical transformation of agricultural produce through research and development. This escorted the Green Revolution increased the production of food grains by 5 times, horticultural crop by 9.5 times, fish by 12.5 times, milk by 7.5 times and egg 39 times in the present days. The improvement of agricultural educational standards endowing with the technically qualified human resource is one of the main factors of this huge positive shift of the entire scenario.
Unemployment is a major concern
But modern times have witnessed a rather negative blow with rising unemployment typically among the agricultural graduates. But why so? The job market suggests that there is a shift from the public sector units to the private industrial agriculture in the production, processing and also adding value to each and every process and also in regards of the service sector. The need of the day is to recruit agricultural graduates who do possess knowledge and skills in industrial agriculture to get absorbed in the fast expanding agro-industry. Furthermore, these graduates must be taught in new subject areas and most important to get an exposure to practical learning in real life situations of a field or factory or engineering workshop.
Syllabus woes
The predominating syllabus of agricultural training produces graduates looking for professional occupations in government divisions. Their ability and skills don’t fill the prerequisites of becoming private sector organizations. The instruction produces degree holders, but without any practical knowledge how to analyze and tackle real field problems to provide solution to the management.
ICAR provides with that practical learning opportunity
ICAR does support a plan on experiential learning which includes setting up of instructional farms for the production in crop science, animal husbandry and fisheries and also model plants for nourishment transforming and worth expansion for item enhancement and building workshops for assembling, operation and upkeep of farm machinery and gears. The real purpose of the plan is to barrier understudy contribution in learning in the life size environment of experimental farms and also model plants and designing workshops.
It is mandatory for the any undergraduate students take practical training classes in any of the two areas of employable crafts. The bottom line is that the learning by experience and also through learning for the professional development. Each area of experiential learning further strengths up the knowledge by means to infuse the inputs to sale what is being produced.
The training is further supplemented by placement opportunities of the students in private or public sector farms or engineering workshop or factories for a period of two to three months to apply the skills learned in field practice. The training program does also involve subject matter lectures in the field of technology, communications skills and business management. Lectures to be also bestowed providing an idea to the students about government policies and the standards to be maintained, the rural development programs and all the credit institutions functioning in the market.
The training does mix and reinforce calculated learning with inventively praiseworthy practices for field applications. In totality, each ones training is seen to fabricate pragmatic aptitudes and business administration information in the entire span of activities involving the agricultural industry.