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Why Study Agriculture in India?

Agriculture is no longer labeled as the cultivation of crops or the care of animals. This subject encompasses fields such as business, geography, sociology, and conservation in today’s world.

Agriculture studies concentrate on various issues, ranging from environmental concerns encountered by farmers to the pressures produced by overpopulation and food shortages that affect governments and multinational businesses.

With the world’s population growing at an unstoppable rate, today’s agricultural students will need to combine engineering, business, and political skills to discover a solution.

Because India is an agrarian society, agriculture has always been regarded as the backbone of the country’s economy.

The agriculture sector has repeatedly demonstrated its importance by contributing to the overall growth of the nation.

Agriculture still employs and sustains around 65 percent of our people. Agriculture is also responsible for 8.56 percent of India’s exports.

Agricultural activity currently occupies around 43 percent of India’s overall geographical territory.

Without a doubt, now we can say that the history of agriculture is the history of humankind itself.

The agricultural environment in India has changed dramatically as the times have changed.

Agriculture is no longer performed solely by the rule of thumb; instead, it has become a very scientific, complex, and mechanical vocation, as well as a very lucrative one.

Today, there is a greater emphasis on the advancement of agricultural education and research in the country.

The national apex agency, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is implementing several programs for students and researchers to make the study more engaging.

Study Agriculture in India

India is a pure agricultural nation, producing a wide range of agricultural products and gradually becoming one of the world’s largest milk, pulses, and spices.

There are several chances for those that are interested in studying about agriculture.

Anyone with a strong interest in learning about this subject may offer his or her own thoughts and approaches to the advancement of the country and have a significant self-impact on this business.

In today’s world, technology plays a critical role in enabling enhanced agricultural advantages.

As a result of the green, white, blue, and yellow revolutions, India has seen a substantial increase in agriculture, milk, fish, oilseeds, fruits, and vegetables.

Farmers have benefitted from all of these revolutions.

Many reasons, including favorable government policies, farmer responsiveness, and the emergence of higher agricultural education institutions, are to blame for these accomplishments.

It is vital to create trained human resources in order to sustain, diversify, and fulfill the potential of agricultural industries.

Agricultural universities are involved in the continuing development of agricultural human resources.

Agricultural universities teach agriculture, agricultural engineering, forestry, horticulture, veterinary and animal husbandry, dairy science, food technology, fisheries science, agriculture information technology, agri-business management, and other agricultural courses.

It provides education at the diploma, degree, master’s, and doctorate levels.

To assure orderly growth, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the country’s apex body for coordinating, guiding, and managing agricultural research and education, took the lead and drafted the first Model Act for Agricultural Universities in India in 1966, encouraging the establishment of exclusive State Agricultural Universities for research, extension, and education.

The first agricultural university in the country was established at Pantnagar (now in Uttarakhand) in 1960, paving the way for agricultural universities to be established in other states.

Higher Education in agriculture in India

There are now 73 Agricultural Universities (AUs) in the country, including five Deemed-to-be universities, two Central Agricultural Universities, and four Central Universities with agricultural faculty.

The student admission capacity, which was fewer than 5,000 in 1960, has now increased to 40,000.

With over 350 constituent institutions, these AUs enroll around 25,000 students at the undergraduate level, over 15,000 at the master’s level, and over 15,000 in Ph.D. programs every year.

In addition, several private associated institutions enroll thousands of students each year.

The current ICAR-Agricultural Universities (AUs) system employs over 23,000 scientists for teaching, research, and extension.

Degree programs in 11 UG disciplines and 93 PG disciplines are available, with an emphasis on hands-on practice sessions.

About 52 percent of students admitted come from rural areas, while 36 percent are female.

Agricultural Courses in India

You can study for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture and related fields. If you are interested in research, you may apply for a variety of research programs at agricultural institutions and universities.

Undergraduate Degree Program in Agriculture in India

In India, there is a wide range of agricultural science courses available at the undergraduate level.

On the one hand, someone with an engineering inclination can follow a B. Tech program in Agricultural Sciences; on the other hand, anyone can choose any B.Sc program in the topic.

Depending on one’s interests, one can select from a number of subjects.

Undergraduate programs of this type typically last four years (8 semesters).

This is done to give applicants a firm foundation in diverse topics of agricultural sciences.

Minimum eligibility criteria for admission:

To be qualified, a candidate must have taken a 10+2 science examination with PCB/PCBM/PCM/10+2 Agriculture and scored at least 50% in aggregate, with the caveat that applicants from various streams must undergo remedial courses as required.

Admission criterion and weightage:

Admission -Curriculum-Academic performance

  • 60% of those who apply get accepted.
  • 30 percent for the 12th grade
  • 10% for the tenth grade

Please keep in mind that each university has its unique set of selection standards. Please go to a specific university for further information on the selection process.

Post-graduation Program in Agriculture in India

Several agricultural institutions in India provide a plethora of postgraduate degrees in agricultural science.

These courses are designed to develop experts with specialized expertise in any area of agricultural sciences.

The universities provide M.Sc. AgriScience and Doctoral degree programs in a variety of agricultural fields.

Many institutions also provide inter-faculty programs such as Masters in Agricultural Business Management, M.Sc Agricultural Biotechnology, M.Sc Food Science and Technology, and M.Sc Environmental Science and Technology.

In these agricultural institutions, students may often master skills in more than a dozen fields of agriculture.

Typically, these two-year degree programs are designed to provide helpful and detailed information on a variety of relevant areas such as:

  • Soil geography
  • agricultural land use pattern
  • Soil Erosion and its Conservation
  • Plant pathology and entomology concepts
  • Modern Agricultural tools, machines, and technical knowledge.
  • Water management in agriculture
  • and irrigation technologies etc.

Admission requirements for Master’s Degree Programs

Aspirants applying for admission to any of the programs must have completed a Bachelor’s Degree from an ICAR-accredited institution.

Weightage for Admission Mode:

Admission -Curriculum-Academic performance

  • 60% of the time is spent on the entrance.
  • 20 percent of undergraduates
  • 10% for the 12th standard
  • 10% of the tenth standard

Please keep in mind that each university has its unique set of criteria for admission.

For further information about the selection process, please contact a specific university.

Agriculture Fellowships and Research Programs in India

Many agricultural universities in India also offer doctoral degree programs and fellowships.

These are intended to generate world-class research in agricultural sciences.

There is no shortage of subjects for investigation in the vast field of agricultural science.

If one finds Soil Geography, Soil Erosion, and Soil Conservation on one end of the spectrum, then recent themes such as ‘use of GIS in agriculture might be taken up for further investigation on the other.

Duration of the program:

These programs are typically expected to be completed in 3-6 years.

Admission requirements:

A master’s degree in the relevant or related discipline is required to pursue a Ph.D.

Mode of admission:

Admission by NET/GATE qualification or as determined by the particular university.

Agricultural Universities in India

Agriculture courses are available at around 40 university-level institutions and about 200 colleges.

These instincts are quite prominent in the teaching of agricultural scientists and technologists.

They provide undergraduate programs in over a dozen key agricultural fields, as well as postgraduate programs in over 70 related fields and research centers.

ICAR works closely with all of these agricultural universities to ensure general improvement in teaching and research.

Top Agricultural Universities in India

We have created a list of agricultural institutions in India that provide courses at various levels of study, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Research.

There are a few additional universities in India that provide courses in Agricultural Sciences and related subjects, which are listed below

Agricultural Research Institutes in India

Agriculture Science and Technology Career Opportunities

Agricultural science is concerned with agricultural production, processing, productivity, and end products for customers.

Major operations include increasing agricultural quality and quantity, increasing agricultural output, reducing labor, conserving soil and water, and insect management.

Agriculture is much more than only scientific research and development.

It also gives opportunities for students with business backgrounds.

Traditional job options exist in government departments, research and education, nationalized banks, the agricultural inputs business, and government and policymaking agencies.

Agribusiness, food processing, finance, retailing, rural marketing, international commerce, rural credit and insurance, warehousing and commodities, NGOs, and KPOs are among the developing industries.

Almost half of all agriculture experts work in business.

Agricultural Marketing, Agricultural Pricing, Agricultural Law, Agricultural Trading & Merchandising, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Data Analysis, and Farm Management are the main topics of study for an MBA in Agri-Business.

Non-scientific jobs include marketing, technical sales, merchandising, economists, accountants, finance managers, commodities traders, communication, and education (social services).

The Indian agriculture industry is also facing significant issues.

Because of the difficulties, there are more than enough chances.

Godrej Agrovet Ltd, Rallies India Ltd, Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd, Lemken India Agro Equipment Pvt Ltd, DuPont India, Advanta Ltd, Monsanto India, Poabs Organic Estates, National Agro-Industry, Rasi Seeds are among the numerous Agri-Tech Social Enterprises in India that create jobs.

Many agriculture companies and entrepreneurs are emerging.

Disease and pest management, timely irrigation and soil health, aerial surveys to detect abnormalities, and packaging and shipping are the four major areas of AgriTech Startup.

As a result, individuals with a scientific and/or business background who want to do something good for society and possess the entrepreneurial spirit may consider working in the agriculture industry.

Salary & Pay-Scale

The agriculture business compensates intelligent and dedicated individuals with a competitive salary package.

Many government and commercial firms in India provide competitive pay packages to agricultural graduates.

You may make a lot in this industry if you have a higher degree and a lot of expertise.

As a B.Sc (Agriculture) graduate, you may easily earn between 3 and 4 lacs a year in India.

In Conclusion

In India, studying agriculture has historically resulted in some extremely lucrative professional opportunities.

Because India is a big country of many dimensions, self-sufficiency for its ever-growing population has become a primary goal for it.

Looking at the agricultural sector, it is generally dispersed across the nation, and people appear to lean more towards staple food crops like rice, wheat, and barley in most locations, despite the fact that the climatic circumstances do not make them the best match.

There is a lot of opportunities for the general public to be taught about modern farming methods.

Amit Kumar

FreeEducator.com blog is managed by Amit Kumar. He and his team come from the Oxford, Stanford and Harvard. At FreeEducator, we strive to create the best admission platform so that international students can go to the best universities - regardless of financial circumstances. By applying with us, international students get unlimited support and unbiased advice to secure the best college offers overseas.

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