Back ground :

India’s economic security continues to be predicated upon the agriculture sector, and the situation is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Even now, agriculture supports 58% of the population, as against about 75% at the time of independence. In the same period, the contribution of agriculture and allied sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from 61 to 19%.

The country recorded impressive achievements in agriculture during three decades since the onset of green revolution in late sixties. This enabled the country to overcome widespread hunger and starvation; achieve self-sufficiency in food; reduce poverty and bring economic transformation in millions of rural families. The situation, however, started turning adverse for the sector around mid-nineties, with slowdown in growth rate of output, which then resulted in stagnation or even decline in farmers’ income leading to agrarian distress, which is spreading and turning more and more serious.

Project Rationale :

Agriculture in Tamil Nadu is the vital sector in terms of size and importance accounting for 17.60 per cent of the Net State Domestic Product and supporting 56 per cent of the population for their livelihood. Tamil Nadu occupies seven per cent of the nation’s population, four percent of the land area and three per cent of the water resources at all India level. The Growth rates achieved in the different sub sectors constituting the state domestic produce during the Eleventh Plan Period revealed that primary sector registered a growth of 1.96 per cent per annum as against the 4 per cent target. Though the actual income realized from agriculture has increased, the required rate of growth is yet to be achieved.

Project Strategy :

As a measure towards this mission TNAU introduces a Bachelor degree programme exclusively for farmers named B.F. Tech. since the academic year 2010 through distance education. It is a pioneering attempt and first of its kind in the global scenario of agriculture. The degree programme of B.F.Tech. has been structured  in such a way, that the farmers should have the privilege of being a degree holder and an expert in agricultural technologies, with utmost self-confidence and a recognition in the society. Since 30% of rural youth is living in the farm families. The curriculum is designed in such a way that farmers are enlightened with the latest technologies and practice agriculture in a scientific platform.

The farming communities practice agriculture without basic technical knowledge thereby there is an input cost which leads to the decrease in the profit. By imparting the technical knowledge by the above degree, and with a rationale usage of inputs and by  using the latest improved technologies, the farmers can reap a  maximum output from farming.

Salient features of the Degree programme

• Creating  opportunities to become an entrepreneur
• To perform farming and allied activities with a scientific dent of mind and updated, technical do how, know how and what how.
• Farmers will be provided with technologies from ploughing to harvesting, apart from post harvest to value addition technologies.
• Syllabus and course materials have been designed with the expertise of renowned agricultural scientists and researchers with more simplicity and ease in learning.
• The curriculum is devised to promote field visits, study tours and practical skills, enabling the farmers to impregnate scientific knowledge and skill
• Farmers, by themselves, can learn and apply the technologies
• Demonstration and hands on trainings related to agricultural technologies are conducted in the Personal Contact Programme (PCP) arranged for 10 days / semester.
• The medium of instruction is Tamil.
• Semester pattern is adopted for three years and 4 courses will be offered per semester

Qualification / Eligibility criteria

• Small and marginal farmers* (owned and leased in)
• The eligibility criteria for admission is 10th appeared
• The candidate should have attained 27 years and above.

The infrastructure facilities available with the University viz., 10 Colleges, 36 Agricultural Research Stations and 14 Krishi Vigyan Kendras will be made use of in offering the programme. Therefore, the farmers can learn from the nearest TNAU Centres, located all over Tamil Nadu.
* Certificate to be produced from Revenue Department Officials not below the rank of Deputy Thasildar. 

Project Goals :

Natural resource base of agriculture, which provides for sustainable production, is shrinking and degrading, and is adversely affecting production capacity of the ecosystem.
However, demand for agriculture is rising rapidly with increase in population and per capita income and growing demand from industry sector.
There is, thus, an urgent need to identify severity of problem confronting agricultural sector to restore its vitality and put it back on higher growth targetory.
 Although intensive efforts have been put forth by 1270 agricultural scientists of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and about 6500 Extension Machineries of the State Department of Agriculture, only less than 30% of the Agricultural Technologies have reached the un-reached.

Project components :

Target area

Percentage of farming community of Tamil Nadu accounts to 6.93% when compared to the population of India. Small and marginal farmers, whose land holdings are below 2 hectares in Tamil Nadu accounting to 74.3% and 14.4% respectively, constituting almost 80% of all Indian farmers, and more than 90% of them are dependent on rain for their crops. About 0.32% of farmers are large farmers.
Tamil Nadu has approximately 80 lakh small and marginal categories farm families. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University which is always concerned on the upliftment of farming community as well as the enhancement of productivity and sustaining food security to feed 1.02 billion people deprived of a single food per a day.

This programme received a massive response among farmers. This course warrants creation of new curriculum, text books and technical experts for offering course programme, non-technical assistance, helpers for arranging class facilities and miscellaneous, which involves a fees amount of Rs.7,500 per semester / candidate.

• The expected farmers to be graduated initially : 500 farmers in Tamil Nadu
• The cost of graduation for one farmer @ Rs. 7,500/- per semester i.e. for 6 semester accounts to Rs. 45,000/-
• Project contribution  : 50% (Rs.22,500/-)
• Farmers contribution: 50% (Rs.22,500/-)

Technical programme

It is a pioneer attempt and first of its kind in the global agriculture. The degree programme of B.F.Tech. has been structured  in such a way, that the farmers should have the privilege of being a degree holder and an expert in agricultural technologies, with utmost self-confidence and a recognition in the society.

• The various subjects inculcated in the syllabus are as follows:
• Crop Production (8 Subjects)
• Agronomy
• Soil Science
• Breeding
• Seed Technology
• Physiology

• Crop Protection (3 Subjects)
• Entomology & Nematology
• Pathology & Sericulture
• Environmental Sciences & Microbiology

• Horticulture (4 Subjects)
• Pomology, Olericulture, Floriculture, Spices and Plantation Crops
• Medicinal Crops and Cold storage – techniques and availability

• Engineering (2 Subjects)
• Solar Energy, Biofuels, Wind Energy, Farm Machineries

• Home Science (1 Subject)
• Food Processing, Value added products and Adulteration
• Water Management and Irrigation systems (1 Subject)
• Economics of agricultural produces & Marketing the produces(1 Subject)
• Forestry(1 Subject)
• Animal Husbandry and Dairy Management (1 Subject)
• Entrepreneurship Development(1 Subject)
• Information and Communication Technology (1 Subject)

• Field trips based on the demands of the individual courses

• Visit to location specific based cropping systems

Project components :

Target area

Percentage of farming community of Tamil Nadu accounts to 6.93% when compared to the population of India. Small and marginal farmers, whose land holdings are below 2 hectares in Tamil Nadu accounting to 74.3% and 14.4% respectively, constituting almost 80% of all Indian farmers, and more than 90% of them are dependent on rain for their crops. About 0.32% of farmers are large farmers.
Tamil Nadu has approximately 80 lakh small and marginal categories farm families. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University which is always concerned on the upliftment of farming community as well as the enhancement of productivity and sustaining food security to feed 1.02 billion people deprived of a single food per a day.

This programme received a massive response among farmers. This course warrants creation of new curriculum, text books and technical experts for offering course programme, non-technical assistance, helpers for arranging class facilities and miscellaneous, which involves a fees amount of Rs.7,500 per semester / candidate.

• The expected farmers to be graduated initially : 500 farmers in Tamil Nadu
• The cost of graduation for one farmer @ Rs. 7,500/- per semester i.e. for 6 semester accounts to Rs. 45,000/-
• Project contribution  : 50% (Rs.22,500/-)
• Farmers contribution: 50% (Rs.22,500/-)

Technical programme

It is a pioneer attempt and first of its kind in the global agriculture. The degree programme of B.F.Tech. has been structured  in such a way, that the farmers should have the privilege of being a degree holder and an expert in agricultural technologies, with utmost self-confidence and a recognition in the society.

• The various subjects inculcated in the syllabus are as follows:
• Crop Production (8 Subjects)
• Agronomy
• Soil Science
• Breeding
• Seed Technology
• Physiology

• Crop Protection (3 Subjects)
• Entomology & Nematology
• Pathology & Sericulture
• Environmental Sciences & Microbiology

• Horticulture (4 Subjects)
• Pomology, Olericulture, Floriculture, Spices and Plantation Crops
• Medicinal Crops and Cold storage – techniques and availability

• Engineering (2 Subjects)
• Solar Energy, Biofuels, Wind Energy, Farm Machineries

• Home Science (1 Subject)
• Food Processing, Value added products and Adulteration
• Water Management and Irrigation systems (1 Subject)
• Economics of agricultural produces & Marketing the produces(1 Subject)
• Forestry(1 Subject)
• Animal Husbandry and Dairy Management (1 Subject)
• Entrepreneurship Development(1 Subject)
• Information and Communication Technology (1 Subject)

• Field trips based on the demands of the individual courses

• Visit to location specific based cropping systems

• Implementation chart of the project

6. Deliverables

            i)   The semester fee will be met 40:60 basis by the project and enrolled farmers
ii)   The course materials and Personal Contact Programme (PCP) will be delivered to
the enrolled farmers

7. Measurable out come

• It is expected that 500 farmers will be graduated through this project
• Farmers can perform farming and allied activities with a scientific dent of mind and updated, technical do how, know how and what how.
• Farmers, by themselves, can learn and apply the technologies
• Problem based and cropping system based field trip / tours will enhance the sharing of knowledge and experience for better management and economic return through enrolment of the farmers in this project

Contact:

Director (i/c),
Open and Distance Learning
TNAU, Coimbatore-3
Phone: 0422-6611229 0422-6611429
Fax: 0422-6611429
E-mail: odl@tnau.ac.in