AIACAT

India's agriculture education trapped in Green Revolution thinking

Indian agricultural education is trapped in the Green Revolution period. ICAR reforms aim to overhaul curricula with experience in AI, climate technology, and global markets.

Satnam Singh was 28 when he joined the college for agricultural graduate degrees. Not willing to fall prey to unscientific farming practices and adhere to 'modern farming education', he had planned on carrying his family's farming legacy forward in Punjab's Ferozepur—and adding a 21st century spin to it.

But his BSc in agriculture and MSc in agronomy from Tiwari Agriculture Institute in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, had imbued in him something which was rooted in India's Green Revolution era days of scarcity-and-hunger.

And so when finally it was time to get his boots dirty, he realized how much farmers knew compared to what he had learned in his books.

"Whatever I have learned of today's agriculture, I have learned from working with farmers and not in classrooms," Singh supplemented.

His schooling had been confined to classrooms with outdated textbooks and no consideration of marketable skills—illustrating the need for Indian agriculture education reform.

Singh's experience is representative of the dismal state of India's agricultural education, in which the curriculum remains stuck in the dominant focus on increasing crop yields.

Though course reforms have been proposed previously, institutes ignore them as they are not mandatory.

Twenty-first-century farming is the big gaping hole in policy-making—and it starts with an antiquated educational system.

I have learned more about agriculture today than in schools

But over the last few years, it is these farmers who have been educating him—on the new machinery, artificial intelligence, new methods, export markets, new varieties of seeds, and adaptation to climate change.

Avinash Kishore, senior research fellow of the International Food Policy Research Institute, said Indian agricultural institutions are in an "incestuous trap" where professors merely teach what they learned years before.

These reforms, experts supplement, can help institutes gear up to address issues of the day like climate change, population explosion, erosion of the topsoil, technological upgradation, and the growing role of private players in the industry.

As it stands now, I would argue that an economics graduate from a quality university is learning more about social sciences, agriculture economics, and market systems than an agricultural sciences student," Kishore added.

He observed institutes have become better in terms of equipment but pedagogy remains to be desired.

"Agricultural institutes in India are largely educational and research institutions all in one, so they have huge potential for creating experiment-based systems. But that is not happening," he added.

The disparity is reflected in the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. Under the 'quality of publication' parameter (worth 40 marks), IARI had recorded 38.69. It also got 10.50 out of 15 for granted patents.

Punjab Agricultural University, ranked number three, got only 29.87 on publication and 4.5 on granted patents.

Smaller institutes fare worse. West Bengal's Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya averaged a meager 5.87 in publications and zero in patents issued.

Statistics indicate that students are seeking education abroad more and more. Foreign Admits notes that since 2020, there has been a 30 percent year-on-year growth in enquires for agricultural courses in universities abroad, with a 75 percent growth in 2023 alone.

These are Canada, New Zealand, and Australia as sites for agribusiness, food safety, and sustainability programs.

Textbooks are a different story.

One of Singh's first-year textbooks, the 2015 'Principles and Applications of Agricultural Meteorology,' makes no mention of contemporary forecasting technology and fails to cover climate change. It talks about employing 'altostratus clouds' to forecast monsoons—despite the fact that, says the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the clouds have not been seen in the tropics in more than ten years.

ICAR reforms: modernise Indian farming

In the floodplains of the Yamuna, Dhruv Singh, a third-year IARI student reading BSc Agriculture with specialization in agricultural chemistry, soil science and entomology, swishes a metal rod across the ground. It's connected to a pager-sized small gadget his class created to analyze moisture and nutrient content.

"This device has the potential to allow farmers to analyze soil quality before they plant crops," said Singh. It is still in the testing stage but exactly the type of innovation the curricular reforms at ICAR aim to encourage.

Agriculture universities: adopt new approaches to cultivation

India's top institutions are at the forefront.

IARI runs nearly 800 programs, ranging from microbiology and genetics to floriculture, bioinformatics, and agri-statistics.

"During course revision, we try to become a role model for small institutes and universities, which can take our models to improve their courses," stated AK Singh, director of IARI.

"It was like we were being asked to compete barefoot at the Olympics. But we have shoes now, and perhaps we can write a new chapter of history," he further added.

The importance of fieldwork in Agricultural education

As India grapples with food security and sustainable development for its millions, agricultural education is seeing a renaissance—driven by the revolutionary power of fieldwork. The days when textbooks were the bible and class rooms were artificial are gone, fieldwork is the backbone of agriculture education in 2025, which offers students a ringside view to issues and innovations that are shaping modern agriculture.

In contrast to rote learning, field exposure makes students acquainted with real agricultural environments where they witness everything related to crop agriculture, pest management, and resource handling in situ. Not only does the field exposure enhance their scientific consciousness, but it also enhances very important life skills—problem-solving, adaptability, teamwork, and decision-making. Excellent teachers assert that these are the skills required to make young professionals ready to face uncertain challenges like climate change, resource degradation, and volatile markets.

Cooperation is an indicator of good fieldwork. Students interact with farmers, agronomists, and technical experts, mastering the shortcuts and people relationships that one cannot learn from books.

Technology reigns supreme in the farm field training phase nowadays. Learners use cell phone apps, sensors, and remote-monitoring tools to gather and evaluate data, developing technical skill and readiness for a more digitalized agriculture sector. Teachers create holistic assessments—project reports, team projects, hands-on exercises—to make field experience worth it in the long term.

Apart from the individual, farm fieldwork is empowering rural people, encouraging cross-innovation, and building leadership among students. In overcoming the theory-practice divide, farm fieldwork is building a new generation of individuals as tough, well-educated professionals and will shape the future of India for sustainable agriculture.

Top Agriculture Courses Offered by Leading Private Universities in India

Agriculture is an important branch of the Indian economy and society as it provides access to food production, agribusiness, biotechnology, rural development, and environmental sustainability. This has led to a situation where private universities in India are now associated with high quality programmes both at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level in the field of agriculture and allied sciences. The following are the top private institutions and the best agriculture courses that they offer.

Leading Private Universities for Agriculture

Amity University: Known for industry ties, practical training, and cutting-edge labs.

B.Sc (Hons) Agriculture
M.Sc Agronomy, M.Sc Genetics and Plant Breeding
PhD Agriculture/Economics/Extension

Lovely Professional University (LPU): Offers ICAR-accredited courses and strong placement statistics.

B.Sc Agriculture
M.Sc Agriculture (various specializations)
PhD Agriculture

VIT Vellore:Popular for research, biotech overlap, and modern campus.

B.Sc Agriculture
M.Sc Agriculture
PhD Agriculture

Shoolini University: Known for research and innovation in agricultural biotechnology.

B.Sc Agriculture
M.Sc (Agronomy, Plant Pathology, Soil Science)
PhD in Agriculture Sciences

Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education: Focus on sustainable farming and high-tech training.

B.Sc Agriculture, M.Sc Agriculture, and PhD

SGT University: Specialized programs and ICAR approval.

B.Sc Agriculture
M.Sc Agriculture
PhD Agricultural Sciences

Mansarovar Global University (MGU): Offers diploma to postgraduate agriculture courses covering core and advanced subjects.

What Are the Most Popular Agriculture Courses?

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Agriculture: Four-year degree covering agronomy, soil science, entomology, crop protection, and extension. Practical study and regular internships are also offered.
Master of Science (M.Sc) in Agriculture: Advanced training in fields like genetics, plant breeding, horticulture, soil management, and agricultural economics.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Agriculture: Research programmes focusing on new tech, crop improvement, extension education, biotechnology, and rural development.
Specializations: Agronomy, Plant Breeding, Agri-Genomics, Biotechnology, Soil Science, Agricultural Economics, Extension Education, Plant Pathology.

Admission and Accreditation

ICAR-accreditated many private universities are guaranteed in the quality of the curriculum and recognition on the national level. Entrance tests (such as LPUNEST, AIACAT, university-specific tests or ICAR tests) are typically required to take up admissions, and M.Sc and PhD programmes usually require good academic background and research proposal.

Why Select a Privatised University to study Agriculture?

State-of-the-art facilities
Good placement support and industry connections.
Technology and entrepreneurship in modern curriculum.
Cooperation with agro-companies, start-ups, and research laboratories.

In short, Amity, LPU, VIT Vellore, Shoolini, Kalasalingam, SGT University, and MGU are currently popular in India for offering agricultural courses. They offer all-inclusive education, cosmopolitan exposure and career based training, which equips future leaders in Indian agriculture.

India's Backbone But Its Courses Continue to Lie in Shadows of Mainstream Education

The agriculture, India's backbone as profiled, continues to be somewhat under-represented in India's education system.

Agriculture, or the backbone of India as it is popularly referred to, is underrepresented even now in the educational system of the country. The wide variety of courses in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Agriculture Economics and Farm Management, and Genetic Plant Breeding, can be a stepping stone to a bright future.

Agriculture And Its Role in Education

Prof. Madhushree Sekher, who teaches at TISS, Mumbai, is of the view that more students would become interested in the subject with increasing awareness for agricultural programs. She asserted, "Once the word about our skill education programs in the agriculture sector becomes widely known, I am sure there will be more student traffic for the agriculture programs."

Affecting the Indian Education System:

With the age of speedy technological growth, agricultural courses bring a new dimension. "This course contains information regarding how agricultural crops are cultivated and post-care treatment of fruits from primary earth to by-product. All process details are there in the syllabus," he added.

"Most of the students arrive in this stream with an eye on competitive exam preparation; none of them opt for the agricultural sector since there's no financially sound income in this stream," Hemant Jadhav said.

SNDT Women's University professor Mira K Desai observed the significance of agricultural education in transforming the mindset, which is an important part of education.

But there are some students who complain about unequal opportunities and greater recognition for agricultural engineering. B.Tech Agri Engg student Tushar Joshi highlighted the need for equal marking division, a distinct cadre for agricultural engineers in the irrigation departments, and foreign training fellowships.

He declared, "We want equal mark division for Agri Enggs Like BSc Agri students. There must be a post of Agri engg separate in the irrigation dept. Only agriculture students understand how much & what quantity of water is consumed by crops. It would be highly useful for farmers. We need a separate cadre for agri engineering in Maharashtra like MP & other states."

Indian agricultural education is on the rise because of changing attitudes and awareness of its ambit. As per a report released in 2018, the intake for seven 'technical' UG courses in agriculture has gone up from 51,822 in 2017 to 64,619 this year, a 25% rise.a

Subsequently, a recent report holds the view that the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is likely to achieve its export target of $23.56 billion worth of exports of key agriculture and processed food during fiscal 2022-23. The recent estimates place exports at around $26 billion.

Tamil Nadu Becomes Farming Colossus: CM MK Stalin Announces All-Time High Food Grain Harvest

Chief Minister MK Stalin brought to light Tamil Nadu's excellent track record not only in education but also agriculture at the Agri Business Expo 2025.

Tamil Nadu has surpassed all the agro segments. At the national level, it stands first in the productivity of oilseed, groundnut, and sugarcane, second in maize, and third in paddy. Horticultural production in the state has raised substantially, area under cultivation extending to 16.3 lakh hectares in the year 2023-24. The effect is being experienced even in India's egg and meat production, which is second in egg and sixth in meat production. Besides this, fisheries and aquaculture are also flourishing, where fish export is worth 1.34 lakh tonnes and has generated around ₹6,854 crore during 2023-24.

Farmers' support has been crucial. The government has also set up a Cashew Board to facilitate cashew nut growers and laborers. Bank credit to agriculture has surged hugely—from ₹1.83 lakh crore in 2019-20 to ₹3.58 lakh crore in 2023-24—showing robust financial support for agriculture. Subsidies to crops such as paddy and sugarcane have led to higher production and incomes. Crop insurance schemes also shield farmers from natural disasters.

The current Agri Business Expo 2025 will promote higher-order technologies and prospects, and enable synergies among investors, businessmen, and farmers. These combined actions of the state confirm Tamil Nadu's record growth in agriculture, illustrating its all-around development coupled with education and making it a first-class state in the country's agrarian economy.

St. Marys agriculture education instructors report to Elk Co. Farm Bureau

St. Marys ag ed instructors report to Elk Co. Farm Bureau

St. Marys Area High School agricultural education instructors Gage McCabe and Kyle Anstrom, along with five of the 97 students enrolled in the inaugural class, were the guests of the Elk County Farm Bureau at their annual banquet and meeting last month at Gunners in St. Marys.

Anstrom spoke to the group about thanking the Elk County Farm Bureau for the sponsorship to attend Penn State's Agriculture Institute last summer. He stated that it was a wonderful opportunity for him as a new agriculture education teacher to attend the six-day teacher professional development program for kindergarten through 12th-grade educators that are interested in adding agriculture education to their curriculum.

Anstrom explained that the participants live on campus and are immersed in agriculture by taking part in labs instructed by professors at the university, as well as by going on excursions to local family operated farms and several wineries. He believed that having the ability to build relationships with teachers throughout the state was most valuable, as was the ability to speak one-on-one with the President of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Chris Hoffman, and Chris Davis, Executive Director of the Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence.

He talked about building a riparian buffer using materials in a hands-on lab experiment, and then the instructor took the students to one that was under construction near by.

He defined a riparian buffer as a vegetation zone along a watercourse that has been seeded with native grasses and trees to maintain the watercourse as free of trash between cities and farms, and to stabilize against erosion.

Anstrom told how he applied what he learned at the Penn State Agriculture Institute to take his agriculture education students through the construction of a riparian buffer by borrowing a stream table from the Elk County Conservation District. He explained how his students printed out some 3D objects and did some CAD designing to construct items such as gabion baskets and various pipes and stream crossings.

Anstrom also reported going to a hemp-fed bison farm and being suitably dressed to tour Penn State's Poultry Farm, and getting to see the Center for Dairy of Excellence, including an arboretum tour, which he called wonderful.

He finished by remarking that he hopes to be able to go to Agriculture Institute 2.0 for repeat attendees next summer.

Other teacher Gage McCabe at the high school's Future Farmers of America (FFA) or agriculture education program, said the program is at wide-open throttle with all that is happening. "We have Kyle (Anstrom) teaching the small gas engines and a lot of the agricultural mechanics are nearby, and then I am teaching the plant and animal science part.".

We have the greenhouse being built and it's to be finished on Sept. 29. My students and I are just thrilled about that. We are well into a beef production unit, where students are learning everything about beef cattle and how they are raised and processed. Then we're going to go into dairy cattle, and sheep and goats.". We have five of our students that expressed a desire to come and join us here this evening, and we wanted you to know that we value all of your support.

He went on, "We have 97 members this year with six different classes in our agriculture education program. It has been a privilege to work with our students who are super excited about everything."

Then a student, Isaac Perlick, stood up and requested to be heard. He stated, "I'm the new Sentinel from the FFA program. I had to drop a couple of my classes to be able to take ag ed, and in my book, that's been the best decision I have ever made in my life. Well, not life, but in this junior year of school! And Mr. Anstrom and Mr. McCabe have just improved daily. In this program I see a brighter future, and it has even improved since the start of the year. There's more organization to everything. I do wish these two teachers the best of everything in their lives. I hope this program goes as far as possible.

Maharashtra to Make Agriculture a Subject up to Class 10 from 2025-26

In a first-ever attempt to get the children connected again with farming and sustainability, the Maharashtra government has decided to make agriculture a school subject up to Class 10 in a phased manner from the 2025-26 academic year.

The State Curriculum Framework 2024 and the National Education Policy 2020 both state that the program's goal is to close the knowledge gap between new innovations and old agricultural expertise. The curriculum is being developed in collaboration with the School Education Department and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

For Classes 1 to 5, students will study basics of plants, animals, local produce, water, soil, and exposure to creative innovation. For Classes 6 to 10, syllabus will extend beyond this to include kitchen gardening, organic farming, millet farming, food processing, exploitation of bamboo, poultry management, water auditing, and maintaining biodiversity registers.

Current agricultural practices are being integrated as well, including use of AI in agriculture, agri-tourism, smokeless cooking, and sustainable farming, thus exposing students to traditional as well as fussy new methods.

The main objectives of the program are to:

Encourage early exposure to agriculture among school-going kids.
Bridge the difference between traditional practices and new-age developments in agriculture.
Put forth agriculture as a viable career path, supporting India's food security and sustainability initiative.

The government also guaranteed improvement in teacher training courses and practice facilities to facilitate successful implementation. The authorities believe that with this program, students' awareness of agriculture will not only be enhanced but also vocational abilities and career-based knowledge imparted to them so agriculture would be a desirable and relevant subject to the generation to come.

Education officials have approved the step, citing that exposing children to agricultural ideas at an early age can promote responsibility, creativity, and respect for sustainable methods among children.