On Tuesday (September 21), Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) in collaboration with Association of Indian Organic Industry (AIOI) launched an online organic agriculture course to promote and enhance the knowledge on Organic Farming.
The launch of Organic Farming E-Course was done in virtual mode by Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Santosh Sarangi, AIOI chief executive officer P.V.S.M. Gouri, Secretary (Agriculture) M. Raghunandan Rao and university Vice-Chancellor V. Praveen Rao.
Speaking on the occasion, V. Praveen Rao highlighted that controlling weeds was a major challenge in organic farming and also suggested the course organizers to include this in the syllabus. Certification of organic produce, quality & pest management issues should also be incorporated in the curriculum, he added.
Furthermore, he advised to adopt and use emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Blockchain Technology, and Drone Technology on a large scale in organic farming and train the students in those areas.
Santosh Sarangi, complimenting the initiative of the industry and academia said such a practice was already well-established in the western countries. He opined that introduction of this E- Course jointly by PJTSAU and AIOI would help overcome in overcoming the shortage of skilled manpower in the organic sector.
Jagadeeshwar, PJTSAU director (Research), and Rajasekhar Reddy, 24 Mantra, an organic produce marketing company, were among those who participated.
Importance of Organic Farming:
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Organic Farming is the most sustainable and holistic production management system that enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, soil biological activity and biological cycles.
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Numerous studies have highlighted that organic farming methods can give even higher yields than conventional methods.
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The organic farming is environmentally-conscious because it promotes greater soil fertility by rotating crops and using natural materials like manure, compost, and cover crops.
