By: Satyendra Kumar Singh, Editor-ICN
AGRICULTURE
The agriculture is the backbone of the country not only in terms of its share in economy but also because this is the only sector that fills our belly.
With the increasing population, one needs to regularly focus on increasing the agricultural production and hence lies the scope for career opportunities in it.
The combination of Biology and Chemistry helps to serve in the areas of field and pasture sciences, soil sciences, wildlife management, genetics, zoology, farming, forestry, and aquaculture. It includes many areas of specialisations such as horticulture, forestry, marine fisheries, inland fisheries, sericulture, apiculture (bee keeping) aquaculture, tissue culture, plant breeding, plant biotechnology, environment management, irrigation, soil quality management, etc.
The major profiles in this sector are teaching, environmental agriculturalists and consultants. Apart from the educational qualifications, the communication skills and experience are important to succeed in this career. The monitoring and management of operations in terms of agri-financing, macro crop planning, micro crop planning and agricultural statistics farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, warehousing, merchandising, distribution, value added production and marketing are important tasks that mounts on the shoulders of an agriculture professional.
Courses
The major courses in this segment are:
- Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Agriculture
- Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
- Bachelor of Science in Crop Physiology
- Certificate course in Bio-fertilizer Production
- Certificate course in Food & Beverage Service
- Certificate in Agriculture Science
- Diploma Courses in Agriculture and Allied Practices
- Diploma in Agriculture
- Diploma in Food Processing
- Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Entomology
- Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture
- Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture Biotechnology
- Master of Science in Agriculture
- Master of Science in Agriculture Botany
- Master of Science in Biological Sciences
Institutes
Some of the famous and highly sought colleges in India (in alphabetical sorted order) are:
- Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad
- G.B.PANT College Of Agriculture, Pantnagar
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi
- Indira Gandhi KrishiVishwavidyalaya, Raipur
- Jawaharlal Nehru Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur
- Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana
