August 12, 2015:

The ‘Summer School’ for scientists from across the country has begun at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore recently and it aimed to give exposure to participants on dry land agriculture during the 21-day duration of the programme.

The programme is sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and it began at the TNAU campus on August 5. As many as 24 scientists from all over the country are taking part. The training programmes are being organised under the title ‘Multi-Pronged Extension Management Strategies for Dry Land Agricultural Development with Special Reference to Promoting Climate Resilient Agriculture.’

The Course Director of the ‘Summer School’ programme, Ravi Kumar Theodore, Professor, Agricultural Extension, Tami Nadu Rice Research Institute, TNAU, at Aduthurai in Thanjavur District, said: “Scientists from 10 states including Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana are taking part in the sessions. We plan to train them on latest advancement in dry land agriculture and climate resilient agricultural programmes.”

According to him the Summer School also includes field training for the participants. “TNAU has successfully implemented various dry land agricultural methods and research being conducted on range of programmes including watershed management, soil research, Information and Communication Technology initiatives and remote sensing applications. It would be imparted to the scientists to give them the know-how on all the latest developments in dry land agriculture,” he added.

He also said: “The reference courses on latest technologies in the field will help participants to implement the programmes in their universities.”

The programme will end on August 25.