Experiential Learning Programmers (ELP)
To prepare students to become job providers rather than job seekers
The experiential Learning programme is a major component of Student Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojna (READY) , which is an engaging undertaking connected to the business curriculum. ELP is used to improve abilities in project planning and execution, decision-making, teamwork, approach to problem-solving, accounting, quality control, marketing, and dispute resolution, among other things.
An experiential learning programme has been introduced for a bachelor’s degree with the specific objective of learning through hands-on participation, by trying to make errors, and gradually narrowing the margin between failure and success. Work-based experiential learning through agricultural-related supervised experiences provides practical, real-world experiences in agriculture, develops a positive work ethic, and meets realistic occupational expectations.
The Aim of the Experiential Learning programme are:
- Skill development
- Products developed
- Entrepreneurship development
The objectives of the Experiential Learning programme are:
- To promote professional skills and knowledge through meaningful hands-on experience.
- To build confidence and to work in project mode.
- To acquire enterprise management capabilities.
- To Increase field knowledge and experience.
- To Provide solid, hands-on experience and practice with the challenges of intercultural differences for a significantly changed personal mindset and a new perception of their education
- It helps bridge the gap between a strictly academic setting and a real workplace environment.
Discover for Themselves
Students also learn how to discover for themselves; rather than relying on only provided material, they develop the investigative skills to find answers to questions, as well as various skills like negotiation, conflict resolution, communicative skills, networking, etc. Provides an environment for cooperation among students as well as a platform to take on leadership roles, make mistakes, and learn by reflecting on them.
Duration
This program will be undertaken by the students preferably during the eighth semester with a weightage of 0+20 credit hours. The experiential learning programme (ELP) is offered for a 180-day (one semester) period in the final year of the undergraduate programme. As the programme is enterprise-oriented, students and faculty are expected to attend the activities of the enterprise even on institutional holidays with total commitment, and without any time limit or restriction of working hours for ELP.
Attendance
The minimum attendance required for this programme is 85%. The attendance of a student is maintained at the EL unit. The attendance particulars are communicated to the Chief Executive Officer by the Manager of the EL unit every week. The students will be eligible for the final evaluation of EL only when the attendance requirement is met.
The Programme is offered in two modes
- Experiential leaning as business mode: The programme has end to end approach with carefully calibrated activities which help the students to explore and discover their own potential and enhance team performance. This program provides the students an excellent opportunity to develop analytical and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, confidence in their ability to design and execute an entrepreneurial project through meaningful hands-on experience
- Experiential learning as hands-on training (HoT)/ Skill development without business mode: Hands-on training aims to make conditions as realistic as possible towards gaining knowledge and skill for doing the different productive on farm operations. The students are provided opportunities to become skilled in the identified practices/methods. The students strengthen their existing skills and also learn new techniques. A number of experiential learning units are also being used for hands-on training under the skill development mode. The major emphasis under EL as skill development is made to understand operations of any business setup and in actual conditions, students are exposed to all unit operations of the system and learn appropriate remedial measures to repair and maintain the system
Major Areas at IRADA Training Centre
The students will register for any of two modules, of 0+10 credit hours each-
- Production Technology for Bio-agents and Bio-fertilizers
- Seed Production Technology and Testing
- Mushroom Cultivation Technology
- Soil, plant, and Water Testing
- Plant Analysis and Management
- Poultry Production Technology
- Floriculture and Landscaping
- Food Processing and Organic Food Sales Management
- Commercial Horticulture
- Agriculture Waste Management
- Organic and Natural Production Technology
- Aromatic and Medicinal Plants
- Goat Farming and Goat Milk Processing
- Dairy Farming and Milk Collection Management
- Agricultural Farming input sales management
Student Entrepreneurship
The Experiential Learning programme offered to undergraduate students have profound influence on mind set of the students by empowering them with skills and motivating them towards holistic development, more focusing on specific dimensions to shape their career. Experiential Learning courses can make a difference in learning beyond the classroom and graduation. Among several experiences that have been observed, a few are documented here to provide an insight into how experiential learning has helped undergraduate students in setting up their own enterprise.
Evaluation
Evaluation of Experiential Learning Programme for B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture
S.No. Parameters Max. Marks
- Project Planning and Writing 10
- Presentation 10
- Regularity 10
- Monthly Assessment 10
- Output delivery 10
- Technical Skill Development 10
- Entrepreneurship Skills 10
- Business networking skills 10
- Report Writing Skills 10
- Final Presentation 10
Total 100
ELP Curriculum
ELP01 - SEED PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY
Planning of seed certification procedures, application for seed license, preparation of field map for registration and field layout, assessment of seed source, designing of planting ratio, seed upgradation, visit to seed certification department, sowing, field inspection, rouging operations, foliar application of nutrients, pollen management and assessment of seed set, visit to seed production plot. Pre-harvest sanitation spray, determination of maturity, harvesting, post harvest verification, preparation of processing report. Drying, processing sequence, application for getting approval of seed processing unit, sampling and submission of samples, pre-storage seed treatments and packing, tagging, economics of seed production, visit to seed testing laboratory for seed testing, visit to private seed industry to study seed marketing network, seed export and import
ELP02 - SOIL, PLANT AND WATER TESTING
Collection and preparation of soil, plant and irrigation water samples (sampling, processing and storing), estimation of pH, EC, organic carbon, available Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and micronutrients – available Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn in soil, inferring the results and evaluating the fertility status of the soil.
Plant sample preparation for analysis, digestion of plant material and estimation of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in plant. Determination of pH, EC, Carbonate and Bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium content in irrigation water. Computation of irrigation water quality class, Residual Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Absorption Ratio of Irrigation water and evaluating the suitability of irrigation water.
ELP03 - ORGANIC PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Principles of composting. Various methods of composting. Characterization and preparation of quality compost material. Study of earthworms and methods of vermicomposting – Preparation of bio-compost. Enriched compost and ITK based biological preparations. Visit to compost/vermicompost production unit. Preparation and use of bio-pesticides and bio-control agents. Quantification of nutrients from organic sources. Keeping quality – Application methods of manures and bio-fertilizers. Toxic residue analysis. Visit to bio-pesticides and bio-control production unit. Raising organic nursery and green manures for agricultural crops – Raising of crops organically by using organic inputs. Weed management – Nutrient management. Pest and disease management. Grading, packaging, post-harvest management and certification process. Visit to organic farms, organic farming outlets and certification agencies to study the standards & certification process.
ELP04 - FLORICULTURE AND LANDSCAPING
Scope and importance of commercial floriculture in India. Preparation of land and layout. Production techniques of commercial flower crops for domestic and export market. Principles of protected structures – poly house – net house – shade net house. Growing of commercial flowers under protected structures. Postharvest technology of cut and loose flowers. Transportation for local and export market. Study of supply chain management and cold storage techniques. Dehydration techniques for drying of flower (identification of suitable species, drying and packaging). Making of different flower arrangements. Principles of landscaping- Study of different types and styles of gardens. Designing and planting for establishing different landscape gardens. Use of Autocad for designing gardens of different environments. Visit to different landscape like public, institutional, industrial and botanical gardens. Preparation of cost analysis.
ELP05 - NURSERY MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTED CULTIVATION
Nursery production of fruit crops: Raising of rootstocks, grafting and budding of rootstocks, management of grafted plants, plant certification, packaging and marketing, quality control. Nursery production of ornamentals: Production of plantlets, production of potted plants, management and maintenance, sale and marketing. Protected cultivation of vegetables and flowers: Nursery raising/procurement and transplanting, management and maintenance of the crop, postharvest handling, quality control and marketing. Visit to commercial polyhouses, project preparation and planning. Specialized lectures by commercial export house. Study of designs of green- house structures for cultivation of crops. Land preparation and soil treatment. Planting and production: Visit to export houses; Market intelligence; Marketing of produce; cost analysis; Visit to export houses; Institutional management. Report writing and viva-voce
ELP 06 - PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY FOR BIOAGENTS AND BIOFERTILIZER
Rearing of host insect Corcyra cephalonica. Rearing of egg parasitoid- sterilizing the host eggs and parasitization, Tricho card preparation and storing. Rearing of larval parasitoid Bracon and Goniozus nephantidis – sandwich method. Mass production of predator Chrysoperla carnea. Isolation, characterization, screening and pure culture establishment of bio-fertilizers and bio- pesticides. Commercial mass production of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Quality analysis of bio- fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Testing the final product in small-scale level. Storage, marketing and cost analysis of bio-fertilizers and pesticides
ELP07 - MUSHROOM CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGY
Students will learn the facilities required for construction of mushroom shed -cultivation room/structure and disinfection, maintenance of aseptic condition. Learn cultivation techniques for oyster mushroom – Procurement of mother culture and spawn preparation – sterilization of straw- bed preparation – Mushroom seeding – moisture maintenance -Harvesting – Learn cultivation techniques for Milky mushroom, Compost preparation & pasteurization – Procurement of mother culture and spawn preparation -Procurement of casing soil and preparation for production -Mushroom seeding – Casing with soil and maintenance –Harvesting -Visits to commercial mushroom production unit- Value added processing – Grading, packing – marketing and Cost economics of mushroom culture
ELP08 - BEE KEEPING
Familiarization with different honey bee species and different castes – Handling of frames with colonies- Identification of bee flora – Propagation of bee plants – Preparation of floral calendar – Hiving feral Indian bee colony, site selection for apiary- Visit to migratory bee keeping sites and commercial cerana bee farm- visit to manufacturing unit (Marthandam)- visit to beekeeping society- Visit to honey processing unit.Colony inspection, maintenance – writing up of inspection report – Identification of queen, drone and brood cells- Sugar feeding of colonies in scarcity period- Identification of swarming tendency in a colony – Removal of Drone cells – maintenance of hive record-Management in honey flow season, dearth period, management of swarming absconding and laying workers-Practicing the methods of multiplication of bee colonies- Dividing, uniting bee colonies- Disease management – Identification of symptoms of Nosema. Sac brood Virus, Thai sac brood virus, American foul brood and European foul brood diseases – Preventive and control measures of the diseases- Application of antibiotics to colonies –Practicing the disinfection of frames, Natural enemies and predators of Honey Bees and their management. Migratory Bee Keeping – measures to be taken while transporting colonies-Mapping of areas for migration- Extraction of Honey using Honey extractor, moisture reduction, packing and storing of Honey- Methods of Extraction of Bees wax, Royal Jelly and Bee venom- Marketing and working out of economics of honey and bee products- Preparation of bee keeping and honey processing unit project proposal to a bank or government authorities- Honey testing kit – Physical and chemical methods of analysis – Visit to AGMARK laboratory
ELP 09 - AGRI BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Students will learn about Agribusiness landscape in India – (Economic –Political – Institutional Ecosystem for Agribusiness). Hands-on experience in conducting market survey to gain understanding on working out consumer profile, competitors, substitutes and their price, and features, and designing market strategy (off-campus). Students will interact with staff / experts for mid-term corrections and submission of interim report (on campus). Students will acquire practical knowledge on forecasting market demand, pricing methods, creating and organizing advertising campaigns (facebook ads, twitter ads, etc.). Product management: Various packaging materials used for agro- based products, product distribution network, marketing cost and marketing planning process (off- campus). Practical knowledge will be given on Management of Agro-Inputs by Marketing Firm-Visit, Government Institutional visits. Hands-on experience in commodity trading, marketing research and devising marketing strategies (app development), information system for new product development.