BITians on The Edge of Organic Cultivation: The Future of Agriculture
BITians on The Edge of Organic Cultivation: The Future of Agriculture
What type of profession do you aspire to have? Do you want to be an artist, a business person,
or an engineer?
Or
have you ever aspired to become a farmer? I would not be surprised if you said no.
When estimating career choices, many young people in the developing world tend to shy away from agriculture. As the common belief goes, agriculture means an old-fashioned lifestyle and a future with inadequate opportunities for youth.
But it’s not true, there are plenty of evidence shows us that agriculture provides youth a viable way to harvest success and grow a sustainable future. In other words, we believe youth can, and should, choose agriculture.
When it comes to fighting poverty, agriculture is more effective than any other sectors. Agriculture is up to four times more productive than other sectors in reducing poverty. Frequently, the world is counting on agriculture to manufacture more nutritious food for — and enhance the livelihoods of — a booming community, especially the poor. What could be more significant than being part of a sustained solution to such a critical challenge?
BITians Nex Gen Organic farm at BIT
“Agriculture Engineering is the science which acts as a key to open the treasure of Agriculture”
At a time when the number of individuals taking up farming in India is gradually shrinking, Our BIT Agriculture Engineering students are standing out like a beacon of hope to the other young graduates who may want to consider agriculture as a career.
Are you excited about building and improving a sustainable local farm system,
here on the BIT campus?
Do you want to put into application what you’ve learned about farming, ecology, and
agriculture?
Do you love working outdoors in a beautiful place in all kinds of weather?
To impart the knowledge on organic crop cultivation aspects from seed to harvest, the BIT Agriculture Engineering department has a 10 acres farm along with well-equipped soil science, agriculture metrology, and crop husbandry labs.
A polyhouse in the department has fully automated and enables the students to learn cultivation practices under a controlled environment. The department offers hands-on training for students from the first year onwards on the latest agricultural engineering technologies.
Its organic culture Generation
So What is Organic farming?
Organic farming is a method which avoids or largely rejects the use of synthetic inputs and to the maximum limit, feasible relies upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic trash, mineral grade rock additives and natural system of nutrient mobilisation and plant protection.
Taking the Organic route
In order to yield early and abundant produce, a lot of farmers in the rural areas have been using chemical fertilisers, pesticides and hormone applications also due to a lack of knowledge. But this is gradually changing as more farmers taking the organic route.
Our BIT agriculture students also have decided to venture into this field, by learning and producing fresh and unadulterated products that is healthy for consumption.
What it’s really like to sow and reap our food by ourselves?
Student’s Sustainable organic farm at BIT
This is more than a class – it is also a student-run business.
The BIT Student Organic Farm is a 10-acre, certified organic year-round teaching and production farm. Planting, Harvesting, Production, Sales and Marketing everything is carried out only by the Agriculture engineering students of BIT.
Our BITians applying their planning and executing skills in their land, which they learnt as an engineer in their classroom, to farming.
Through the farm, we demonstrate how food is grown and provide hands-on engagement opportunities for students to gain skills and knowledge about food production, harvesting, and marketing. It is a launching point for a conversation about many issues, including food security, food waste, and other pressing issues of our time.
BITian’s hands-on experience in organic farming
BIT Student Organic Farm is a part of our institution which seeks to engage the agriculture engineering students of BIT. Here is the step by step farming process by our students.
Land preparation
In the first step, they plough the Land by using the tiling machines to turn over the upper layer of the soil to bring fresh nutrients to the surface and to flatten the ground using two kinds of tilling machines.
(i). Primary tilling
(ii). Secondary tilling
Soil Testing
Through the soil test, the students learn how to determine the fertility and health of the soil. They also learn how to promote organic fertilizer & insecticides on the basis of balanced use of fertilizer in the land.
To maintain soil fertility needs, the students use compost from the Organic Materials Processed by the Bio labs at BIT. They also grow cover crops and green manures to maintain soil health.
Nursery preparation
The students propagate the seeds on the prepared plot of land or in a pro-trays and let it grow it to a usable size. They plant vegetables like onions, tomatoes, brinjals which are raised in the nursery bed.
Seed selection
High-quality seeds are at the centre of modern agriculture systems. Our BIT Bio lab delivers organic farm seeds to the students to help achieve better harvests while also more efficiently using natural resources.
Pesticides and fertilizers
Students using the biopesticides and biofertilizers to treat the seeds in organic methods, and they are getting it from the BIT Bio labs. They mix natural products like panjakavya and cow urine with the pesticides and fertilizers which protects the crops from various diseases and promotes good growth.
Main field preparation
Before planting, students prepare the main field by dry ploughing by means of tractor or tiller machines and prepare beds, canals and ridges, furrows according to the crop they plant.
Planting Methods
Planting is done in three methods,
Transplanting – Students planting Vegetables and rice seeds in seedbox or in protrays. When they have grown big enough, they are transplanted to the main field.
Direct sowing – In this method, students directly sowing the Corns and beans seeds in the soil bypassing the need for nurseries and irrigation.
Broadcasting – They scatter the Sorghum crops seeds over the surface of the soil by hand. Although broadcasting requires some practice, so our students are well trained to master in broadcasting planting method.
Irrigation Techniques
The plants and crops are irrigated via artificial canals in three different methods.
- Drip
- Sprinkler
- Rain gun Machine
Weeding
To remove weeds, instead of using different chemicals, our students using organic fertigation process and two types of machinery to stop its growth so that desired plants can utilize the soil nutrients.
- Power Tiller
- Cono weeder
Fertigation
In Fertigation process the fertilizers and pesticides are dissolved in water through the irrigation methods and distributed to the crops. In another method, the fertilizers are placed directly on the crops.
They are also using degradable Organic matters such as animal manure, sewage sludge, and food wastes as fertilizers which are processed in the bio labs.
Foliar application
Foliar fertilizers are dilute fertilizer solutions applied directly to plant leaves using the sprayer. It will affect only the insect and bacterias, not the plant nutrients.
Plant protection
To protect the crops from these factors our students are using organic pesticides.
Organic pesticides
In Our student’s farm, only organic pesticides are used for the crops. Few organic pesticides which are made by students are,
- Neem Oil
- Spraying Extract of different plants leaves –
- Insecticidal plants
In BIT farm, students using the bio fungicides and bio bactericides for the crops which are produced in the BIT Biolabs.
Students Harvest produce organic products
The crops are harvested by the students using two harvesting methods,
- Using harvestor Machinery
- By Manual harvesting method
In Mushroom workshop lab
Our students are trained to undertake oyster mushroom cultivation using modern techniques. The students will grow mushrooms in tents inside the BIT campus.
BIT Organic Market
Try Organic as our grandparents called it “FOOD”
Here at BIT Student Farm, our students are interested in increasing the quantity and quality of our organic products. At the same time, Our students also strive to gain knowledge of sales of the products.
They are selling their products inside the campus to the BIT faculties, staff, and students, who are purchasing it eagerly in the exact market price.
Through this the students learning about marketing and the ups and downs in the market sales.
After sales, the remaining vegetables and greens are used to make different organic products by the students.
Skill development training on Organic Farming
Our agriculture students are being part of creating something new and exciting at BIT. The skill development training and hands-on learning helps the students to grow stronger every year!
We continue to expand our production, along with our farming infrastructure by forming more fields on our campus ground. The institution and the agriculture department are planning to segregate the field and ask our students to cultivate their own crops in those fields individually for their skill development practice. It will help them to focus on sustainable agriculture and food systems and to emphasize in-field experiential learning.
The trend of youth choosing agriculture is growing
Attitudes toward agriculture are already changing. In our Indian country, where agriculture is growing more competing, the Indian rural farming specialists who are running with regional farmers telling that blooming literate Indians, have determined to become farmers, acquire land, grow crops professionally for trade, and maintain their businesses to make a living.
The trend is growing. Support for the agriculture sector is increasing. The list of reason is endless.
Our Institution supports the students to improve their exploration skill, creativity, initiative, and leadership. We will continue to work with our students on-campus organic field and market.
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