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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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Subject: Agricultural Extension × Author: Anupama, S × End date: 2014 × Start date: 2010 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Content development for an agricultural expert system on organic vegetable cultivation
    (College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2014) Anupama, S; KAU; Sheiref, A K
    The present study entitled “Content development for an agricultural expert system on organic vegetable cultivation” was taken with a purpose of exploring a methodology for an Expert system. The objectives studied were analysis of information on organic vegetable cultivation, inventorization of the selected information for the different systems in Kerala, and development of a methodology for content development for farmer- friendly interactive multimedia aid suiting the Expert system. One hundred farmers who were having organic certification were selected through simple random sampling procedure from Kannur and Wayanad districts. One dependent variable and ten independent variables were studied and analysed with the help of different scales and techniques. On analysis of the data it was found that most of the respondents (58%) belonged to old age group and all the respondents were literate. Fifty four percent of the respondents were having experience in farming for more than 25 years. Majority (70%) of the farmers belongs to medium category when comes to the possession of livestock. Majority of the respondents belonged to the medium category with respect to extension agency contact (72%), information seeking behaviour (73%), innovativeness (66 %) scientific orientation (73%), and market perception (73%). Seventy eight percent of the respondents were having high level of economic motivation. Extent of knowledge was categorized into three, viz., organic crop production practices, organic crop protection practices and organic crop certification and management practices for the purpose of identifying and inventorizing need based information on organic farming in vegetables. Majority of the respondents were having medium level of knowledge about organic farming. On analysing these three categories separately, 89% of the organic farmers need information on organic production practices, 82% requires information regarding crop protection practices and 93% of the organic farmers need information on organic crop certification and management practices. Extent of knowledge of organic farmers is having a positive and significant correlation with their extension agency contact and a negative correlation with economic motivation. The majority of the famers were having organic certification for more than ten years. The farmers were giving importance to the quality rather than the quantity of the vegetable produced. The number of expert systems available for farmers on organic farming practices is very minimum. The user friendly interfaces available are also lacking in information which farmers are often seeking. The majority vegetable farmers practicing organic farming were also lacking scientific knowledge. Hence the present study entitled “Content development for an agricultural expert system on organic vegetable cultivation” analysed the information need on organic vegetable cultivation and inventorized those information to develop content for a farmer friendly multi-media aid. The study also came out with a methodology for information need analysis and a procedure for content development of an expert system on organic vegetable cultivation for different farming systems in Kerala. This methodology could be adopted by different agencies involved in popularizing organic farming among the farmers in Kerala for developing an expert system on organic vegetable farming