RAWE Programme

Rural Agricultural Work Experience is a key component in the B.Sc. (Ag.) Hons.degree programme. RAWE plays a very important role especially to urban students who got admitted in large number to this degree programme in understanding the real world situation of agriculture practice. The students are given rigorous orientation and familiarization on various issues and problems they can expect in the farmer's field.This programme runs for one full semester where in all the teachers in different discipline are involved for improving learning capacity of the students in a typical village situation. The students are placed in rural areas and attached to farmers families to study the crop production technology adopted by the farmer family, its techno-economic survey and extent of agriculture extension in the preparation of technology to the farmers. The students are guided and supervised by a team of specialized teachers and scientists from Regional Research Stations and District Agricultural Science Technology Centers. In this programme during the year 2001-2002 a class of 60 students was offered this programme. These students were placed in 15 villages of six districts of Haryana state. Prior to their placement, the students were given basic training for carrying out survey work in the field. Out of the data collected and submitted by these students to the teacher incharge, compilation and analysis were made on total income from agriculture including milch and draught animals, expenditure, net income from subsidiary occupation. These data were utilized for finding out net income from agriculture, subsidiary income and income per earning family member of the farmer. The size of holding varied between 3 acres to 18 acres and, therefore, small, medium and large holding farmers were covered in these studies. The analysis of data on net income reveal that income from agriculture (crops + livestock) was higher under large size holding, however, per unit net income was more under small and medium size holder. Subsidiary

income from subsidiary occupation like sale of vegetable, operating telephone booth, preparation and sale of animal feed, operating of a shop was found to be a good source of income to the farmers family. Therefore, income per earning family member per hectare was higher when there was a subsidiary occupation of the family. These on-farm studies indicate that small farm can give good earning provided sufficient resource base is available with the farmer. The combination of agriculture including livestock with a subsidiary occupation may help in the improvement of the economic condition of the farmer. The studies further reveal that a combination of education and on-farm research and extension programme had better exposure of fresh agricultural graduates to the real ground problems at farmers field and acted as a tool of the feed back to research workers for planning their research programmes.

Introduction
Agricultural education is an important tool in ensuring increased agricultural productivity, sustainability, environmental and ecological security, profitability, job security and equity. In India, Randhawa Committee (1992) recommended the Rural Agriculture Work Experience (RAWE) Programme for imparting quality, practical and productive oriented education for the agriculture degree programme. The World Bank (1995) stated that there was little emphasis in the curricula on preparing the agricultural graduates for better career in agriculture or agribusiness outside government jobs. Therefore, the agenda for the 21st century in agricultural education must be drawn on the basis of the challenges it has to meet in the near future. Getting do, how practical hands-on training during higher education towards self-employment, is very essential. It provides significant hands - on experience in acquiring skills, which are mainly aimed at creating a product or providing a service to those who demand

Objectives of RAWE programme :

1. To develop the understanding of rural community life and the different situations prevailing in villages with special reference to agriculture. 2. To familiarize with the socio-economic conditions of farmers and their problems with reference to agricultural development. 3. To provide an opportunity to the students for practical training in crop production through work experience. 4. To develop communication skills among students using extension teaching methods in transfer of technology. 5. To develop the understanding regarding agricultural technologies being followed by farmers and to prepare alternate farm plans to suit to the local situation in consultation with the farmers. 6. To develop confidence and competence in students for solving problems related to agriculture. 7. To acquaint the students with on going thrust on rural development and programmers related to transfer of technology. 8. To make students understand the role of men and women in agricultural and allied fields. 9. To explore and to develop understanding regarding high-tech agricultural technology and factors affecting the adoption of modern methods of agriculture by the farmers.

10. To explore the awareness, understanding & skills among the students with special reference to scientific model of Integrated Development of Agriculture which includes crop husbandry, horticulture, agro forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry, dairying, agro-based industries, processing, marketing etc. 11. To develop the techniques / know how among the students for preparing and development of package through collection of data based from grass root level for rural areas. 12. Students are also to be practically exposed to the research methodologies including experimental techniques, management, and collection and processing of experimental data.

Probable results of RAWE Programme

1. Art of listening 2. Art of negotiation 3. Confidence building 4. Conflict management 5. Develop skill of joint effort 6. Developing art of creative thinking 7. Effective decision-making 8. How to get feed back 9. Life like experiences 10. Managing relationship 11. Money management 12. Observe problem 13. Personality development 14. Practicing method 15. Self-management 16. Time management 17. Understand the real life problems 18. Understanding of prevailing situation 19. Understanding situation of recommended technology 20. Working of local institution 21. Working with local organizations/leaders

Various exposures for practical learning: Orientation programme of students/ teachers:

This phase is meant to introduce the RAWE to the faculty and the student and to sensitize them towards the changed attitude required in the whole programme:

Expected out come :

Changed attitude towards learning Development of team work Understanding of the RAWE programme

Stay at Agricultural Research Stations, Krushi Vigyan Kendra: It is to help them to understand what is going on in the training and research centres, the need of todays farmers and the role of trainers and researchers. In short, this period helps them to know the middle segment between the academic and rural world better. Expected out come:

Building research and extension works competence Building confidence as an individual Disclosure of recent advancement in training and research Handling practical work. Knowledge of collection, compilation and analysis of experimental data Knowledge of research experimental techniques Knowledge of working methodology

Revelation of administration and management Solving management problems

Stay with High-Tech cell: It helps the students be conversant to work with the modern gadgets like computer and the other machines we need for tissue culture and biotechnology. Expected out come:

Having awareness about the latest technology Understanding of green house, tissue culture and bio-technology Updating and collecting information through internet Working and surfing with computers

Stay with Farm families in villages: It provides real touch of rural atmosphere so that the students plan their future career accordingly. Expected out come:

Ability to plan out strategy to work in villages Real field experience Understanding real-life. Understanding the gap between the rural and urban people Understanding the mundane work and problems

Stay with Non-governmental Organizations: It helps them know the issue based organizations and make them committed to the rural mass and to their profession. Expected outcome:

Experience of commitment to the cause Involving people to participate Knowledge of administration and management Knowledge of starting an NGO Law cost management Personnel management Understanding local institutions and their need

Educational tour: It gives various types of exposure of the facts of life with pleasure. Expected outcome:

Development of outlook Vision of the outside world Confident and competent individual

Stay at Agro-based Industries and Co-operatives: This phase helps students to understand the meaning and nature of existing co-operatives and how to be entrepreneurs through the agro-based business. Expected outcome

Conflict management Creating solution-finding atmosphere Impact on agricultural development Management of different components Managing Economic crisis Peoples participation

Problem-solving attitude Teamwork development Working with people organization

Thus, RAWE is a learner-centered approach of exposing undergraduate students of Agriculture college by using principles of learning by doing and seeing is believing to provide direction to think and act on their own. It offers a course to develop students to learn how to be competent, confident, capable, skillful and able to do work in real life situations. This experiential system in agricultural education has a strong potential to prepare a better agricultural technocrats with high level of skill in combination with the modern out-look and management capacity. RAWE is one of the best means to produce well trained agricultural graduates with broad based knowledge and techniques to meet the emerging challenges.