CUSB trains women, youth in modern farming techniques

Patna: Under its ‘campus for community’ initiative, the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) organised a day-long educational tour-cum-training programme for rural youth and women farmers at its campus agricultural farm in Gaya on Friday. Nearly 60 women farmers and rural youth from 15 different blocks of Gaya district participated in the programme and gained practical knowledge of modern and advanced agricultural techniques.

CUSB vice-chancellor K N Singh said the main objective of the programme was to familiarise women farmers with the changing landscape of agriculture, new dimensions, advanced production techniques and supplementary income-generating activities. He said the initiative was aimed at enabling them to adopt scientific farming practices in their respective areas to enhance productivity and income.


The participants were given direct exposure to various units of the integrated farming system functioning on the university campus. This allowed them to observe a multi-faceted agricultural model at a single location and understand practical methods to make farming more profitable.

According to CUSB PRO Md Mudassir Alam, the participants were provided detailed information on cattle rearing, goat farming, poultry farming, nutritional gardens, mushroom production, beekeeping, Dhanvantari Arogya Vatika (medicinal plant garden), dragon fruit cultivation, Azolla units and high-value crops such as Brimato and Pomato. They were informed about the characteristics, scientific management practices, production techniques and economic utility of these activities.

Experts told the participants that adopting these activities in an integrated manner could help farmers achieve higher production at lower costs and generate additional income, thereby making them self-reliant.

The vice-chancellor further said that in view of the challenges posed by climate change, it has become extremely important to make agricultural systems climate-resilient, diversified and sustainable. He urged farmers to adopt modern and scientific techniques alongside traditional practices to ensure higher production, better quality and sustainable income.

He also assured that the university would continue to extend technical guidance, training and support to farmers in the future.

Hemant Kumar Singh from the horticulture department elaborated on the importance of horticultural crops, nutrition gardens and integrated farming systems, and highlighted the opportunities they offer in ensuring nutritional security and income generation.

Other faculty members, including Prabhat Kumar, Pranav Tripathi and Avanish Prakash Singh, also addressed the participants and explained critical aspects of agriculture while discussing ways to deal with various constraints arising from climate change.