IGNOU to start courses on food security
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is starting special courses on sustainable agriculture and food security for northeastern India.
The northeastern region, comprising eight states, covers 7.7 percent of India’s geographical area but produces only 1.5 percent of the country’s foodgrains. Seventy percent of the region’s 40 million people depend on agriculture and allied sectors, underlining the need for special education in these fields.
IGNOU set up a national centre for open and distance learning in research and training in agriculture (ICRTA) in Tripura capital Agartala last November to develop human resources for agriculture and agro-based industries through open and distance learning.
The new courses, to be conducted in English and local languages, include horticulture nursery management, honey production and processing, value addition in fruits and vegetables, bio-fertiliser and bio-pesticides production, livestock production and management, fish production and management, mushroom production and marketing, production and marketing of turmeric and orchids, pig farming and production and value addition to the famous chillies of the region.
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