Indian Veterinary Extension Forum (IVEF) organised this national seminar to elaborate on the various the livestock development gaps in the areas of teaching, research and extension. Dr. Channappagouda Biradar who participated in the seminar shares his personal impressions about the seminar.
CONTEXT
A vibrant livestock sector that seeks to achieve high production and productivity with significant contribution to national economic development needs access and use to a wide range of services. These services include preventive health, feed and fodder, breeding, extension and other market related services. The B.V.Sc. & A.H (Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry) students need to be oriented to realities of the field where the livestock owners manage animals for their livelihoods. The Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension discipline has an important role in this orientation. In this process, it must embark upon research, innovative delivery methods and quality teaching. Quality teaching reflects on capacity development of the future veterinarians who are able to comprehend and deliver services to their clients in an effective and pragmatic manner.
Extension must direct its educational efforts to address the needs and challenges of livestock farming operating in a dynamic environment subjected to multiple forces. Concomitantly, the role of extension is changing from a mere transfer of technology to encompass roles such as facilitator, knowledge broker and market informant. The changes in agrarian system, environment and marketing within and outside the country affect the livestock farming. Farmers need to cope up with the changes. This impinges on the extension professional to comprehend the changes and help their clients in taking appropriate decisions. Keeping in view this changing context, the Indian Veterinary
Extension Forum (IVEF) organised a national seminar at RIVER, Puducherry from 28 to 29 August 2015 (www.ivef.org.in). The focus of the seminar was on improving the capacity of the Veterinary Extension professionals.
Seminar Objectives:
- Identify challenges in teaching extensions of veterinary institutions
- Expose participants to latest research tools so as to analyse the problems in extension
- Document best practices in technology/information dissemination to livestock owners and other stakeholders.
THE PROGRAMME
Day 1: 28 August 2015
The meeting began with a brief opening ceremony, followed by a welcome address and presentation of objectives of the meeting. Shri. R. Mihir Vardhan, Secretary (Animal Husbandry), Govt. of Puducherry; Thiru S.Velmurugan, Chairman of Pondicherry Veterinary College Society; Dr. Venkatasubramanyam, President, IVEF and Dr.
- Ramesh Kumar, Dean, RIVER participated in the inaugural session. This was followed by a keynote presentation and technical sessions.
Prof. S. V. N. Rao, Professor & Head, Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER), Puducherry delivered the keynote address. He stressed on the gaps in teaching, research and extension that arise from individuals working in the system due to compromised values.
System-generated gaps can be deliberated
upon in the seminars like this to find solutions, but the gaps generated by the individuals can only be bridged by maintaining high values in teaching, research and extension. He called upon the teachers to inculcate four cardinal principles of life viz., righteousness, justice, moral and order. His talk was really an eye opener for a majority of young faculty.
Technical Session I: Theory Development through Extension Research — Experiences and New Directions
This presentation from Dr. P. Sethuraman Shivakumar of ICAR-CTCRI illustrated how actually theories are tested and generated with the help of three case studies on which he worked. The presentation also throws light on issues like consumers decision theory for buying functional foods, willingness to pay and food choice theories.
This was followed by two research presentations on intensive cultivation of Sesbania Grandiflora for sustainable dairy production and implications of land market reforms on livestock-based livelihoods. During the discussion, the house felt that implications of land market reforms on livestock-based livelihoods are new areas where further in-depth analysis is needed.
Technical Session II: Sustainability and its Implications in Livestock Extension
The lead paper by Prof. S. Ramkumar, Professor, Veterinary Extension, RIVER, discussed the fast changing dimensions of sustainability. He stressed upon how sustainability varies from situation to situation and linked the sustainable production to six factors such as society, environment, economics, territory, technology and time. The presentation also discussed on issues like developing the protocols for programme implementation, need-based technology generation and updating UG curriculum with sustainability issues. Following this, there were three research presentations in second technical session on the following topics.
- Teaching Competencies of Newly Recruited Faculty of Agricultural Universities: An Analysis
- The Need to Strengthen Extension Syllabus to Match Emerging Day – One Competency Requirements in Veterinary Education: Study based on Field Experience
- Consolidation of Research Trends in Dairy Innovation Adoption and Meta Analysis of Factors Driving Adoption in Indian Smallholder Dairy Farming.
The presentations and discussions on the above papers touched upon various aspects including the following:
- Engagement of students in learning
- Application of modern ICTs in teaching and learning process
- Mismatch between what is taught to graduates and what is expected from them in field as veterinarians
- Involvement of private stakeholders in technology
Day Two: 29 August 2015
Technical Session III: Entrepreneurship in New Era — Scope in Livestock Development
Dr. K Srinivas, Principal Scientist, NAARM, Hyderabad presented on this topic. He elaborated on various opportunities created by different government departments and organisations to incubate business ideas. Other topics like venture capital investment and theories of entrepreneurship were also discussed. His inputs are useful for teachers involved in teaching Livestock Entrepreneurship course at the Under Graduate Level.
Technical Session IV: Information and Communications Technology
The following two presentations were discussed in this session.
- Effective Dissemination of Information among Livestock Farmers through TV
- Perception of Extension Personnel on ICT Module for Knowledge
The discussions indicated that ICT module for knowledge dissemination has relative advantage in disseminating information. However, changing the perception and equipping the extensional personnel with ICT is a challenging task.
Technical Session V: Post Graduate Students — Best Research Work Awards
In this session, the following seven presentations were made:
- Mobile Telephony in Dissemination of Information among Livestock Based Women Self Help Groups
- Intensive Cultivation of Lucerne (Medicago sativa) for Sustainable Milk Production
- Individual Milking and Community Milking – A Comparative Study
- Awareness on Management Practices of Dogs among Pet Owners in Bengaluru
- Perceived Challenges in Livestock Farming and the Suggested Solutions: Exploratory Study in Karnataka
- Adoption Status of Clean Milk Production in Indian Dairying: An Application of Logit Model
- Impact of Rearing Improved Backyard Poultry on the Rural Households in Puducherry
Among them usage of mobile telephony in information dissemination, intensive cultivation of Lucerne and back yard poultry rearing topics were adjudged as best research works for awards.
Technical Session VI: Livestock Service Delivery Mechanisms
The following five presentations were made in this session:
- Dissemination of Agricultural Technologies Among Farmers of Jharkhand Through Farmer Fairs-Cum-Exhibitions
- Livestock Service Delivery By Non- Governmental Organizations in Bihar
- Functioning of Gopalamitras in East
Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh – An Exploratory Research
- Knowledge Gap: The Case of Organic Livestock & Poultry Standards
- Impact of Fodder Seed Production under Public Private Partnership
The presentations outlined the nature and functioning of livestock service delivery mechanisms, organic livestock production and fodder development in different states. The possible policy decisions needed for future development in these areas were also discussed.
In this national seminar a talk was also arranged on Statistical tools used in Extension research for the benefit of young researchers. The two-day seminar closed with a brief valedictory programme in the presence of Dean and IVEF Office bearers.
LEARNINGS
The seminar provided an opportunity to update on latest research trends and extension approaches in livestock development. Further it helps participants discuss with senior veterinary extension professionals about livestock entrepreneurship issues.
IMPRESSIONS
The seminar with 52 participants was conceptualised and organised extremely well with participant’s interactions. This was an effective teaching effort for young generation extension professionals about latest extension approaches by senior veterinary extension professionals. The deliberations by all lead speakers were informative. Topics like sustainability and entrepreneurship have thrown light on various emerging issues in the livestock development field. Analysis of various topics in this seminar suggest that new areas like meta analysis of literature produced, impact of land reforms on livestock based livelihoods and rural entrepreneurship are being explored in veterinary extension. All the presentations can be accessed from https://drive.google.com/a/ignou.ac.in/folderview?id=0B8Mkw01OWsp_fm5IczN2Y3FfSGV3YzN3Z3Z 1MG1LRVU4aW54RFZDYnhPUkxPNHotakxMWmM&usp=sharing# Although a limited number of professionals participate, the IVEF seminars are known for hectic discussion of issues, practical solutions from senior professionals and expedition of new emerging research areas.
Dr. Channappagouda Biradar is working as Assistant Professor of Veterinary Extension at Veterinary College, Bidar. Karnataka, India. Email: channuvet@gmail.com
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