It’s Time To Reimagine Agricultural Education

The current academic focus on productivity and technology fails to prepare students for the complex challenges that lead to farm distress, such as economic policies and global developments. Courses like those proposed by leading international economists, which integrate social sciences with policy-making, could serve as a model for Indian agricultural universities

I sometimes wonder. Why is it that when agriculture is in a deep crisis, the course curriculum of agricultural universities and colleges do not reflect on the severe farm distress that prevails. It looks as if all is well on the farm front, and the role of students who pass out is to primarily use the technological and agronomic tools they have acquired and studied for enhancing productivity so as to maintain food and nutrition security.

It was in this connection that I was drawn to an announcement for a sociology course being proposed by economist and author, Christopher Blattman, for his Master of Public Policy class at the University of Chicago: “How to Change the World – the Social Science of Policy Making in International Development.” Before you say so what’s new in this, let’s see the course description: ‘So you want to make the world a better place, but how? So much policy fails. So many good intentions go awry. Why? What makes for good policy? What makes it bad? This is a class on the social science of policy making – the lessons from economics, political science, sociology and anthropology, plus the practical experience of practitioners’. Further, it adds that the course will focus on policy making in a global context, especially international policy and development.

It was interesting to see another distinguished economist from the Harvard Kennedy School, Dani Rodrik, expressing the desire to be associated. “I’d love to take this course,” he wrote on Twitter (now X). The immediate thought that cropped up in my mind was that I too would like to take this course. I may not be in the distinguished category but it surely will be a challenge to expose the young students to formulate policies that are based more on the existing ground realities.

And if I take this further, similarly designed courses by Indian political economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and even plant scientists from agricultural scientists can lead to a very thought-provoking and a more grounded generation of young scientists. Sowing the seeds of change in the minds of the young scientists will help build a sustainable and profitable farming future. These young brains will not only rethink an economic design that is pro-farming but also navigate the policy framework to ensure that no farmer is left behind.

Is agriculture in distress? Is the farm crisis because of low productivity or because of reasons beyond his control? Is it the absence or low adoption of improved technology that is killing farmers? Or is it because of economic policies that are beyond the control of farmers? These are some of the questions that can make the young minds think, and come up with explanations that may help in formulating the right kind of policies.

After all, if close to 4-lakh farmers have ended their lives since 1995 to escape indebtedness, and there is hardly a day when reports of farm suicides do not appear in newspapers, the relative quietness about farm suicides in the classrooms leaves behind a vacuum, which becomes clearly discernible at the research, development and even policy making stage. These are the issues that need immediate solutions. Wonder whether any agricultural university has sociology and political economy classes designed to make the students understand the complexities small farmers are confronted with, and suggest solutions that can be implemented. It is not a task that can be left to policy makers alone. Agricultural students are equally qualified to take a call on this vexed crisis.

The class that finally graduates will be better informed.

The country needs the next generation of agricultural scientists and economists who are not only well-informed but also have the ability to dissect international and national policies in the context of the local realities. This helps the organisations where these students are subsequently employed to take appropriate and corrective steps by avoiding the rhetoric that is passed in the name of approaches and strategies to be followed. Being outdated and ineffective, many of these strategies need course correction. In fact, many of the policies too may have become outdated. Only students who have had an opportunity to look beyond textbooks can rethink many of the strategies, fresh approaches and policies that need to be incorporated.

Agriculture is not only about new crop varieties or pest and disease control or improved agronomic practices. It is also about socio-economic policies that have a larger impact on the farming populations. In fact, agricultural students need to be told that much of the problems that farmers succumb to are actually not because of technical gaps in the crop field. Growing indebtedness is when the cost of production rises and the output prices are unable to adequately compensate farmers and leave behind a reasonable profit. In other words, with farm prices not in his control, much of the agrarian distress is also beyond his control. The spate of farm suicides that Indian farmers are confronted with is because of distress factors, which may include weather abnormalities or pest and disease attack, but are more because of the prevailing economic design. It is here that an analysis of the international polices, supply chains and the role of agribusiness comes into play.

Not only about farm suicides, agriculture university students are not even up to date with some of the latest international developments that have a bearing on domestic farming and agriculture. To illustrate, in some of my visits to universities, I have talked about the global collaborative effort between United Nations and World Bank leading to an International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). Although India is a signatory to this treaty but the lack of awareness is clearly visible. There are numerous other international developments, which have a long lasting impact on domestic agricultural policies, but are rarely discussed in the classrooms. This may be because the education system conforms to a strict curriculum. Perhaps we can learn for the University of Chicago’s innovative effort to bring students to learn, evaluate and then take informed decisions.

A strong foundation goes a long way. For this, what is needed is a new template that needs to be adopted for cross-discipline research and analysis by agriculture universities. Surely, agriculture education too is in need of a reform.

(The author is a noted food policy analyst and an expert on issues related to the agriculture sector. He writes on food, agriculture and hunger)