Agriculture Courses – Career, Courses, Admission & Jobs, Salary

Do you know!!

Career in Agriculture is one of the largest industries and a good source of employment across the country.

Agriculture also plays a vital role in Indian economy. At present, students from all over the country are selecting the agriculture field for their career prospective.

Firstly, let us define the term “Agriculture”

Agriculture is the method and science of farming & cultivation of plants, animals, fungi, medicinal plants and other products which are used to enhance human life.

The study of agriculture is defined as “Agricultural Science”.

Agricultural Science is a multidisciplinary field that comprises of a variety of scientific, technical & business subjects. It promotes the efficient production of quality food in the agricultural-food industry & on the farm linked to the farming.

Agriculture Field includes horticulture, farm management, businesses & industries which buy & process farm products, manufacture agricultural machinery, banking activities, research for improving quality & quantity of farm products, etc.

A person who is specializes in this field is called as “Agriculturists”.

The history of agriculture dates backs thousands of years ago. Wild grains were collected and eaten from 105,000 years ago, rice was domesticated in China between 13,500 & 8,200 years ago and pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 15,000 years ago.

Courses & Eligibility

To start a professional career in agriculture, you will need to pursue courses in this field. Students have a variety of options to pursue courses in agriculture field. Some popular courses are listed here:

Certificate Courses:

• Certificate in Agriculture Science
• Certificate course in Food & Beverage Service
• Certificate course in Bio-fertilizer Production

Diploma Courses:

• Diploma in Agriculture
• Diploma Courses in Agriculture and Allied Practices
• Diploma in Food Processing

Bachelor Courses (B.Sc):

• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
• Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Agriculture
• Bachelor of Science in Crop Physiology

Master Courses (M.Sc):

• Master of Science in Agriculture
• Master of Science in Biological Sciences
• Master of Science in Agriculture Botany

Doctoral Courses:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture
• Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture Biotechnology
• Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Entomology

Students can get the options to choose specializations at the master and doctoral level agriculture courses. Some top specializations are listed below:

• Agronomy
• Horticulture
• Floriculture
• Agriculture Economics
• Forestry
• Plant Breeding
• Agriculture Genetics
• Hydroponics
• Weed sciences
• Agriculture Entomology
• Agriculture Microbiology
• Soil science and Agri chemistry

Are you eligible for admission in Agriculture Courses?

UG Courses Eligibility:

Students looking for admissions into bachelor courses are needed to qualify the 10+2 or equivalent exam with biology, mathematics and physics subjects from any recognized school or board. The duration of UG courses (B.Sc Agriculture) is three years.

PG Courses Eligibility:

For admissions in postgraduate courses, students should have a bachelor’s degree with science subjects from any recognized college or institution. The course duration of M.Sc (Agriculture) is two years.

Admission

How to get admission in Agriculture Courses?

Students can apply for admission in agriculture courses through the entrance exam organized at national, state and university level. Candidates can apply for this course after completing their 10+2 education. Some colleges also offer admissions on the basis of merit list of the qualifying exam. Some agriculture entrance exams are mentioned here:

• ICAR AIEEA 2024 (All India Entrance Examination for Admission)
• Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination (BCECE 2024)
• Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination (JCECE 2024)
• Kerala Engineering, Agriculture and Medical (KEAM 2024)
• Madhya Pradesh Pre-Agriculture Test (MP PAT 2024)

Where to pursue agriculture courses?

There are various government and private colleges in India which offers qualify education in the agriculture field. Some top agriculture colleges are listed below:

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
• Punjab Agricultural University, College of Agriculture Engineering & Technology, Ludhiana
• Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology, Amritsar
• Desh Bhagat University, Punjab
• Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), School of Agriculture (SOA), New Delhi

Career Scope & Jobs

“Presently, the demand for trained professional is high in the agriculture field”.

In India, career in agriculture is one of the preferred choice of the science students.

After pursuing courses in agriculture field, you can apply for jobs in government as well as in private organizations. There are various job opportunities are available for agriculture graduate aspirants. This field can easily lead you towards the highly paid jobs.

Agriculture field offers job opportunities in horticulture, poultry farming, plant science, soil science, food science, animal science, etc. Some of the other agricultural activities that give attractive returns are horticulture, dairying & poultry farming. As a landscapers and horticultures you can get employed in hotels, health farms, resorts, etc.

“A degree in agriculture gives you the skills and knowledge to deal with agricultural sales, agriculture business, food production, etc.”

Self employment opportunities are also available in this field. After completing graduation in this field and with some experience, you can start up your own business like agriculture firms, agriculture products shop, agribase industry, etc.

After completing your postgraduate degree in agriculture, you can work as a supervisors, distributors, researcher & engineer.

Job Titles:

• Crop specialist
• Fertilizer sales representative
• Food microbiologist
• Food researcher
• Plant geneticist
• Soil surveyor
• Farm manager

Salary & Pay-Scale

“Agriculture field rewards a good salary package to the smart & hard working people”.

In India, many government and private industries offer good salary packages to the agriculture aspirants. With a higher degree and good experience in this field, you can earn a lot in this field.

“As a B.Sc (Agriculture) graduate, you can easily earn around 3 to 4 lacs per year in India”.

Some sectors where you can find job opportunities with the agriculture degree are:

• Agro-industry Sector
• Estates and tea gardens
• Services Sector
• Agricultural Engineering
• Corporations
• Agriculture Management

Books & Study Materials

Some best books to study agriculture are listed below:

• Crop Yields and Global Food Security by Tony Fischer, Derek Byerlee and Greg Edmeades.
• Feeding the Ten Billion, Plants and Population Growth by L. T Evans
• Happy Families, Healthy Landscapes, Profitable Farms by David Pratt
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Hardcover) by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (Paperback) by Michael Pollan
• The Art and Science of Shepherding by Michel Meuret and Fred Provenza
• In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

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