Smart Farming and Youth Employment: PJTSAU to Offer Drone Use Certificate Course

Drone and Farming 

Drones play an important role in today's agricultural production because they provide real-time, three-dimensional, and ultra-precise analyses that measure the overall health of the soil, planting patterns, and ultimately provide critical data for optimal irrigation and nitrogen needs.

As more farmers use drones for agricultural tasks such as spraying pesticides, fertilizing, and sowing, the demand for experts with drone experience grows.

Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Hyderabad, plans to offer a certificate course in the use of drones in agriculture, seeing opportunities for employment and self-employment for young people as well as assisting farmers. This certificate program will be offered in collaboration with an aviation company.

The institution has already been granted permission to use drones for agricultural research and development by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). It is the country's first institution to receive such recognition.

Drone Certificate Course Will Open up Career Opportunities

The university intends to roll out certified drone-trained human resources for public use through the certificate course in drones used in agriculture. Each village in the state will be assigned a drone pilot. According to Dr. V Praveen Rao, vice-chancellor of PJTSAU, the training will also provide opportunities for rural youth and university students.

Aside from that, due to the current high demand for organic food, the institution has decided to launch an MSc in Organic Farming program this year. As a result, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has permitted the university administration to start the program where the facilities are available.

Furthermore, registration for the second batch of an online course on "skill and entrepreneurship development in organic farming," which was completed in collaboration with the Association of Indian Organic Industry, has begun. The training for the same has started from 1st March.

In collaboration with the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, the PJTSAU changed the course curriculum for the postgraduate agri-business management programs this year.

Also Read: https://tractornews.in/articles/top-8-must-have-farming-applications-for-farmers/