Online Classes For Farmers

More than 10,000 farmers have availed of the online training on various agricultural methods during the previous year from the District Agricultural Training Centre (DATC) in Mysuru.

The DATC at Naganahalli has maintained the concept, which was launched during the onset of the Covid-19 epidemic two years ago to keep farmers informed of the newest developments and propose remedies.

Initially, the instruction was intended for Mysuru farmers. However, because mobile phones are ubiquitous even in rural regions, and WhatsApp is a frequently used messaging service, the links have been extensively circulated by the agricultural community, according to G.H. Yogesh, Deputy Director, DATC. As a consequence, the online lectures are helping farmers from all across Karnataka, not only those in remote and inaccessible places on the outskirts of forests and national parks in the Mysuru district.

The DATC was founded to provide agricultural authorities with field and technical support, and it has been providing regular training for them. However, when the Covid-19 outbreak hit, the DATC decided to try out online instruction. The notion has been well received by the general audience.

"During the current fiscal year, 56 online training sessions have been held, with 10,806 farmers receiving instruction." Mr. Yogesh stated, "We have two more months until we roll out additional classes." The notion has piqued the government's interest, and similar classes are now being held in other areas as well.

In 2020-21, 84 online training courses were held, with a total of 28,778 farmers participating. The agricultural specialists and scientists from the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru and the Department of Agriculture collaborated on the lessons and training module.

The traditional offline training provided at the institute for the DATC has a restricted reach because it requires registration and is only three days long. Few people can afford to take three days off from work. However, with the online training approach, students may continue to work while receiving expert comments.

The training programs have covered a wide range of topics in the previous two years, from rainwater gathering and organic farming to crop disease outbreaks and seed selection.

Encouraged by the success, the DATC began a series of digital outreach programs to reach out to additional farmers.