Extension Activities

The Gram Sevika Training (GSTC) or the Farm Women Training Centre was established in the year 1955 under the control of the Agricultural Department, Govt. of Assam . Later on it was handed over to Assam Agricultural. University in April, 1973. The training center conducted Pre-service courses of Gram Sevika training up to 1985. Beside this, the training center conducted training on Applied Nutrition for Extension Officers, Women Workers and Farm Women.The training center is recognized as an Anganwadi Workers Training Centre for the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS). It was the first Anganwadi Workers Training Centre in Assam. The first batch of Anganwadi Workers training was started on 2 nd October, 1975. Since then the training center conducted 38 nos. orientation training and Job-training courses for Anganwadi Workers,10 nos. Refreshers Courses for Anganwadi Workers and 17 nos. Orientation Courses for Anganwadi Helpers up to October,1999.The Gram Sevika Training Centre has been strengthened in 1995-96 with the assistance of World Bank (ARIASP) by establishing the Farm Women Training Centre. Since then the Farm Women Training Centre conducted 50 training programmes till December, 2000, where altogether 1,123 farm women from different district of Assam were being trained up in different areas of agriculture like – Farm and Home Management, Improved agricultural practices, horticulture, mushroom cultivation, storage of food grains, fisheries, sericulture, animal husbandry, pig rearing, poultry management, mother & child care, mohila somittee, preservation food & vegetables, commercial floriculture, kitchen gardening etc.

A total of 14 nos. of Institutional Farmers' Trainings at AAU have been conducted under AACP. These trainings have benefited 300 nos. of farmers from 11 districts of Assam.

About 600 radio talks, discussions and dialogues on technologies related to agriculture and allied fields were broadcasted during the period 2005-08 for the benefit of farmers and other stakeholders.

A collaborative phone-in-programme of AAU and All India Radio, Dibrugarh have been in operation since 2005 which so far answered more than 1000 queries from farmers of different districts of Assam.

About 40 TV programmes on agricultural and allied subjects have been telecasted through Doordarshan since 2005.

The Directorate of Extension Education has participated in 9 state level and National level Exhibition during 2005-09 and exhibited the technologies developed by the University.

The Extension Education Institute of the University has conducted 256 nos. of trainings since its inception in 1989 till December, 2008 covering 5013 number of beneficiaries.

A Felicitation Centre on Medicinal Plants (sponsored by National Medicinal Plant Board) has been established at the Directorate of Extension Education in 2008. Four trainings have been conducted under this project covering about 100 farmers of various districts of Assam.

The Directorate of Extension Education looks after the Kisan Call Centre (KCC) for NE region. During 2004-08, altogether 7670 questions and answers on agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries were facilitated through this KCC.

The University has proposed to organize a few certificate courses in Agriculture, Home Science, Veterinary Science and Fisheries with an objective to motivate and educate unemployed rural youths to develop their own entrepreneurial ventures. These courses are aimed at developing their skills in the areas of nursery management, plant tissue culture, tea production, apiculture, bio-fertilizers, apparel designing, bakery, day-care centre, goat farming, dairy farming, pig farming and fish seed production.

The Faculty of Fisheries has been providing training to the rural youths from 20 selected districts of Assam with financial support of State Govt. to develop village level workers in fisheries called them as Matsya Mitra. The faculty has already trained three batches of 88 Matsya Mitras from Kamrup, Sivasagar and Sonitpur districts. These Matsya Mitras once produced are expected to act as para-professionals in the fishery sector of the state.

The Govt. of India has recognized the Directorate of Extension Education as one of the nodal centres in the country for Agri-clinic and Agri-business training programmes for unemployed graduates. Altogether three training programme have been conducted and seven trained graduates have established agro-enterprises for self-employment.