A field fertile with opportunity

As agricultural techniques and know-how continue to evolve, farmers are constantly encouraged to adopt better practices. Rural management deals with providing strategies to improve profitability and sustainability, which can benefit farmers in the long run. Large-scale projects in rural development are also being undertaken all over the country to address the problems and needs of specific groups of people. For this, rural management aims to provide advice and services. Rural managers may oversee a single activity, manage a small farm or take care of all the regular activities like sowing, harvesting, pest control etc. They also- Provide relevant financial and practical information.

Highlight the advantages and dangers of a specific course of action. Take care of the day-to-day activities of a farm and evaluate progress at regular stages. Help with making timely decisions related to crops. The job may also include taking into account the slope, drainage and layout of the land, the soil condition and the nutrient status. Plant tissue analyses are also conducted.

Other important activities include

1. Pasture management

2. Business management

3. Livestock productivity

4. Marketing produce

Today, rural management enterprises provide consultation services onrelated issues.

Institutes

Areas of study include agronomy and agricultural economics, dairy and animal science, horticulture and crop and fruit science. Admission into premium institutes is through a selection examination. You need to be a graduate in science (though graduates in agriculture are preferred for the Masters degree (MBA) in rural management).

Knowledge of veterinary science is also helpful. A basic knowledge of accounting is also necessary.

Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) is an autonomous institution which offers a post graduate diploma programme in rural management. The programme is recognised by the All India Council of Technical Education and the Association of Indian Universities as being equivalent to a master's degree in Rural Management.

As a fresher you may have to work under an experienced manager to learnthe ropes. A few years of experience and one can take on management oflarge farms and agricultural establishments or projects. Rural managers find employment with NGOs, governmental organisations, industries in rural areas, banks (NABARD) or with multinationals interested in making an entry into rural markets. Rural managementconsultancies also hire rural managers who can work for them as a partof their regular workforce or as consultants. Rural managers are incharge of planning, budgeting, marketing, inventory control, supervising and managing workers and manpower. They also find opportunities in areas related to finance, human resource development, marketing, production, quality control, natural resource management, common property resource management etc.

ARCHANA JAYAKAR

archana.hyd@cxknetworks.com