Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/247

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SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND AGRICULTURE - RANDOM EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS . - . - - - - Introduction Among all vocational courses, the agriculture-related courses are unique, in that they could take any number of students without getting saturated. Also, there is hardly any problem of marketing. Yet, most people already practicing the vocation want to quit and the rural youth do not want to take it up. Why? Unless we solve this riddle, we will have neither good agriculture nor a solution to the unemployment problem of the rural areas. -- The Problem Agriculture is seen as drudgery, a non-profitable occupation that has to be avoided if one can. The farmers generally see it as purely a matter of fate and would like to see their children saved from this fate. At best, they see the farm as something that keeps them alive. No profession can grow if this is the perception of most of the practitioners. If agriculture is shown to be profitable, the cream of youth will want to get into it. The objective should be for the vocational courses to demonstrate that one can make money in agriculture. The agriculture-related vocational courses, as presently given, are unable Rural Development Through Education System 234