Dhumantarao Thammi Raju

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the World Bank have collaborated on a project entitled the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) to improve agricultural higher education in India, paving the way for sustainable higher education in agriculture. As part of this project, the present investigation was carried out through national-level workshops involving seven State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) across India, with participants from academia and industry, to strengthen ‘academia–industry collaboration’ through effective linkages. Based on the responses of 199 respondents from academia and industry, the study demonstrates an absolute need for linkages between universities and industries (p < 0.001), which are perceived to help improve higher education sustainably. Academic institutions believe that such linkages benefit students concerning their employability, entrepreneurial skills, and financial support received. At the same time, industries believe that they would benefit from novel technologies and influencing academic curricula. This article also establishes an alliance between some parts of academia and industry in the form of MoUs in the identified areas. However, many other areas need more appropriate linkage models. Both sectors, i.e., academia and industry, concur that such exposure and collaboration between the two entities will help to improve the quality of education. Moreover, such collaborations provide financial support, increase students’ employability, and improve their entrepreneurial skills. Among the areas requiring collaboration, the ‘capacity building of students’ was rated most important by academia and industry. Overall, the present study has significant implications for university administrators and industry leaders involved in enhancing academia–industry cooperation and improving the quality and sustainability of higher education in agriculture. Further, the study greatly contributes to the National Education Policy (NEP) to promote innovation among the student communities through Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The present study was carried out with the objective of understanding the stated interest of agricultural students in entrepreneurship and to provide an accurate research report for decision-makers, for developing entrepreneurship in India. In the present investigation, a two-stage sampling procedure was employed. In the first stage, cluster sampling was used to select the state agricultural universities (SAUs) in India. In the second stage, simple random sampling was performed to select student respondents from each SAU. Data were collected from 1797 agricultural students (second stage units) from 17 SAUs out of 74 (first stage units) studying a bachelor’s/master’s degree program and analyzed to infer outcomes related to entrepreneurship. Variables such as basic information, job interest, motivational factors, hurdles to becoming an entrepreneur, awareness about government schemes, and essential hard and soft skills were measured. Data were analyzed using frequencies, chi-square test (X²), rank-based quotient (RBQ), and binary logistic regression (BLR) analyses. The survey results revealed that “entrepreneurship” was given a lower preference by the majority; as a result, there was less motivation for students from family members. However, about 78% of students showed interest in becoming an entrepreneur. Significant areas of entrepreneurial interest for the observed students included, in order are digital agriculture < input production < marketing < farming < advisory services < dairying < financial services < poultry < developing eLearning material for farmers < and other jobs. This study demonstrates the need for Career Development Centers (CDCs), government support, and awareness and incentives regarding entrepreneurship through effective policy interventions, to protect entrepreneurs from the potential risk of business losses. This research outcome substantially contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-4, quality education), through the soft skill development of the students, resulting in innovative agri-entrepreneurs. The present research suggested some policy implications to promote entrepreneurship more widely, which may also help other developing countries to frame potential regulations for agricultural education and entrepreneurial activities.

Building an effective online course requires an understanding of learning analytics. The study assumes significance in the COVID 19 pandemic situation as there is a sudden surge in online courses. Analysis of the online course using the data generated from the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), Google Forms and Google Analytics was carried out to understand the tenants of an effective online course. About 515 learners participated in the initial pre-training needs & expectations’ survey and 472 learners gave feedback at the end, apart from the real-time data generated from LMS and Google Analytics during the course period. This case study analysed online learning behaviour and the supporting learning environment and suggest critical factors to be at the centre stage in the design and development of online courses; leads to the improved online learning experience and thus the quality of education. User needs, quality of resources and effectiveness of online courses are equally important in taking further online courses.