Bhubaneswar: A participatory rural appraisal survey was conducted in Raiguru-Bausdeipur involving 10 students of B. Sc. (Agriculture) of 3 universities i.e. Sri Sri University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha; Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Samastipur, Bihar and Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. The undergraduate students were attached to Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khordha under the village attachment programme of Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) for a period of 12 weeks. RAWE is a programme for imparting practical and production-oriented education for an agriculture degree. The practical exposure and learning that obtain from the field will help them gain confidence in starting new business venture /start-ups in agriculture. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) survey, an exercise for communication and transfer of knowledge, provides the students with much-needed field exposure so that they understand the production-related problem and suggest measures for overcoming them. Various survey tools e.g., resource map, transect walk, timeline, hydrological map, seasonality calendar etc. were used by the students with the active participation of farmers. Around 35 farmers of the village participated in the survey. Students enquired about the village history, significant developments/events and the present status. A socio-resource map was drawn on the ground by using different coloured powders to depict various resources and the social institutions present in the village. The mapping also evinced a lot of interest among the villagers. “Through this survey, we gained insights into the rural life especially the life of farmers, his farming enterprise and associated constraints. Based on our knowledge we would develop farm plans to double income levels of farmers” said Ayon Banerjee, Sri Sri University, Odisha. Team KVK, Khordha guided and facilitated the survey.
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