Tilling fields beckon foreign degrees

‘‘I’m doing a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas. Two years from now, I see myself in Patan — my family owns 15 hectares of land between Patan and Tandulwadi talukas — reorganising the farm on a commercial basis,’’ says Mane, 23.

‘‘I plan to harness the skills of my former classmates at the Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Pune. I’ve already identified my areas of interest: contract farming, an integrated food supply chain and export of agricultural commodities.’’

Junnare, 21, hails from Nashik, where his father and four uncles jointly own 110 acres of farmland. Little wonder then that the youth is busy filling out forms for an MSc course in oneology at Adelaide University.

‘‘Everyone in the family knew they should be getting into wine-making, but nobody had the know-how about exploiting the 40 acres of grapes we grow,’’ says Junnare. His ultimate aim? A full-fledged winery. And lest you dismiss the youth as glamour-struck, he points out that he already has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the College of Agriculture, Pune.

One step ahead of Junnare, Mane has no doubt he is doing the right thing. ‘‘Education should be practical rather than just theoretical, which is how it is here. Everything I learn at Arkansas is related to the real world. Also, we have the best of infrastructure and resources, excellent student-industry interaction, internships in the agro-industry. Best of all, the syllabus is reviewed every semester,’’ says Mane, who has spent just over a month in the US.

For all that, Mane refuses to consider abandoning India. ‘‘Specialising in agriculture was a logical step, given my family background. But I knew I had to go beyond the parameters available here,’’ he says, who depends on a teaching assistantship and a bank loan.

‘‘So far as returning to this country is concerned, I have the example of Sharad Pawar’s nephew Rajendra, who came back after studying agriculture at Michigan State University to run Baramati Agro, a commercial enterprise in poultry farming.’’

India is also the focal point of Junnare’s future plans. ‘‘I could have gone to France or Netherlands or California. But for Europe I would have had to learn the language first. Also, the climate there is so conducive to wine-making, they use little technology. In California and Australia, they use methods that work for us as well,’’ says the 21-year-old.

Resigned to forking out around Rs 17 lakh for the course — scholarships are hard to come by in Australia, he says — Junnare is open to the idea of working in Australia for a year or so to gain more exposure to the business of wine-making.

Mane, though is eager to return: ‘‘I am secretary of an NGO called Maharashtra Krishi Seva Prathisthan in Satara, which focuses on agriculture extension services. I hope to infuse some of my experience and ideas there too.’’

But the real test for both will come when they touch base with their farms again. And introduce new technology to their ancestors’ land.