Sustainable Agriculture: Perspective, Practices and Applications in the Field at Azim Premji University

About the Programme

Sustainable Agriculture: Perspective, Practices and Applications in the Field is a 9-day residential course designed by Azim Premji University together with the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), Hyderabad. It's built for people who work directly with farmers, especially smallholders, women's groups, and marginalised communities, but who may not have had much exposure to agroecological thinking themselves. The course connects the science behind sustainable agriculture with real field practice, helping participants turn ideas into locally relevant, season-specific action they can use in their own work.

Eligibility

• Practitioners, thematic leaders, programme managers, KVK scientists, and extension personnel.
• At least 3 to 4 years of experience in natural resource management, extension services, agricultural livelihoods, or rural development.
• Functional working knowledge of both Hindi and English.
• Basic practical experience in farming or agricultural practices.

Curriculum Overview

• Foundations of sustainable agriculture, including its key concerns, discourses, and principles.
• Soils: formation, diagnosis, health monitoring, and nutrient budgeting.
• Farming systems: crop management, regenerative agriculture, and integrated farming systems.
• Water management and seed systems.
• A mid-course break with simulation games, films, and other extracurricular activities.
• Pest, disease, and weed management.
• Agro-ecosystem analysis and hands-on bio-input preparation.
• A full day of field immersion.
• Training, extension methods, and working with farmer collectives.
• Ends with participants building and presenting their own field action plan.

Programme Highlights

• Mix of interactive sessions, lectures, small group work, videos, hands-on exercises, farmer testimonials, case stories, exposure visits, and simulation games.
• Learning at a KVK farm, with village visits and participatory exercises built in.
• Faculty combine Azim Premji University practitioners with agronomy and agroecology experts from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad.
• A Certificate of Participation is given to those who attend all days and submit their assignments.

Fees & Financial Aid

• INR 12,390 (including GST) for individuals from non-partner organisations.
• INR 1,770 (including GST) for individuals from Azim Premji Foundation's partner organisations, including Field Practice Partners of Azim Premji University.
• No registration fee for government employees.
• Small NGOs with an annual budget under INR 5 crore can apply for a fee waiver.
• Fee payment deadline: 20 November 2026