Realising the Potential of Educational Workshops in Horticulture
Shivangi Shanker
The ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry under the Navsari Agricultural University situated in Navsari (Gujrat) took an initiative to organize two consecutive workshops to guide students through entrepreneurial techniques. There were two events that catered to the development and enhancement of the business promoting and risk-taking skills in horticulture and floriculture among the students. One that was organised in October and the second in December. The latest event was a winter flower show and motivational event. This article will take you through the two events that were organized by the Navsari Agriculture University in Gujrat and also it will point our some of the scopes of horticulture and floriculture.
Agriculture is the most important profession which is beyond a profession considering its role in the existence of life of human beings. It is also a science and Horticulture is that branch of Agricultural Science which is a combination of art, technology, business, education, and science of plants. Horticulture industry in India has huge potential which is yet to be realised. For instance, India is the leadin producer of mango, banana, sapota, acid lime, turmeric, etc. it occupies leading positions in the production of several other horticulture related products. Further Floriculture is that branch of horticulture which is concerned with the aesthetic development. Now when we say aesthetics it includes art, beauty, and emotions associated with beauty. Floriculture deals not only with cultivation of ornamentals, annuals, biennials, and perennial plants including potted ones but also their marketing. This also includes marketing for local, distant markets and export of cut flowers, live plants and their economic products like scents, oils, and medicines. In our country, there are various top-notch colleges and universities offering specialised programmes for the same.
The pandemic has redefined the outlook of people towards nature. They want to contribute in creating a healthy, greener and a better environment for themselves and all humanity at large. Presently, our country is next to China in area and production of vegetables and fruits crops, producing 10 per cent of fruits and 14 per cent vegetables of the world production. This becomes all the more important to promote horticulture education among young students along with vocational and entrepreneur skills to realise the huge potential that India acquires in the horticulture. Let us take a look at the recent activities to promote horticulture and floriculture based Entrepreneurial skills at educational level conducted by the ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry.
An Interactive Workshop on Horti-Business Start-Ups, was organised by the ASPEE college of Horticulture and forestry with Students READY- Experiential Learning Programme. The initiative was taken by the department of Floriculture and landscape architecture, ELP Module 1. The objective of the workshop was to sensitize, strengthen, and motivate students of BSc (Hons.) Horticulture towards business ventures like nursery, landscaping, horticulture consultancy, etc. The organizing secretary Dr. Alka Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture understand the importance and potential of growth in the horticulture sector. Hence, she was at the forefront of the event that aimed to highlight the role of business skills in today’s times. The workshop was inaugurated by the chief guest, Dr. S R. Chaudhary, Director of Research and Dean PG Studies, NAU. Dr. S.N. Saravaiya, I/c Principal and Dean, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Dr. T .R. Ahlawat, ELP Coordinator & Associate Director of Research (Horti.), Dr. Alka Singh, Professor and Head (Floriculture) and MD (EL Unit), Dr. V .R. Naik, Associate Director of Research (Agri.) graced the occasion. Dr. Ruchira Shukla, Chairperson Start-up cell & Principal, AABMI, Dr. Swati Sharma, Member Secretory of Start-up cell and Shri. Sachin Brahmanker were the lead speakers at the workshop. Heads of other departments, MDs and managers of other EL Units along with the team of students under Experiential learning program of BSc(Hons) Horticulture were present.
Dr. S.N. Saravaiya, delivered the welcome address. Dr. Alka Singh, organizing secretary along with other faculties of the department welcomed all the dignitaries with floral bouquets. She further gave insights about the need of such kind of interactive workshops to inculcate entrepreneurial mindset.
Dr. S.R. Chaudhary, Director of Research and Dean PG Studies, NAU, Navsari congratulated the organizers for their efforts to initiate the Interactive Workshop on Horti-Business Start-Ups. He emphasized that the students are required to bring a change in their mindset from becoming a job seeker to a job giver. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor Dr. Z. P. Patel extended his good wishes for the success of the program despite his busy schedule.
A new business, or the activities involved in starting a new business is generally referred as Start-ups. A microenterprise, also known as a microbusiness, refers to a small business that employs few people. A microenterprise usually operates with fewer than 10 people and is started with a small amount of capital advanced from a bank or other organization. Dr Ruchira Shukla, explains the concept of Start-up and small and micro enterprises. She highlighted the importance of Business ideas, Business planning, legalities, marketing, funding, customer value and right team for successful start-ups. She answered many queries raised by the students related to start-up and business entrepreneur. Dr. Swati Sharma discussed about the various schemes and policies of Government for promotion, incubation support and funding of startup’s and small businesses. When talking about developing business skills it is important to know lived experiences of a successful entrepreneur. Mr. Sachin Bhramankar who is an alumini of ACHF and currently the owner of a Landscape and Consultancy Company called Alpha Agro and Landscape Services shares his experiences. He highlighted the need to be consistent and focused in what you have decided to pursue. He also shared his struggles which he could have faced while beginning to work as a job giver. Entrepreneurship is indeed a job of owing big responsibilities and it should be handled with care and executed with positivity to make every difficulty a possibility, explains Mr. Brahmankar.
The second workshop session was held between 27th to 31st December 2021. This is named as Winter Flower Fest and Dr. Alka cheerfully remarks that the beautiful vibrant flowers bloom during winter and bring a lot of cheers and hopes in the midst of chilling winter winds. She adds that the “Creation of green and colourful aesthetic environment with flowering plants and to make people aware about the positive impact of flowering plants on the human psychology and emotional status is the basic objective of the Winter Flower Fest”. Besides, strengthening of skill building approach among horticulture students was the basic aim of this event. Winter flower fest at NAU was inaugurated by Honourable Vice Chancellor, NAU, Dr. Z. P. Patel, at More than 1000 plant lovers visited the fest. Different zones like air quality purification, vertical blooms, vibrant blooms, seasonal blossoms, adeniums and cactus were displayed. Plants were properly labelled with their botanical information and students interacted with visitors and explained them different uses of plants and gave them plant management tips.
Pictures from the Winter Flower Fest (27-31 December 2021)
Conclusion
At the end of through interaction, Dr. T .R. Ahlawat, ELP Coordinator & Associate Director of Research (Hort.) gave his concluding remarks regarding the INTERACTIVE Workshop on Horti-Business Start-Ups. Lastly, Dr. H. P. Shah, Assistant Professor and Co-Organizing Secretary of the workshop, ACHF, NAU, Navsari proposed vote of thanks. The two sessions were important for they focused on the motivation and imparting of innovative ideas and skills to start a small business venture related to horticulture. The professors, and other guests involved in training young students were focused on the skill development aspect that can actually help the students understand the scenario of a business start-up. For instance, they explained the immense potential the agriculture, horticulture, and floriculture in Indian has along with the new techniques in these fields. The sessions were ended with vote of thanks and appreciation by students. It should be understood that we need more such events at the educational and semi-educational level to encourage more people to take up horticulture as a business or a career opportunity. This is one profession that requires skill, education, art, creativity, technique, and scientific knowledge. It has place for a large group of students and people in general.
