M. Sc. ICT in AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

DHIRUBHAI AMBANI INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY GANDHINAGAR, GUJARAT

About DA-IICT The DA-IICT at Gandhinagar represents Wave-4 of educational innovation in Gujarat. The first wave was the nationalist wave and led to Gandhian experiments in education including Nai Talim. The Gujarat Vidyapith established in 1920 was a hybrid model of a university based on Gandhian principles. The second wave led to the establishment of a whole range of educational institutions in Gujarat, mainly private colleges. The third wave, as inspired one, was spear headed by the industrialist Kasturbhai Lalbhai and the scientist Vikram Sarabhai and led to the establishment of a network of national institutes of international renown. A whole array of remarkable intellectuals provided the leadership of these institutes. It was in Wave 4 when the focus shifted to higher education and private participation. One of the institutes created during period is DA-IICT; it is a university under the State Act of Gujarat. The DA-IICT was established in Gandhinagar in 2001. It is the only advanced institute named after the Late Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Group.

ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development Information and communication activities are a fundamental element of agriculture and rural development activity. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to increase efficiency, productivity, and service quality in agriculture and allied sectors. ICTs enhance capability and capacities of rural citizens through information access. There is a growing need to harness the potentials technologies (mobile phones, internet, satellite maps of natural resources, etc.) for agriculture and rural development. M. Sc. (ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development) is a unique program designed to train graduates in the application of ICT in agriculture and rural development.

The Program The Master of Science (ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development) Program aims to occupy the unique developmental niche in the field of Agriculture and Sustainable Development in its interface with the Information and Communication Technology through systemic constructive interventions in the field of teaching, training and action research. Foundation courses include basic tools in ICT, an introduction to development, programs and policies in agricultural and rural development and in ICT. It also offers baskets of specializations through elective courses. The emphasis is on covering a broad range in each of the above and providing the necessary analytical tools. The program thus offers unique career opportunities to students that range from agri-business to commodity exchanges and from research to market analysis. It would work towards creating a bridge between the developmental issues and the ICT interface. ICT for Agriculture and Rural Development is a two-year residential program leading to a Master of Science Degree. The program comprises of three interrelated segments – classroom, summer Internship and a thesis based on industry/research internship. The classroom component entails an exposure to concepts, tools and techniques; the rural internship involves an exposure to rural realities for 8 weeks; and the thesis based on industry/research internship lasting for 16 weeks involves

experiential learning and practical application of knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom segment to practical issues in agriculture and rural development

Objectives of the Program To prepare professionals who will be able to design systems based on information and communication technology and integrate these in farming operations, rural businesses and services. These objectives are accomplished through well designed courses in ICT, agriculture and rural development concepts, analytical tools and techniques (qualitative and quantitative) and field experience.

Teaching Philosophy and Pedagogy Focus is on academic rigor and continuous evaluation. Pedagogical tools such as lectures, hands-on computation, field visits, case studies, role plays, project presentations and simulations are used to facilitate learning.

Selection Procedure Candidates are selected through an entrance test followed by an interview. The test is analytical with multiple choice answers. It covers: 1. English Comprehension, 2. Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation and 3. Analytical and Verbal Reasoning. The shortlisted candidates from the entrance test are interviewed in the DA-IICT for final selection.

Eligibility Any graduate from a recognized University with a minimum of 15 years (10 + 2 + 3) of formal education in science or engineering streams is eligible to apply. Typically, s/he has a B.Sc. / BE in Basic Sciences, Agriculture and Allied Sciences, Agricultural Engineering, Bio-Sciences and Engineering, Fisheries. S/he should have obtained 55% aggregate marks or an equivalent GPA. Candidates, who expect to fulfill the eligibility

requirements

at

the

time

of

joining,

are

also

eligible

apply.

Course

Basic

IT Related

Quantitative Analysis I

Information System Modeling

Computer Basics

Database Management Systems

Quantitative Analysis II

Remote Sensing and GIS

Research Methodology

Management Information Systems

Technical Communication skills

Modeling and Simulation of Dynamic Systems

Development Related

Management Related

Development Theory and Practices

Organizational Theory

Rural Finance

Production and Operation Management

Systems Approach to Sustainable Development

Elective Courses Precision Farming Citizen-led Development Practices E-(M-) Governance for Development Supply Chain Management Systems Policies and Implications Project Management

Summer Internship The basic objective of summer internship is to expose the students to corporate environment and understand the realities in the field. The students learn theories in the class; the internship is helps students to relate the realities with these theories. Therefore, the internship helps students integrate IT in agriculture and rural development domains.

Industry/Research Internship The project work focuses on design or implementation of a system or modules, analysis of a system, etc., which would be the unique contribution of a student. The project

provides

Rural Development.

an o p p o r t u n i t y

The project

to apply ICT in Agriculture

work sharpens

the skills taught

during

and the

program or enables students to practically apply the theories learnt in the classroom.

The projects’ focal point is applications of ICT for sustainable

development and not purely dealing with just marketing of a product or with only administrative problems with no reference to either ICT or rural development.

Student Name: Bhargaviben Chandrakant Patel Education: M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT, Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.Tech Agricultural Information Technology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat Tools and Technologies: MySQL, SPSS, Joomla, SAS, MATLAB, QGIS, TNT, Vensim, Drupal, Enterprise Architect. Technical Projects: 1) Role of Micro Finance Organization in Farmers’ Life, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 2) Secondary & Micronutrient recommendation based on analytical report, Micronutrient Department, Anand Agricultural University. Anand, Gujarat.

Name: Jigna Patel Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.Tech Agricultural Information Technology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat Tools and Technologies: MySQL, SPSS, SAS ,Matlab ,QGIS, TNT, Vensim , Eclipse, ArcGis, Drupal, Joomla, Enterprise Architect

Technical Projects: 1) Flood Simulation and Advisory for Flood Prone Area using GIS,GPS and RS Technology, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 2) Isabgol (PLANTAGO OVATA F.) Marker Database, Center of Excellence in Biotechnology, Anand Agricultural University, ,Anand,Gujarat.

Name: Jay Jivani Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.E. (IT), R. K. University, Rajkot, Gujarat. Tools and Technologies: TNTMips, MySQL, MATLAB, Drupal, Vensim, NetBeans IDE, Oracle, Weka, XLMiner,Joomla, IBM SPSS.

Technical Projects: 1) Developed GUI based desktop application as a part of the Forest Right Act 2006 by using RS, GIS and GPS technology in MATLAB.ARCH, Gujarat.. 2) Hardware and Software Maintenance Master Desktop Application, R. K. College of Engineering and Technology, Rajkot, Gujarat.

Name: Feni Amrutiya Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.E. (IT), R. K. University, Rajkot, Gujarat. Tools and Technologies: MySQL, Matlab, SPSS, Vensim, TNT, QGIS

Technical Projects: 1) Developed GUI based desktop application as a part of the Forest Right Act 2006 by using RS, GIS and GPS technology in MATLAB.ARCH, Gujarat.. 2) Hardware and Software Maintenance Master Application, R. K. College of Engineering and Technology, Rajkot, Gujarat

Name: Kiran. RS Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B. Sc. Agriculture Science and Rural Development, Loyola Academy Degree and P.G College,Alwal, Secunderabad, Telangana. Tools and Technologies: MySQL, MATLAB, Drupal, Vensim, Joomla, SPSS, QGIS, Enterprise Architect, TNT, Rational Rose.

Technical Projects: 1) Project coordination for NSDC Star Scheme dairy entrepreneurship program and A Baseline study to understand the existing dairy management practices in rural areas. ALC India, Warangal, Telangana 2) Conservation and Field Ecology Initiatives in sustainable Science, Loyola Academy, Alwal, Telangana. 3) Tree census data accumulation, WWF, Hyderabad, Telangana

Name: K.V.Y.K Sarvan Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. B.Tech, J.N.T.U Kakinada University, Narasaraopet Institute of Tech Tools and Technologies: MySQL work bench, Data base management.

Technical Projects: 1) Installation of sensors and data logger for dew and rain water harvesting system, Bhuj, Gujarat. 2) Automatic speed control by using RF‐Cards, J.N.T.U Kakinada University, Narasaraopet Institute of Tech, Andhra Pradesh 3) Automatic vending machine with auto billing features, J.N.T.U Kakinada University, Narasaraopet Institute of Tech, Andhra Pradesh

Name: Raphael Praneeth Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar, Gujarat. BSc Agriculture Science and Rural Development, Loyola Academy Degree and P.G College, Alwal, Secunderabad, Telangana. Tools and Technologies: MySQL, Vensim, Matlab, Drupal, QGIS, Rational Rose, TNT, Joomla, MS Office, SPSS

Technical Projects: 1) Scaling up of Organic Agriculture, AKRSP(I), Khandwa. 2) Eco‐documentation, Loyola Academy Degree and P.G College, Alwal, Secunderabad, Telangana.

Name: Chauhan Bhumika B. Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.C.A Sutex Bank College Of Computer Applications & Science,Surat,VNSGU,Gujarat Tools and Technologies: MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL Server, SPSS

TechnicaL Projects: 1) SEWA Equipment Management System, SEWA, Gujarat. 2) Restaurant Management System, Sutex Bank College Of Computer Applications & Science,Surat,VNSGU,Gujarat

Name: Kajal Bhikadiya Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT Gandhinagar,Gujarat. B.C.A Sutex Bank College Of Computer Applications & Science,Surat,VNSGU,Gujarat Tools and Technologies: MySQL, Oracle 10, Matlab, SPSS, Vensim, TNT, QGIS.

Technical Projects: 1) SEWA Library Management System, SEWA, Gujarat. 2) Restaurant Management System, Sutex Bank College Of Computer Applications & Science,Surat,VNSGU,Gujarat

Name: Devang Mendapara Education : M. Sc. ICT Agriculture and Rural Development, DA‐IICT , Gabdhinagar, Gujarat B.E. (IT), R. K. University, Rajkot, Gujarat.

Tools and Technologies: MySQL, SPSS, SAS ,Matlab ,QGIS, TNT, Vensim Technical Projects: 1) Trainee Management Desktop Application, AKRSP(I),Vadvai, Gujarat. 2) Text based Real Estate Sytem, Sahyog edutech pvt.ltd, Rajkot, Gujarat.

Placement The Campus placement ensures that all the students secure meaningful and challenging career opportunities. The placements combine job satisfaction and decent compensation. Our graduates have in the past been placed in government development agencies, NGOs agri-businesses

and national and international

Agencies involved in agriculture and rural development.

Past employers SEWA, GSFC, AKRSP(I), NCDEX, Tata Rallis, GSWMA, JK Seeds, Godrej Agrovet LTD., FES,NSEL, NMCE, DSCL, Hariyali Kisan Bazaar, MAHYCO – Bayer Crop

Science, Biostadt India Ltd., Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers, Vibha Agrotech, Shri Ram Fertilizers, Digital Green, Dhan Foundation, ICRISAT, Mother Dairy, Dudh Sagar Dairy.

Contact us M. Sc. (ICT-ARD) Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology Near Indroda Circle Gandhinagar 382 007 Gujarat (India) Tel. : (+91) 079-3051-0649 Fax : (+91) 079-3052-0010 email : info[at]daiict[dot]ac[dot]in Visit Us - ictard.daiict.ac.in