| Tamil Nadu Agricultural University | Education | Undergraduate Education |
| A. Science Programs |B. Technology Programs |
| Research | Extension | Students welfare |
| Open and Distance Learning | Field Station Activities – An Introduction |
Keeping this in mind, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has proactively designed and implemented its triple functions of education, research and extension activities.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has reached the position of one of the top ranking agricultural universities in India due to its good quality of agricultural education. TNAU's significant role in offering agricultural education is made possible through the 10 colleges in seven campuses and a diploma institute situated in different districts of tamilnadu. The curriculum of the university is tailored to meet out the needs of the clientale who are engaged in Agriculture, Horticulture, Agricultural Processing, agricultural Marketing, Agro-based industries, Agricultural Engineering and Home Science as well as future agriculture development and research.
The University is offering TWELVE undergraduate degree programs in 10 colleges distributed in seven campuses all over Tamil Nadu. The duration of these courses is four years (8 semesters).
Post Graduate Education
TNAU is offering MSc and Ph.D programmes in almost all the major disciplines
TNAU's significant role in conducting need based agricultural research on crop improvement, crop management, crop protection, post harvest technologies, agricultural marketing, processing, farm implements and machineries, increasing water use efficiency and water management technologies were made possible through the 10 colleges and 32 research stations of the University.
The Directorate of Extension Education (DEE) is primarily responsible for transfer of the latest technologies emanating from various programmes of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to the farming community and extension personnels. Fourteen Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) functioning under the control of this Directorate organize skill oriented vocational training to farm men and women and youth in agriculture and allied fields. Training division of the directorate has conducted training for the officials from Agriculture and other development departments. Besides, agricultural technologies are being disseminated through Valarum Velanmai (Magazine), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Newsletter, Audio and Video cassettes and Video CD for the benefit of farmers.
The Directorate of Students Welfare (DSW) in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore is the nodal centre of students' counseling and placement activities for all the constituent colleges of the university. The core activities of the Directorate of Students’ Welfare are job placement, higher education in India and abroad and Career counseling. The graduates of the university are well placed through campus interviews, job fairs, industrial visits and overseas employment unit. In the recent years students are benefited as “Green Group” member i.e. internet based global networking for Tamil Nadu Agricultural University alumini working or studying abroad for exchange of information about fellowships and assistantships or job opportunities available across the globe. For civil service examination (Indian Administrative Services), coaching classes are being offered to graduates of the university.
In commemoration of the Centenary year of the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore, the function of TNAU viz., teaching, research and extension has been enlarged with additional function of Open and Distance Learning which is first of its kind in India, among State Agricultural Universities. This Directorate concentrates its efforts on Distance Education in addition to non-formal and continuing education. The Directorate of Open and Distance Learning, one of the constituent units of the TNAU was started during April, 2005 by renaming the Directorate of Publications. This Directorate has started offering certificate courses, PG Diploma and PG Degree courses through Distance Learning Mode for those aspiring for self employment opportunities.
India is endowed with rich and vast diversity of natural resources including water, but unfortunately it is unevenly distributed over the country. More than 50 percent of the water resources in India is shared with five states namely Uttarpradesh,West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and left other states to more prone to water scarcity. Tamil Nadu is one such state a state in India has 13 m.ha of geographical area with 4 percent of countries cultivated area and 2 percent of water resources to cater 8 percent of its population.
The average rainfall of the state is only 943 mm compare to all India average of 1170 mm. It is also varies from 1200 mm in the coastal area to 550 mm in inland. The more than half of the population (56 percent) of the state still depended on agriculture for their livelihood, the rainfall occurs around October and November every year through Northeast monsoon will decide their fate. This is crucial because Southwest monsoon which will give enormous rainfall to other Indian states is blocked by Western Ghats. Thus tank irrigation system developed since ancient time to conserve available water for agricultural production and all of the water needs of the villagers. It is estimated that Tamil Nadu has around 39202 tanks with potential to irrigate 1.1 million ha. But actual area under tank irrigation is around 0.53 million ha. This disparity tells you all about the story of deterioration of tank irrigation system in the state. So many factors like physical, institutional and socio economical characteristics of the tank under tremendous pressure since green revolution. Among the 30 districts of Tamil Nadu tank irrigation is being intensively practiced in 9 districts in which, four districts in the North Tamil Nadu (Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore) and five districts in the south Tamil Nadu (Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar and Pudhukottai)
Our study focused on southern districts, which is less industrailised than north Tamil Nadu. Increasing trend of fallow lands in tank command area and reduced cropping intensity is displaced million of farmers who solely depended on tank irrigated agriculture. Apart from the farmers, the landless labourers and farm women still in high numbers were lost their employment opportunities. The studies shows that reduced cropped area coupled with farm mechanization have already reduced 50 percent of mandays earlier available to the rural poor. While opportunity for work in the agriculture is seasonal and it is highly unstable due to various factors, the farmers and landless labourers are searching livelihood opportunities in nearby cities. Acknowledging this, the government of India and Tamil Nadu are administering various measures such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Progrm (NREGP) which envisaged to providing 100 days employment per year for one person from every willing household. Government of Tamil Nadu have provides 20 kg of rice per family at the rate of Re 1 per Kg through public distribution system since September 2008.
Government way of addressing these problems is through administering temporary palliatives but not providing sustainable solution. Hence our focus is analyzing changes in the livelihood opportunities available to rural poor in the tank irrigated area of southern Tamil Nadu after the innovation of market driven economy. we realized the technological change can generate more social benefits but the same time generate significant cost for small and marginal farmers, landless laboureres and farm women that are different in kind and intensity from those experienced by resource rich farmers. Our experience in the southern Tamil Nadu, for example introduction of high yield varieties and ground water lifting technology has major impact on those marginalized section. Presently we are focusing on the following issues in the Tank irrigation system in the upper Vaipar Basin in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu