Model Organic Garden

Kakojan College is a rural college, established in 1967 by educationists, the public, social workers and others in the greater Kakojan area, with the aim of all-round development of human resources through ‘quality education’. Being a rural college, the majority of students at the institution come from families involved in agriculture. The institution adopted “Organic Farming and Production of Organic Inputs” as a best practice for sustainable development, as part of its social obligation to develop its surrounding neighbourhood. The practice's guiding principle is that “you should grow your own food and keep good health,” since healthy individuals benefit society. The ease of obtaining raw materials required to produce organic inputs and organic insecticides/pesticides in rural regions is one of the reasons this practice was chosen — cows being the most important component of an organic farming system, and the majority of homes in the area raise them.

The institution is the only one in the Teok Assembly Constituency, Jorhat District, Assam, that offers students the chance to learn about sustainable agriculture while being a general degree college. By manufacturing and selling organic inputs, as well as exporting organic goods that have a high market value, students can make money through organic farming.

Objectives

• To promote sustainable agriculture for the well-being of society.
• To raise awareness of the health risks posed by synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals.
• To encourage students towards entrepreneurship development through organic farming.
• To uplift the economic condition of the people of the area.

Achievements Towards These Objectives

• Establishment of an “Organic Model Garden and Input Production Unit” in its extended area (Sector-B), with initial support from Fertile Ground (NGO), Canada; Rotary International, Canada; and NEADS, a local NGO.
• A career-oriented, agro-based short-term add-on course on organic farming was started from the 2017–2018 session, inaugurated by the Hon'ble Agriculture Minister of the State, Sri Atul Borah — the course has run successfully ever since.
• To raise awareness, workshops were held in nearby villages on the production of organic inputs and organic crop management, with active student participation in organizing them.