Extension Officers Were Imparted Farm Journalism Skills At PAMETI

Ludhiana, July 16, 2016: Punjab Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute (PAMETI) organized a training programme on “Farm Journalism & Documentation of Success Stories” for extension officers of State Agriculture & Allied Departments and ATMA staff from 11-15 July, 2016 at Ludhiana.

Objective of the programme was to sensitize the officers about the role of Farm Journalism in communicating agricultural technology information to farmers. Participants were made aware that Journalism is activity of gathering, assessing and presenting news and information but Farm Journalism is specific and focused. Here, the need is to treat the information and news coming from various sources in a manner which farmers can understand. Information given to farmers should not be high-flown or bombastic. It should be simple, informal and related to their felt needs and pressing demands.

Programme was focused on imparting writing skills to the trainees so that they can write news, newspaper articles, columns etc. Various experts from Dept. of Agriculture Journalism, Language & Culture and Center for Communications & International Linkages (CCIL), PAU educated trainees about different aspects related to these topics to the trainees.

Through mock session taken by Dr R K Dhaliwal, Director of Students Welfare, PAU, trainees learned about how to deliver effective TV talk. S Navdeep Singh, Program Executive, AIR FM Gold Radio Station at Ludhiana interacted with the participants during their exposure visit to the station and told them about various radio program formats & gave tips for Radio talk.

A visit to progressive beekeeper & entrepreneur S Jaswant Singh Tiwana of Tiwana Bee Farm, at Doraha, Ludhiana was also made as part of exercise to write down his success story.

Ms. Davi Davinder Kaur, Senior Sub-editor, Punjabi Tribune, Dr Satish Narula, news column writer & retired senior extension specialist (Horticulture) and S Janmeja Singh Johl, freelance Punjabi writer enlightened trainees with their rich experience in respective fields.

An exhibition-cum-sale of various books on agriculture & allied subjects by CCIL, PAU was another highlight of the programme. Extension officers appreciated this effort of PAMETI to popularize the PAU extension material & very keenly taken interest in these books.

In the valedictory session, Dr H S Dhaliwal, Director PAMETI advised trainees to improve upon their writing skills by practicing it and actively take part in farm journalism as this would help in better dissemination of agricultural knowledge to farmers. Trainees too very enthusiastically participated in the training programme & committed that they will put these learned skills to their best use.