The students exhibited what they had learned during their studies at the DBCA, illustrating to the participants the various parasites that affected the main crops of the State of Goa, such as coconut, mango, sugar cane and cucurbita. They explained how to manage pests and how to recognize the symptoms of the diseases they cause to plants. The DBCA students also presented sericulture, or silkworm breeding on mulberry leaves, and beekeeping, which is a profitable commercial option. They then explained the advantages of vermicomposting, low cost biotechnology that uses earthworms and that is easily replicable and affordable for everyone.
Subsequently, the high school students were involved in an interactive workshop and were invited to collect and identify plants and insects. Later, the students participated in a competition, which consisted of creating posters to illustrate indigenous technological knowledge. This helped them to learn about and recognize the old but effective knowledge implemented by their ancestors.
Assistant professor Rajan Shelke gave a lecture, again focusing on how to recognize the symptoms of diseases transmitted by parasites. Furthermore, during the exhibition, they discussed fertilizers and insecticides, so that local farmers could learn to use them responsibly. The DBCA students, in fact, were happy to make their knowledge and experience available to solve and advise farmers on the agricultural problems they face.
The DBCA offers students a targeted educational path in the agricultural sector, which will facilitate their entry into the labour market. Their motto is in fact the Latin phrase "Labor omnia vincit", which means "hard work wins everything". The phrase is taken from a poem by the Roman poet Virgil, who composed it to support and promote Caesar's campaign "Back to earth", aimed at encouraging the Romans to undertake agriculture.
Thanks to its innovative programs and high quality teaching, the DBCA has been evaluated as "the best agricultural university" by the Indian Agricultural Research Council (ICAR), of the Ministry of Agriculture.
