
Dr.
K.T.Chandy was born on 8th February 1946 in Kerala, India.
He completed SSLC from St. Ephrem's High School, Mannanam,
Kottayam District. In 1993 he joined Society of Jesus in Malaparamba,
Calicut district.
He completed B.Sc. Hon. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from
G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar,
Nainital Dist., U.P. with Ist division.
In 1982 he has completed M.Sc. Agronomy from G.B. Pant University
of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Nainital Dist., U.P
with lst division. He has submitted one thesis to the University
on - Water Management in Summer Fodder Cowpea - based on field
level experiments, data collection and statistical analysis.
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K.T. Chandy)
In 2003, he has completed PhD from Allahabad Agricultural
Institute- Deemed University, Allahabad. Thesis submitted
on - Income, Saving and Investment of the Tribal Households
in Madhya Pradesh. -, acclaimed as Best Thesis of the University.
He has been awared the
Best Citizens of India Award
in 1999 with citation "
For his creative and exceptional
contribution to the field of Popular Agricultural Training
and Extension, as an Agricultural Scientist, Agricultural
and Environmental Educationist besides being a Social Worker,
ultimately helping the poor farmers."
American Biographical Institute, USA has acknowledged his
work by giving him a Gold Medal Inscribed "2000 Millennium
Medal of Honour, Fr. K.T.Chandy S.J.".
Many countries has appreciated his work by giving him citations
and awards.
His Vision
Since 1968, I am interested in Agricultural Education for
the benefit of the rural poor farming classes in India. Agricultural
Education basically is an extension programme providing training,
consultation and distance learning on various topics in environment,
agriculture, animal husbandry, natural resource management
and product value addition. A total of more than 800 topics
have been identified from the farmers and from people who
work among them. All these topics can be grouped under the
main subject ENVIRONMENT and hence I took at every human activity
from the environmental point of view.
The impetus for this Environmental programme come first of
all from the critical understanding of socio-economic and
political situation of the rural poor farming classes. The
rural poor farming classes consists of tribal, scheduled castes,
dalits, small and marginal farmers, agricultural laborers
and the women folk of these classes. Socially and economically
they are in worst conditions in the society and are the victims
of various kinds of social injustices. Secondly the massive
environmental destruction that is happening progressively
in the use of the land and other natural resources. Social
injustices in the rural areas have an intimate linkage with
the present situation of the environmental and agricultural
sector precisely because of the following reasons.
1. Man's basic requirements for his existence and development
are derived from agriculture and his environment.
2.Vast majority of the rural families are directly depending
on agriculture and their immediate environment: especially
the women folk who are doing most of the works related to
agriculture and animal rearing.
3.Vast majority of the school children drop out from the schools
by the time they reach the 10th standard and turn to agriculture
and allied activities for their subsistence. In this process
irreparable damage is being done to the environment. Hence
it is very important to provide them with education in agriculture
and allied subjects from the point of view of the sustainability
of environment.
5.India has very high potential for agricultural production;
yet the productivity of most of the crops and animals still
remain very low (one of the lowest in the world) and,the families
involved in farming are ignorant of the improved scientific
and technical know-how and are struggling to make a living.
Their struggle on the land and the low productivity are intimately
related to the environment and the ecosystem in which we live
and move. We need to conduct agricultural education programmes
for these people at the grass root level in order to improve
the productivity of the crops and animals and at the same
time maintain the sustainability of the environment.
Through a comprehensive environmental and agricultural education
programme I am promoting a Popular Environmental Agricultural
Community Education to Mobilize and Organize to Develop Environmental
Living Systems (
PEACE MDDELS) so
that people learn to live in Peaceful Coexistence with Nature.
Finally I hope to promote the idea of natural resource management
including Sustainable Production, Processing and Marketing
(PPM) by the local people by combining the principles and
practices of Environmentally Sound Watershed Management and
Panchayati Raj System managed by the people.