Abstract

In India the contribution of agriculture sector to GDP has been declined though about 49 percent of Indian workforces directly engage in this sector. The great challenges to Indian agriculture in the recent decades are both institutional and technological failure. Absence of timely creditdelivery mechanism, lack of infrastructure in agriculture, constant cropping pattern, limited value addition of agricultural commodities, lack of market integration etc., are the major causes of backwardness of Indian agriculture. In such circumstances the leading educational institutions are too responsible to correct the adverse situation of agriculture by developing some relevant models of agriculture development through research and development. The University of Burdwan has been commencing some applied strategies in the field of agriculture to provide some impulsion to this sector since 1965 by establishing Crop Research and Seed Multiplication Farm (CRSMF). By keeping in view the active participation of the university towards agricultural development this paper tries to examine two objectives. Firstly, to examine the extent of agricultural diversification. Secondly, to investigate the economics of Winter Paddy cultivation in the university. The major impression of this paper that The University of Burdwan has undertaken agricultural activities in a scientific way and generates huge amount of employment opportunities directly and most of the rural destinations are assumed to be highly benefitted by CRSMF by use of HYV seeds as well as by participating different training programmes. It also contributes huge amount of revenues to the university. However, it requires some modifications in the area of extension activities, organic farming, community participation etc.