IANS

New Delhi, Oct 6: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has bagged a World Bank project worth over Rs.10 million to train agricultural researchers to boost eco-friendly farm productivity.

IGNOU's School of Agriculture has got a research grant of Rs.1.04 crore to undertake the prestigious project on 'Innovations in Technology Mediated Learning', varsity spokesman Ravi Mohan said Tuesday.

The project will help enhance crop production and economic gains for poor farmers while minimising adverse impact on the environment. It is expected to provide crucial support to improve food security and reduce poverty.

"This collaborative approach to education offers the chance to link research and learning into a coherent framework which focuses on problems of small farmers and generate more agricultural entrepreneurs," IGNOU Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajsekharan Pillai said.

This project will be implemented in Tripura state and it is expected to cover 500 learners. IGNOU will develop three modules on Integrated Pest Management, Integrated Nutrient Management and Post-harvest Value Addition.

"The university will maintain a repository of re-usable learning objects (RLOs) at its main campus," Latha Pillai, pro-vice-chancellor of the university said.