Bengaluru: To understand — and appreciate — that ‘India lives in its villages’ as the Mahatma declared, Karnataka govt is sending 2.1 lakh students from 931 urban schools and pre-university institutions to villages this academic year to experience rural life, agriculture and the realities of farming.The destination of the next school trip may not be a museum, science centre or amusement park. Rather, it’ll be villages, the soul of India. Or, Bharat. Under ‘Gramanubhava’ (Rural Experience), students will spend one night and two days in rural areas between Sept and Dec 2026, swapping classroom lessons for fields, farms and interactions with farming families.Approved through a govt order on Sept 7 as part of the state cabinet’s ‘First 100 Days’ agenda, the Rs 13-crore programme aims to narrow the urban-rural divide by making the countryside a classroom.Students will spend 6-8 hours in structured interaction with farmers. Depending on the location, they will get hands-on exposure to agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and farm practices, apart from learning about composting, organic waste management, seed selection, soil health, water conservation and farm equipment. The experience will extend beyond the farm gate. Students will visit farmer producer organisations, self-help groups and demonstration units to understand what happens after crops leave the field — including sorting, packaging, processing and marketing.Besides, students will explore local art, traditional crafts, heritage and indigenous knowledge systems, while maintaining journals and worksheets recording what they see and learn.Villages less than 50km from schoolGovt has fixed Rs 25,000 for a batch of 50 students and five accompanying teachers for the farm trip. Of this, Rs 16,000 will go towards transport, Rs 5,000 towards food and refreshments, Rs 2,000 as an honorarium or memento for the host farmer, and Rs 2,000 towards contingencies.Students will travel in state transport vehicles. Farms and learning centres will have to be inspected and certified as safe by officials from the agriculture and school education departments before students are taken there. To keep travel manageable, learning centres have been advised to be located within 50km from schools. Parental consent is mandatory. School heads and accompanying teachers will be responsible for student safety throughout the visit.Students to present project workBetween Jan and Feb 2027, students will turn observations into projects, preparing models, developing school nutrition gardens and organising presentations and exhibitions based on their experiences.Likely takeaways* Dialogue with farmers to study crop selection, seasonal management, food production, rural livelihoods & systemic challenges* Field observation of agriculture, horticulture, dairy farming, sericulture, poultry farming, agro-forestry & related rural allied enterprises* Exposure to soil health testing, composting, organic manure preparation, seed selection, water harvesting, nutrition/kitchen gardens, modern farming machinery & sustainable agriculture* Understanding the agribusiness value chain, including post-harvest storage, grading, processing, packaging, FPO logistics & primary/secondary market distribution channels* Mandatory entry of daily learning, observations, and individual reflections in worksheets and field-learning diaries during the residency
