The Department of Banking & Finance Management, College of Co-operation, Banking & Finance Management, Kerala Agricultural University, has organised “Dhanapadham,” a financial literacy programme for farmers. The programme was held at the Green Army Training Centre, Athani, Thrissur, in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Thiruvananthapuram, and the Lead Bank Office, Canara Bank, Thrissur district.

The programme was conducted as part of the Experiential Learning Programme of the final-year B.Sc. (Hons.) Co-operation & Banking students with the objective of disseminating financial literacy among farmers, particularly in the areas of digital banking, farmer-centred credit schemes, and safe financial practices.

As part of the Experiential Learning Programme, the students actively engaged with the farmers using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques to understand their financial awareness, banking practices, and credit requirements. The interactions enabled the students to gain practical insights into the financial needs and challenges faced by the farming community while facilitating knowledge exchange between the participants and experts.

A financial literacy skit presented by the Experiential Learning students was one of the highlights of the programme. Through an engaging and participatory approach, the students demonstrated safe banking practices and highlighted the importance of protecting oneself from emerging digital financial frauds.

Nearly 50 farmers from the Mundathikode panchayath participated in the programme and interacted with the experts and students. The programme served as an effective platform for strengthening financial literacy among the farming community while providing experiential learning opportunities for the students through direct field engagement.