• Positioning the dedicated manpower for extension supported by the Government of India to the extent of 90%for about 21000 posts under the modified ATMA Scheme 2010. Firm backward and forward linkages
with the other staff in agriculture and allied departments through institution of Block technology team under AtMA.
• Supplementing the Extension workforce by augmenting the progress under Agri Clinics and Agri Business Centres (ACABC) Scheme and the Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) (being implemented by MANAGE)
• Filling of the vacant posts in agriculture and allied areas by States and earmarking at least 30 % manpower exclusively for extension apart from converging the extension functionaries under different schemes of the GoI viz. NFSM, NHM, INSIMP,CRoPSAP, NAIS etc. at district and block level with the manpower under AtMA for integrated extension delivery.
• Providing a display board in each village indicating the name of the extension worker assigned to the Panchayat and his/her contact number apart from details of main schemes (including their major components, eligibility, subsidy pattern etc.) applicable in that area.
• Close monitoring of farmer-oriented activities like training & Exposure Visits (outside and within the State), Farm Schools, Demonstrations (agriculture and allied sectors), Mobilization & Capacity Building of Farmers’ Interest Groups, Commodity Interest Groups etc., Extension Activities like KisanMela, Exhibitions, Field Days and Farmers-Scientists Interactions, skill training of rural youth etc.
• Bringing in Convergence between Research and Extension system strictly in keeping with joint initiatives of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) and the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).
• Greater involvement of Farmers’ Advisory Committeesin from Block to State level in keeping with AtMA Guidelines. Moving to the regime of group based extension.
70 State of Indian Agriculture
Extension Strategy
3.126 Apart from making efforts to ensure optimal strength of extension workers to have deep penetration and direct reach to the farmers, it would be appropriate to advert to the overall extension strategy. We need to adopt a multi-prolonged approach as given below:
5 Tiered Mass Media Campaign i) tV/Radio
ii) Newspaper
iii) Pamphlets/Leaflets
iv) SMS/inward voice calls in Kisan Call Centres
v) Internet & Common Service Centres (fifth tier).
• Apart from augmenting the use of Mass Media in extension delivery through conventional resources of print and electronic media, providing support of innovative electronic resources viz. LCD or Pico Projectors (with laptop) at Block in the country for projection of short low cost short films focussed on specific themes.
• Bringing out low cost publications for the farmers in a farmer friendly manner preferably in local language and making them available up to village level.
Path-breaking methods such as Kala Jathas, Extension Buses etc.,already tried successfully, to deliver the message effectively and informally in an interactive manner.
Innovative and Pervasive Use of ICT:
• Reaching out to the farmers, possibly through customised ICt services viz.
SMS, IVRS and Voice Recognitiontailor made to the needs of a Commodity Interest Group or specific agro-climatic area. Dissemination of information has been firmly established in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh and tamil Nadu.
• Promoting the use of hand-held devices for on the spot data entry and its subsequent updation through innovative technologies like voice recognition for farm level planning and farmer empowerment. this experiment has been successfully tried in 6 districts of tamil Nadu.
• Strengthening the Kisan Call Centres (KCC) Scheme with more number of agents to receive and answer farmers’
calls and integration of innovative technologies and better management for ensuring quality of services.
• Integrated web-portal for farmers has been prepared.
• Promoting Community Radio Stations (CRS) in a big way to expand the reach of localised technologies to the farmers located within a radius of 20 to 50 Kilometres.
• National e-Governance Plan Agriculture is being implemented in Phase-1 in 7 seven States.
Induction Training & Refresher Courses for Extension Workers And Deployment of Domain Experts:
• Providing training and capacity building to extension workers at induction level and during service at periodic intervals as per technological developments and emerging needs of the farmers.
• Mainstreaming the alternative domain experts viz. retired scientists, department officials, agribusiness experts who have actually proved their specialization and acceptability to the farmers in a particular crop/enterprise. Institutionalising a system of Certified Crop Advisors who can evolve as Domain Experts.
• Ensuring proper mobility of the scientists along with extension workers for field visits for programme monitoring or extension activities.
Farm Inputs and Management 71 Public Private Partnership
Strengthening the two modes of public-private partnership promoted through the existing Schemes on ACABC & DAESI as outlined in the para 4.1 above. the provision of 10% of the expenditure of activities to be done only through the non-Governmental sector as per Modified ATMA Guidelines needs to be operationalized by all the States for harnessing the capacity available with private sector.
3.127 Some other measures which can strengthen the public extension services include the following:
• All the institutions involved in extension activities should better target their beneficiaries; characterize the requirements of each beneficiary group; and customize their extension services, so that they become total solution providers to target groups.
• Extension activities to emphasize sustainable natural resource management including indigenous knowledge systems.
• Documentation, rationalization and institutionalization and popularization of contemporary farmer innovations.
• Promote CIGs/SHGs in order to fill gaps in
extension services at the village level and to further federate the ongoing CIGs/SHGs.
• The time-lag between technology generation and dissemination needs to be minimized by devising suitable mechanism.
• Strengthen media and e-resources through publications such as newsletters, books, manuals, leaflets, brochures, technology hand outs, etc.; media coverage of extension programmes; development of cyber extension platforms and extension portal;
content development cyber extension, production of AV and interactive aids, etc.
• Strengthening market intelligence, EDP and consultation through EDP packages, project report preparations and consultancies, industry and enterprise relations and partnership, establishing local market network on prices, establishing value chain demonstration units, etc.
• Strengthening continuing education programmes through open and distance learning for farmers and entrepreneurs with online courses, conducting certificate courses for farmers, entrepreneurs input dealers, extension agencies, etc.
4.1 With about 2.5% of global land resources, 4%
of water resources and 17% of global population living in India, achieving food security by increasing agricultural production has to be at the core of India’s agricultural development strategy.
Situation assumes greater significance with the increasing population and growing economic prosperity. the government has launched a number of programmes for increasing production of agricultural commodities. Many new initiatives have been taken to widen the food basket keeping in view the demand and nutritional requirements of the population. Higher attention to Eastern Region, millets, pulses and fodder crops, national mission on protein supplement, setting up of Peri urban vegetable production clusters are some of these initiatives taken up for implementation during the year.
CHAPtER 4