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Transcript

Hello friends. In our last class we were discussing about the community development program. I hope you are observing the difference between the pre and post-independence programs by now. As I said in our previous discussions also. The pre-independence extension programs were of individual initiative. There was lack of financial support from the established governments. And their area of coverage was very limited. Because of lack of financial support and they could not expand their projects over a period of time. But the programs supported by the Government of India, even though started on a pilot basis. But it has a wider coverage area. There is no such issue of financial support by the government. And till the community development project we were emphasizing on the rural development as a whole, wherein we had invariably the component of agriculture from the point of view of development.

The set of programs we are going to discuss henceforth are totally dominated by the agricultural technologies and we can say that these are the programs, exclusive agricultural development programs. The first program that we are going to discuss under this exclusive agricultural development program is the ‘Intensive Agriculture District Program’. The objective of the Intensive Agriculture Development Program which was implemented in the year 1960, to demonstrate the feasibility of increased agricultural production by concentrating on all factors of production at the same time in an integrated action program in selected areas. So there are certain things to be observed as a student of agriculture. The first one is to demonstrate the feasibility of production potentiality of a technology. In the research station may be the technology is working very well. But whether it is going to perform the same in the fields of the farmers also, so that is what is the question mark that this particular program is going to address.

And in the second part of the objective that you can observe, by arranging all factors of production, means you are going to ensure the supply of the inputs in time and making all available arrangements, so that we can give them the appropriate information. Yes if these factors are taken care of, this is going to be the yield potential that you are going to enjoy. So that is what the scientists wanted to demonstrate to the farmers, so that there will be change in the agricultural production; enhanced agricultural production. And for which they developed an integrated action plan, which we are going to discuss as IADP, because we are providing them all possible inputs it is also popularly known as the package program.

Now coming to the features of this program. How this program is different from the other programs. Preparation of individual as well as the village production plan. Actually the farmers should prepare their individual production plan. Whatever the unit of land that you might be having. How you are going to cultivation of crops in that field that farmer was asked to prepare. Is it that in the entire piece of land you are going one crop. Or you are going to divide certain amount of space for each and every crop. You decide the crop plan. And the when individual farm plans are combined with automatically, the village farm plan is developed, so that it helps in identifying the resource requirement before beginning of the season. How much area is going to be under what crop? And what are the different resources. May it be a seed, fertilizer, plant protection chemical, the implements required for taking up that particular crop. So we are assessed in advance, so that the agencies, the government agencies were making efforts to provide them to the farmers. So that was the first point, then adequate and timely supply of credit inputs based on the production plan. Farmers may or may not be having the sufficient financial support to take up the plan that is being suggested by the external agency or an extension agency. So if the farmer is lacking the financial resource, that arrangement was also made because that is another important input in case of agricultural production. And that was also taken care of.

Then organizing cooperatives and marketing societies. Again the concept of group, formation of the group comes into the picture. Without which we cannot achieve much success in agriculture and allied sciences, specially in Indian context. Then strengthening the transport which is part of the infrastructure development. And analysis and evaluation of the program. It is part of each and every program. Then when we look into the analysis of this particular program after its implementation, all the things that were suggested by the institutions and as it was set in the objectives. The program was implemented but at the analysis of the program we could identify that there was lack of educational approach and emphasis on the target, because the government machinery was involved in dissemination of this particular project, implementation of this particular project, wherein so they were given the target of 100 farmers, 10 villages, 50 farmers, 50 villages. So they were more busy with achieving the target rather than educating the people. What is that education that we are emphasizing on? So the objective is itself said that ki preparation of the farm plan, making use of the resources in an efficient manner. May it be seed, how it can be used. Then the plant protection chemical, the fertilizer and various other inputs how the efficient use of these things can be made and should be made. So that is where the education was essential and even today we are having good number of problems associated with agriculture due to lack of educative approach. We say that the pesticides and insecticides are being used indiscriminately. And because of that good number of health related issues are cropping up in today’s world.

The reason behind that is, farmer is not having appropriate education on how to makeefficient and the best use of the plant protection chemical. He wants to control the insect or a disease in his crop, and that is why he is going for that. If we say that 10ml per 10 liters of water. So he thinks that if I go for 15ml the insects will die very easily, because he is increasing the dose. This what is the layman’s practice. But that is where the role of extension agencies comes into the picture. If you go for the higher dose, what are the problems that you are going to face. The same thing happens with the fertilizer. The same thing happens with various other plant protection chemicals. And because of that the problems are cropping up. That is what is the meaning of educational approach, adoption of educational approach.

The second problem that was encountered as a part of IADP was the stereotyped farm production plans. So there was no modification over a period of time. This season 1,2,3 crops were grown. Next season 1,2,3 crops were grown. Next year the same thing was repeated because without that plan he was not able to get the inputs, he was not able to get the financial support. All these things, so that is why they wanted some document and the same thing was photocopied and supplied over a period of time. And ultimately the loser was the farmer, because he did not learn how to make the efficient use of this particular concept. Cultivators were not using the plant protection chemicals, fertilizers on their own. Because the things were supplied as a part of the program. As long as it was given free, it was used. And the moment the government stopped supplying these inputs free of cost, they stopped using these also.

This going to lead to deleterious effects on production aspects. So ultimately all these aspects are having their roots in the lack of the educational approach in extension activities. In extension activities if we run behind the target, definitely these are some of the accidents we are going to encounter. And even today when we take up the extension activities we need to keep these things in the mind. Let us educate the farmer in its real sense, so that he becomes empowered to take the decision, whether I should go for use of plant protection chemicals or not. If at all I am using, what is the ways and means and all these things are taught. And these are some of the negative things that we have observed. Then little participation by the women. And because of that we have exclusive set of programs exclusively for the benefit of women. That we will be coming to them later. Why we need the participation of women in extension programs. Because more than 50% of activities, agricultural operations are being carried out by the women even today. And if you go to the animal husbandry sector, it goes up to 70-80% of the operations related to animal husbandry are being carried out by the women. They need appropriate education, they need appropriate training, so that they can be working more efficiently for implementation of this program. That is another outcome of the analysis of the program.

Then allied enterprises were not given much attention. Because in Indian context crop husbandry cannot be and should not be taken in isolation as it happens in most of the developed nations. Because in addition to the crop husbandry, we have animal husbandry, we have some backyard poultry, we have some allied enterprises associated with agriculture. All these things are in symbiotic relationship with each other, and that need to be taken into an integrated action plan, which was lacuna of Integrated Agriculture District Program. So looking into the negative aspects as well as the positive aspects. We discussed as a part of analysis as only the negative aspect, because these were taken care of. But there were good number of positive aspects in terms of increase in yield and in terms of participation of the people. Looking into that to cover more and more area the Intensive Agriculture Area Program was launched, so that more people can be accommodated in this particular program and area can be extended to the different parts of the country. This what I was telling with all the shortcomings, there were so many positive aspects from the farmer’s point of view. So that is how they wanted to enhance the area.

So in the year 1964 the program was extended to different parts of the country under the broader heading of Intensive Agriculture Area Program. And more and more number of farmers were brought under the network of this particular program. And we can see the changes in the yield levels of the farmers. As the outcome of, the analysis of the Intensive Agriculture District Program said that allied enterprises were not given due attention. So to take care of that in the year 1964, Intensive Cattle Development Program was launched. And before that so the first animal census that happened in our country was the key village scheme wherein the first ever animal census was taken up. But after that nothing was done for development of the animal husbandry sector, and under the ICDP program the animal husbandry development activities were taken up. Both the enterprises agriculture and animal husbandry go hand in hand in symbiotic relationship as I have said. The objective of this ICDP was to provide the package of practices to the cattle owners to increase the milk production. This was the objective said and the package included the cattle breeding aspects, wherein the concept of the artificial insemination was brought in. And the cross breeding programs were launched. So that we can have the best possible animal breeds in the country for enhanced milk production.

And the cattle nutrition. To provide the best possible nutrition to the cattle. Because when we look into the cost of cultivation of per liter of milk. About 70% of the cost goes towards the animal nutrition. So that’s what is the importance of cattle nutrition. And that can be a critical factor in enhancing the milk production. The third and important thing was the healthcare practices. So that package of practice that was provided included the healthcare practices, appointment of the doctors as well as the paramedical staff to take up the healthcare aspects and the dairy extension was also part of the package to provide them appropriate information whenever it is needed. And to provide various other subsidies and government programs, so that they can increase the milk yield.

With this brief background, now coming to one of the another important program, which is known as the high yielding variety program or popularly we can say that this was the juncture at which the green revolution became a reality. The green revolution did not happen in one year and before that what the programs that what we have seen. Various other programs which were having agriculture as the important component and the exclusive agriculture development programs like IADP and IAAP, so contributed for achieving the high yielding variety program wherein in this particular program the exclusive characteristic of the technologies that were introduced as a part of the High Yielding Variety Program included the high yielding varieties were launched. It means compared to the local or the traditional varieties, what the farmers were cultivating, these varieties were giving them the additional yields. So because they were of short duration, means the traditional varieties may take around 100-110 days, but this is going to take up 90-95 days or 98 days so that you are saving at least 10 days, 20 days, 15 days, that depends on the crop and depends on the variety and that depends on the locality where we are cultivating. So that is how so that yielded to the yield.

Then the most important characteristic of the varieties that were introduced as a part of high yielding variety program included the shorter height. The shorter height means the lesser vegetative growth. That vegetative growth was translated into the reproductive growth and there was more and more of yield so that farmer realized. Then the varieties introduced were fertilizer responsive. The traditional varieties may or may not but the high yielding varieties obviously responded to the fertilizer, and because of that there was increase in yield. Because of that there was increase in yield. So and we said that green revolution that happened in the country because of the introduction of these varieties and the various developmental programs that were taken up.

Then now coming to the conclusion, we can say that with the participation of the farmers, researchers and extension workers the green revolution became a reality and the people who became aware of the outcomes of the programs started adopting the new varieties followed by the package of practices as suggested by the extension professionals. Means at least a section of the society was educated for taking up these activities. And this effort became the base for understanding the research- extension farmer dynamics, wherein it was learning for the extension professionals as well as the researchers as well as the farmers. So that when these three units are going to come together, we can see the total change in the system. That is what was envisaged under these programs.

Thank You.