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Transcript

Hello friends, I am sure you are enjoying the discussions in this course on ‘Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension’. We have completed 4 weeks of this course and moving ahead with the 5th week, wherein we’ll be discussing about some of the innovations in extension efforts and one of the rural development program. So in the first class of this 5th week we will be discussing about the Integrated Rural Development Program, which was one of the most ambitious program of the Government of India. Along with that we will be discussing about NAEP as well as SFAC. NAEP stands for National Agricultural Extension Program, which is meant for the inclusion of the improvements and bringing efficiency in agricultural extension programs, after evaluation of the ‘Training and Visit System’, which we discussed in our one of the previous class. And the Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium is providing the best possible prices for the agricultural commodities. The produce developed by the farmer.

So with this brief introduction now we’ll move on to the program on integrated rural development. Program IRDP which is one of the most ambitious program of Government of India launched in the year 1979-80. It is a centrally sponsored scheme. The fund share between the Center and the State is 50:50% basis. The objective of this program was to enable the selected families in rural areas to cross the poverty line. It is with this program the concept of the poverty line has been demarcated. And the people were identified as the people living below poverty line and above poverty line. Those poor people who are coming under below poverty line, specially the small and marginal farmers, so were target groups of this program. We were discussing about SFDA and MFAL. So under SFDA we said that this program was merged with the Integrated Rural Development Program in the year 1980. This was the program including that SFAC components. It was developed as the Integrated Rural Development Program.

So the implementing agency of this Integrated Rural Development Program at the district level was the District Rural Development Agency, which is popularly known as DRDA. DRDA being an implementing agency, even after good number of modifications, after completion of this IRDP, the implementing agency still remains at district headquarters, which is becoming the nodal center for implementation of good number of developmental initiatives even today. In premises of the District Magistrate’s office or the District Collector’s office we find an office of DRDA, which is taking care of the developmental initiatives or the rural development programs of maybe the State Government or the Central Government. There are 2 components of this IRDP. The first component is TRYSEM, popularly known as TRYSEM. Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment. So this was the opportunity that was provided for the youth to get training program for development of their skills, in whatever the areas they are in desirous of. So once they get the training under this TRYSEM activities, so they will also get the financial support with the financial institutions. And ultimately they will be coming out with their own business enterprise. It may be establishment of a small shop or any repair shop or development of any products or goods or services. All these were the areas wherein good number of issues associated with agriculture were also covered under the TRYSEM. But it solely depends on the interest of the stakeholders. So what he demands, accordingly the training was given to them and accordingly the enterprise or the units were established with the financial support of the financial institutions.

So after implementation of this IRDP. After lapse of around 3 to 4 years, it was felt that participation of women in developmental activities was very very less. To take care of that women’s participation in the rural development activities, the program of DWCRA was launched which is popularly known as Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas. It is not that the women were not supported under TRYSEM or IRDP, they were eligible but due to the social obligations, or may be the inhibitions that generally the Indian women have. So they did not participate with any of these reasons. But an exclusive opportunity was provided to those left out women, so that they can be part of the developmental initiative also. Looking into the Indian social system, the concept that was developed under DWCRA was. It is not the individual woman who is eligible for getting the training or the financial support, but they should form a group. So that sounds something interesting for the women, so that they can form their own group, homogenous group, and they can get the training, and they can be start with their own venture or an enterprise, what they wanted to in group. So that was the prerequisite of getting the financial support under DWCRA program. So even today when we go to the villages, we find the groups that were formed under this DWCRA program. And still they remember, it is because of the programs like DWCRA, the women came out of their households and they started the income generation activities and they started contributing for economic development of their family as well as their village.

This Integrated Rural Development Program was merged with Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana in the year 1999. And it was restructured in the year 2010-11 as the National Rural Livelihood Mission. So this is the fate of most of the developmental initiatives that were launched by the State or the Central Government. So after lapse of certain amount of time. After getting some positive results. So with all the lacuna or positive aspects whatever it is. So the programs are relaunched with some different names and with some different objectives. Because the situation has already changed after implementation of the program. In program planning cycle we said that we start with the collection of the facts, understanding the situation and we come up to evaluation. And after evaluation the important step that we need to recall, looking into this particular program at this juncture is. After evaluation there is a step known as reconsideration. That reconsideration step is nothing but relaunching the program with another set of objectives because we have already achieved the desired thing, but the new situation that emerged out of the implementation of the program is requiring some more developments, some more improvements and some more modifications. That is what is the issue that is covered under reconsideration and the program is being launched in a new way.

Then coming to another important program known as the National Agricultural Extension Project launched in the year 1984. Basically this program was launched to strengthen the reorganized agricultural extension system. Introduced in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. So we have already discussed about the Training and Visit System. Initially the program was launched in the Rajasthan and later extended to various other States. And the lacunas that were identified as part of the evaluation of the Training and Visit System were implemented as a part of National Agricultural Extension Project, wherein the reorganization and strengthening of the Central Government’s extension division and Directorate of Extension. In order to increase the State’s ability to support more effectively. And State agricultural extension programs and perform more effectively, their coordinating and policy guidance role throughout the country with the help of the respective State Governments. So that was the basic idea behind restructuring of this program.

Basically NAEP provides the fund to assist the financing of the other the projects for extension reforms, then the special studies and special sub projects and the provision, monitoring and evaluation of the said activities were taken up under NAEP. So that whatever the reorganized extension programs or the extension initiatives that we are taking up after evaluation of Training and Visit System, so that were provided with the funds under NAEP project. With this let us move on to the SmallFarmers Agri-Business Consortium. So which was launched in the year 1994. It is working with the mission on linking the small farmers to technology as well as to markets in association with the private, corporate or cooperative sector. And if necessary by providing backward as well as forward linkages. Basically since 1994 till date, this institution is working for the benefit of small farmer and they are providing them the technologies that are needed. It is not only that one. The outputs of that technological input process is yielding with some products as well as services. The SFAC is also providing them the mechanism of marketing for the benefit of farmers.

To give you one latest example they are forming the farmer producer companies, with a modification of the Companies Act of Government of India, wherein the farmer can directly trade their produce, that is the agricultural produce at national as well as international levels by formulating the producer company. So earlier this kind of provision was not there with the farmer. Because the farmer was not having any legal support, plus and the produce of farmer was taken away by the middlemen and they used to trade it at the national as well as international levels. But the similar opportunities are given to the farmer with the modification of the Companies Act in 2005. So now the institution like SFAC are promoting the farmer’s associations as well as the farmer’s organizations, in the form of registering themselves as the producer companies, so that they can trade, they can market their produce at national and international markets.

The objectives of this SFAC include. To catalyze the agro-industrial growth in the country based on the principles of ecological sustainability, economic efficiency and social equity. The second objective was to identify and promote the post-harvest processing, manufacturing units in public, private and cooperative sector. So this is what I was referring to. As far as the cooperative sector is considered, farmers themselves are coming together and forming their own company. And they are going for the production, processing as well as the marketing activities. To promote the organization of marketing chain, both for domestic and export marketing, good number of farmer producer companies are coming up in different States with different products. And the entire benefit of that marketing process, the farmers themselves are getting through the adopting this cooperative approaches.

To pave the way for establishment of integrated producers organization with forward as well as backward linkages. As far as the forward linkages are concerned, they are having linkages with the national as well as international trading agencies, the marketing agencies, and as well as they are organizing themselves by organizing the farmers and having their own companies. Then to prepare, print and publish the papers, periodicals, monographs in furtherance of the objectives of the society. So that is part of the SmallFarmers Agri-Business Consortium, so that they are popularizing their ideas, as well as they are attracting farmers to be part of this development initiatives. The Society is pioneer in organizing the small and marginal farmers as farmer interest groups, then farmer producers organization and farmer producers company for endowing them with bargaining power and economies of scale. This is what I tried to share with you regarding the concept of producer companies. And this is what is being taken up by SFAC also.

Then coming to the some latest developments of this SFAC include. Through venture capital assistance about 5000 crore rupees have been invested in 1,347 projects of initiatives of the farmers. 694 farmer producer organizations have been formed by SFAC which are actively engaged in the process of trading. Then price stabilization fund established recently by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Union Government. So that mechanism is also routed through the Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium. And in Delhi they have established the Kisan Mandi for facilitation of the marketing of the produce of the farmers. And the most popular program of the Government of India(Ministry of Agriculture) is ENAM or ENational Agricultural Market, wherein the farmer can directly sell his produce to avoid the concepts like distress sale. The SFAC is doing a commendable job even today.

To conclude we can say that welfare State role is to create the opportunities, which are being done by the established governments. And considerable section of the society is still below poverty line. And the initiatives like these help them to cross the poverty line provided, they take initiative. The number of opportunities created by the government are enormous, but it depends on the individual also to take part in that. So that he can change his identity. And that is what is the role of an individual and the government is also playing its role. Then exploiting opportunities leads to change in socio economic conditions. So this is what is possible, only when you take active part in these initiatives.

With this we are coming to the end of today’s discussion, wherein we discussed about the Integrated Rural Development Program, then Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium and National Agricultural Extension Project. So in next class we will be discussing about some of the women development programs including the ICDS(Integrated Child Development Scheme), Rashtriya Mahila Kosh and Mahila Samriddhi Yojana.

Thank You.