24

Transcript

Hello friends, in our previous class we discussed about 3 important women development programs. In today’s class we will be discussing about the first line extension activities of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. While discussing the levels of extension, I mentioned about 2 levels. The first level of extension was center extension or extension education activities, and the other was the extension service or the field extension activities. The four different programs which were launched as the first line extension activities of Indian Council of Agricultural Research are coming under the first level of extension or that is, the center level of extension or the extension education activities. The first one under the list is the All India Coordinated Project on National Demonstration. Second one is Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Then the Operational Research Project. And the last one is Lab to Land Program. So these are the 4 programs that we will be discussing in today’s class.

Coming to the All India Coordinated Project on National Demonstrations which was launched in 1964. The basic premise that the scientist who has developed the technology should demonstrate it for the beneficiaries. So this was the simple logic provided behind the All India Coordinated Project on National Demonstration. The national demonstration project was different from other demonstrations, in the sense, the farmer in whose field the demonstration is being conducted should be an actual cultivator with small land holding. It means the entire focus is on the small farmer. And the area of demonstration is should not be less than 1 hectare. Because the all the recommendations of the research institutions and the State Agricultural Universities are having the unit of 1 hectare. The seed rate per hectare, the plant protection chemical rate per hectare, the fertilizer per hectare. All the recommendations are per hectare. So that is why it was fixed here that you should demonstrate your technology in an area not less than one hectare of land. The scientist should have the direct interaction with the farmer. So this is another deviation from the other demonstrations that we are going to conduct under national demonstrations.

The scientist who has developed the technology, or the scientist who is responsible for dissemination of the technology is in direct interaction with the actual cultivator in his own field. In the field of the farmer he is demonstrating the technology for the benefit of the masses or the public. And before beginning of this demonstration, he is going to declare his yield target per hectare. Because to convince the farmer about his technology, the scientist is going to declare his yield levels. Whatever the technology that he has developed, may be in different crops or the crop variety or whatever it is. He will be declaring that this is the minimum we are going to get. Maybe something beyond that. So these are some of the deviations from the normal demonstrations.

Then coming to the second program that is known as the Operational Research Project, which was launched in the year 1974-75. So it was implemented with the collaboration of the State Agricultural Universities. The specific objectives of the National Demonstration include. To demonstrate the new agricultural technology on the fields of the farmers in a village, on a cluster or on watershed basis. Basically the entire project of Operational Research Project was based on disseminating the technology on watershed basis. When we talk of this watershed, watershed is area delineated with equal heights and having the common slope. And it has specific inlet as well as the specific outlet of collected water, specially in the rainy season, and it has specific drainage points. Identifying these drainage points and making necessary arrangements for preventing the soil erosion, the water erosion and in situ soil conservation, as well as water conservation and so that the conserved water is utilized for the purpose of agriculture. When we talk of this particular activity, it is not exactly, it cannot be taken up in field of one farmer. We need the involvement of the entire village. And in some casesit may be the cluster of village. So that is why we are interested in implementing this program on a cluster basis.

Second objective was to determine the profitability of the technology and their pace of spread among the farming community. Because we are talking of the group action here. The moment the entire community of the farmer, the entire village comes together, automatically its area of coverage is going to be much more higher. That is what was the objective of Operational Research Project. The third objective was to identify the constraints, both technological as well as socio-economic, which are barriers for rapid change. And if it is really an impediment, so then it can be taken care of maybe in a technological way. So that was another objective with which that this program was launched. To demonstrate the group action as a method of popularizing the modern technology. That is what is the basic function of extension. To take the message of the technologies and the development information, for towards maximum possible population in the society. And that is how with this objective the program was launched.

In the year 1974 the concept of Krishi Vigyan Kendra came into existence. In english it is known as the Farm Science Center. According to the high power committee on the management of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, which was which gave its report in the year 2014. And that committee was headed by Dr R.S Paroda, who is the former Director General and Secretary DARE, Director General of ICAR, and Secretary DARE. He said that KVK is the science, the vision of KVK is science and technology led growth leading to the enhanced productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture. It means looking into the vision that is provided for KVK’s.(7:05)It seems that the KVK’s are overloaded with heavy vision, so that we can visualize the holistic growth in average district with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra. The mandate of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra include the on farm testing of the technologies. Basically a technology which is developed in a research institution. May it be an ICAR research institution or the State Agricultural University. In the initial level that technology is tried in that particular institution. And in the later stages it is sent to various Krishi Vigyan Kendras for on farm testing. To look into the performance of the technology. How it is behaving in different agro-climatic situations, and in different soil conditions and in different parts of the country.

The steps of on farm testing include. Site characterization, the problem statement, planning and experimentation, result and discussion, follow up action, feedback and conclusion. And ending with the salient recommendations. Once the technology passes through these things, then only it is ready for release to for the benefit of common man. The second mandate of Krishi Vigyan Kendra is on farm trial. Is another practice of Krishi Vigyan Kendra wherein the relationship of if and then are verified. If the technology is performing here, then what are the other alternatives. So this is how the logic goes on and it is the process of technology development. The on farm trial is conducted on the fields of the farmers. Which may or may not be supervised by the inter-disciplinary team of scientist of KVK. That gives the input for the scientist, regarding the performance of the technology. On farm trial is the process of testing various technological options in the fields of the farmers, under supervision of the farmers, maintaining the on going practices of farmers as one of the technological option.

Then out scaling of the farm innovations through the front line demonstration which is the major mandate of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, through which the technology is reaching maximum number of farmers. The capacity development of farmers and extension personnel to update their knowledge and skills in modern agricultural technology and enterprises. KVK is an institution meant for organizing continuous training for the benefit of the farmers, women, youth, extension professionals so on and so forth. It is a continuous process of training is going on in the institution known as Krishi Vigyan Kendra. And the next mandate of KVK is to work as knowledge resource center, for improving overall agricultural economy in the operational area. The operational area of a KVK is a district. The Union Ministry of Agriculture had the target of establishment of, at least one Krishi Vigyan Kendra in a district. And that target has already been reached. So now the redefined target is going for the second Krishi Vigyan Kendra in the same district. So put together right now we have 680 Krishi Vigyan Kendras throughout the country. In some of the districts already having a second Krishi Vigyan Kendra also. And it is the nodal center for dissemination of technologies in a particular district.

Then the next mandate of KVK is to conduct the front line extension programs and provide farm advisories using information and communication technologies and other media on varied subject interest of the farmers. As we have said it is the nodal center of technology dissemination in an average district. So making use of all possible ways and means, and adopting may be the information communication technology or all possible media is the mandate of Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Then data documentation, characterization of strategic planning for the farming practices is another mandate of Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

Then coming to Lab to Land program, which is a program launched to commemorate the occasion of the golden jubilee celebration of the institution of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. ICAR was established in the year 1929, 50 years after it celebrated its golden jubilee by launching the program known as Lab to Land Program. The feedback of developmental initiatives so far revealed that the small and marginal farmers, landless laborers and farmers belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were not benefited much with the technologies released so far, technology developed so far. Just to fill that particular gap for that section of the society, wherein the small and marginal farmers, landless laborers and farmers belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. So to meet out their demands. And to develop technologies to suit their demands was the priority of Lab to Land Program. And technologies were developed and transferred for the benefit of those farmers, which we have already said.

Then to conclude. So basically the front line extension activities were emphasizing on the development of the technology, dissemination of the technology on a limited basis, which we called it as the center extension activity. And in the year 1992 the programs of National Demonstration, Operational Research Project and the Lab to Land Program were merged with Krishi Vigyan Kendra. So earlier before 1992 the four programs were running independently. But since 1992 they are running under the banner of Krishi Vigyan Kendra. But the programs are still running. They are providing the extension services on the limited basis because it is a center extension activity. And KVK’s are the strong mechanism to provide feedback to the research system. So that it is also aiding to the technology development process, the research process. And KVK itself is conducting a sort of research in their own fields. And this is how the four first line extension activities of ICAR are providing the extension services for the benefit of farmers. So this is all about the first line extension activities of ICAR.

In the next class we will be discussing about one of the mega projects of Ministry of Agriculture, that is National Agricultural Technology Project. As a part of that project, the concept of ATMA, which is operational, and the till now it is providing extension services to the farmers. And also we will be discussing about the concept of Agricultural Technology Information Center, popularly known as ATIC.

Thank You.