Agritech Internevtions-Harbingers of Prosperity

Abstract

The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) is playing a pivotal role in enabling food security by continuous generation of technologies in agriculture and allied sectors in the country. The Indian farming mostly characterized with diversified agro-ecologies, water scarcity, unpredicted rains due to vagaries of monsoon and high cost of technological inputs. Based on the changing scenario of agriculture year by year, it requires promotion of proper management of natural resources like soil, water and micro environment, besides wellbeing of all stakeholders involved in the food production and consumption chain. This is primarily possible by technological empowerment of farmers.

As part of such a strategy, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is playing a crucial role in providing technologies generated by NARS after its assessment, refinement, demonstration in the micro farming situations, in addition to updating the knowledge and skill of farmers and extension personnel by taking up innovative approaches through its network of 589 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), which act as knowledge and resource centers for empowering all the partners in the agricultural development process.

Over the years, there is a change in agrarian structure, though 80% of farmers are operating small and marginal land holdings and having a weak access to critical production resources. It is expected that India will have the largest agricultural manpower dominated by youths under 30 years of age by 2020. Majority of the Indian youth live in villages and are engaged in agricultural activities. Keeping in view such a situation, the KVKs are effectively addressing the felt needs of farming community especially rural youth by following plough to plate approach and creating an enterprising environment. In order to reach the farmers efficiently, a number of activities are carried out by the entire KVK system to bring out location specific technology modules and appropriate extension approaches. It is therefore very important to review and analyze the input, output, outcome and impact of technological interventions implemented by KVKs by documenting the success achieved and to reorient the strategies for effective functioning of KVKs for fulfilling its mandate.

In this direction, the Division of Agricultural Extension of ICAR has made a critical review of success stories emerged from KVKs through a rigorous process followed by the Programme Coordinators at district level, the Zonal Project Directorates at Zonal level and by the Division at national level. Altogether 101 salient technological interventions which proved success have been chosen as a testimony of hard work put in by KVK system and are presented in the form of this document.

There is no denying the fact that until the full potential of technology modules tested and demonstrated by KVKs are harvested by the millions of farmers in the country, success cannot be truly translated into production gains at the field level. It is hoped that this attempt may direct the KVKs and the farming community for up-scaling and replication of successful enterprising interventions for teaching the untaught and reaching the unreached.