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ASSESSMENT OF PROCESS IMPLIMENTATION OF EXTENSION REFORMS IN ANDHRA PRADESH

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Title ASSESSMENT OF PROCESS IMPLIMENTATION OF EXTENSION REFORMS IN ANDHRA PRADESH
 
Creator RAMA DEVY, M.
 
Contributor SURYA MANI, M.
 
Subject biological phenomena, participation, marketing, crops, land resources, group communication, selection, manpower, economics, economic systems
EXTENSION REFORMS, ANDHRA PRADESH
 
Description Change is the name of the game today and organizations that learn to cope with
evolutionary change emerge as winners. Managing change in extension organizations is
a Herculean task as it involves changing the mindset of the farming community towards
adoption of new technologies. Agriculture extension has a crucial role to play in the
context of demands of agricultural production in a sustainable manner. Reforms in the
system envisage an extension service more broad-based and holistic in content and
scope, thus beyond agricultural technology transfer. Its normal task of transferring and
disseminating appropriate technologies and agronomic practices would not be sufficient.
Extension agencies, services and functionaries will need to exercise a more proactive
and participatory role, serve as knowledge information agents, initiating and facilitating
mutually meaningful and equitable knowledge based transactions among primary
producers, agricultural researchers and trainers.
Extension reforms in the country under ATMA (Agricultural Technology
Management Agency), envisage a more holistic and broad based approach aimed at
empowerment of the farmer through bottom up planning, capacity building and
convergence of development departments. The reforms envisaged have been pilot
tested with effect from November, 1998 in seven states viz., Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and Punjab covering 4 districts in
each state. An autonomous institution – Agricultural Technology Management Agency
(ATMA) has been established in these project districts as a registered society
representing various stakeholders, including farmers, in project planning and
implementation under the guidance of the National Institute of Agricultural Extension
Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.
ATMA implemented throughout the state of Andhra Pradesh since a decade has
taken several initiatives to promote a positive change in the farming community and has
now become the keyword for extension in the country. It was launched to consolidate
the earlier investments and address specific system constraints, weaknesses and gaps
that remained un-addressed by previous research and extension projects. Innovations in
Technology Dissemination (ITD) component, in particular was expected to test new
innovations in technology dissemination with restructured institutional and
xii
developmental arrangements resulting in delineation of future direction of the extension
system and, at the same time, bridge serious Research-extension-farmer (R-E-F)
linkage problems that currently constrain the flow of appropriate technology to farmers.
Major processes involved in extension reforms were new institutional
arrangements, convergence of line departments, encouraging multi agency extension
strategies, farming system approach, group approach to extension and sustainability of
extension services.
Reforms in India were pilot tested in 28 districts of 7 states under Innovations in
Technology Dissemination (ITD) component of World Bank funded National
Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) during the period from November, 1998 to
April, 2005. This successful experiment served as a basis to launch the scheme “Support
to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms” in its first phase since 2005-06.
The Scheme was later up-scaled to 252 districts during the 10th Plan subsequently
extended to 12th plan.
The effectiveness of any programme depends on the way of its implementation.
Hence the present study was conducted with the objective to assess the extent of process
implementation of Reforms i.e. Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA)
in Andhra Pradesh.
The study was conducted in four districts of Andhra Pradesh state namely
Adilabad, Kurnool, Chittoor and Prakasam in which the extension reforms (ATMA)
were pilot tested (1998-2005) and are being in operation.
An Ex Post Facto research design with random sampling procedure was adopted
and was employed during the course of investigation. Four blocks from each district
were randomly selected thus making a total of sixteen blocks. In consultation with
officers of department of agriculture 60 farmers from each district who were the
members of different bodies such as Farmer Advisory Committee (FAC), Governing
board, Commodity Interest groups (CIGs), Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) and other
groups through which ATMA activities were being carried out were randomly selected
for the study thus making a total of 240 farmers. Extension functionaries (80) who were
involved in ATMA activities were randomly selected from the four districts. The data
was collected with a well structured interview schedule through personnel interviews
and focused group discussions. The collected data was analyzed by using appropriate
statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and correlation.
The results indicated that the farmers belonged to middle aged group, with
Intermediate education, having 6 to 10 acres of land with medium extension contacts,
social participation and economic motivation. Extension functionaries belonged to 36-
58 years age with an educational qualification of post graduation and above with service
experience of 11-20years.
Farmers and extension functionaries had favourable attitude towards extension
reforms. The crop and enterprise intensification and diversification was at medium
level. The study results indicated that convergence and linkage mechanisms were at
medium level where as coordination was poor. The convergence was observed at
planning stage only and at implementation stage short duration convergence was
observed while organizing study tours, exhibitions and FSI meetings. The factors
contributed to poor coordination were over workload of individual departments,
assignment of non departmental works and partiality in allotment of budget to
departments other than agriculture department.
The study results indicated that the group led extension and capacity building
were at medium level as such no new groups were formed and few groups were active
in the districts.
Women participation was at medium level. Representation of women was
observed in the committees and were participating in the meetings and short duration
training programmes only.
Decentralised decision making and farmer to farmer extension was at medium
level. Bottom up planning was at low level. This was due to the reason that needs
assessment and prioritization was not done by FACs, as the meetings were not
organized properly as per schedule in most of the BTTs. As the members were changed
after a particular period of 5 years. Capacity building on processes of reforms was not
done to this new group. At officers level also the awareness about processes of reforms
was poor.
. Decentralized decision making in process implementation of extension reforms
was positively correlated with the age ,education, land possession and extension
contacts and social participation.
Capacity building was found non significant with profile characters age,
education, land possession, extension contacts, social participation, risk orientation and
economic motivation.
It was found that group led extension in process implementation of extension
reforms was correlated with age, education, land possession, extension contacts and
economic motivation. Among the profile characters age, education, land possession,
economic motivation, extension contacts and risk orientation were found correlated at
1per cent level of probability with the convergence in process implementation of
extension reforms.
It was found that linkage mechanisms were found positively correlated with age,
education, land possession, economic motivation extension contacts and social
participation. Coordination was found positively correlated with the profile characters
age, education, land possession, economic motivation, extension contacts and risk
orientation in process implementation of extension reforms. It was found that the
attitude was positively correlated with age, education, land possession, extension
contacts, risk orientation and economic motivation.
The constraints elucidated by the farmers in order of priority were that lack of
information about programmes in advance, unavailability of internet and
communication facilities at FIAC and irregularity in organization of meetings.
Suggestions given by the farmers were timely information about ATMA programmes
followed by conducting of ATMA meetings regularly ,approval of action plans to be
done at the district level itself and action plans to be prepared with the convergence of
farmers members.
The constraints enlisted by the extension functionaries in order of priority were
assignment of non agricultural works to the officers, shortage of departmental staff,
difficulty in formation of FIGs/CIGs at village level Suggestions given by the majority
of extension functionaries were early approval of action plans and release of funds
followed by separate staff i.e. PD and supporting staff for ATMA and encouragement
for formation of district level CIGs.

The results of the study will help the policy makers to direct efforts towards
capacity building and creating awareness about processes of reforms among stake
holders which will help to make them to move towards higher continuum of attitude
towards reforms.
The study revealed that crop and enterprise intensification and diversification
were at medium level. In order to improve the situation the policy makers should
concentrate on analyzing the successful examples of new enterprises plenty of which
were identified by the scientists for each agro climatic zone so that these can be
replicated in the similar situations at a faster rate.
The constraints enlisted and suggestions given by the stakeholders in the present
study will not only serve as an indicator of prevailing condition but will help the policy
makers and administrators to modify the present guide lines for successful
implementation of the programmes.
 
Date 2016-06-10T12:34:44Z
2016-06-10T12:34:44Z
2013
 
Type Thesis
 
Identifier http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/67172
 
Language en
 
Relation ;D9298
 
Format application/pdf
 
Publisher ACHARYA N. G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY