Increasing Knowledge and Awareness Among Farmers to Enhance the Production and Productivity

Increasing Knowledge and Awareness Among Farmers to Enhance the Production and Productivity

To increase knowledge and awareness among farmers to enhance the production and productivity of various crops, the Government of India has initiated various programmes such as Front Line Demonstrations and Extension through network of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), National Mission of Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Soil Health Management Scheme, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Bringing  Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) and  Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as per details given below:-

NMAET:   The aim of this Mission is to restructure and strengthen Agricultural Extension to enable delivery of appropriate technologies and improved agronomic practices to the farmers. NMAET is implemented with four Sub-Missions namely – Sub-Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE); Sub-Mission on Seed & Planting Material (SMSP); Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and Sub-Mission on Plant Protection & Plant Quarantine (SMPP).

SMAE focusses on awareness creation and enhanced use of appropriate technology in agriculture and allied sectors.  Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) is the main scheme under SMAE of NMAET. The Scheme is implemented in 652 districts of 29 States and 3 UTs of the country. It promotes decentralized farmer - driven and farmer - accountable extension system for technology dissemination.  ATMA encourages multi-agency and broad-based extension strategies, adopt group approach to extension and facilitates convergence of programmes in planning, execution and implementation at district level.  Under the Scheme grant is released to State Govts. for revitalizing their extension system and making available the latest agricultural technologies in different thematic areas to increase production and     productivity    of    crops   through   farmers   training,  demonstrations,  exposure  visits,

exhibitions, kisan melas, farmer-scientist-interactions, mobilization of farmers interest groups and setting up of farm schools on the field of progressive farmers.  Govt. also creates awareness among farmers through print & electronic media.

The Kisan Call Centre (KCC) Scheme is also implemented across the country for the benefits of farmers. The main aim of the Scheme is to answer queries of farmers on telephone calls in their own dialect. A countrywide common 11 digit toll free number 1800-180-1551 has been allotted for Kisan Call Centre.

A Central Sector Scheme “Establishment of Agri Clinics & Agri Business Centres (ACABC)” supplements the efforts of public extension, supports agriculture development and creates gainful self employment opportunities to unemployed youths with qualification in agriculture and allied sectors. It promotes agri-preneurs trained under the ACABC Scheme in providing advisory and extension services to the farmers.

Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) promotes Agricultural Mechanization in the country through Training, Testing and Demonstration.  Under Sub-Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPP), Central Integrated Pest Management Centres (CIPMCs) have been established in 28 States and 1 UT. These centres conduct Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) in fields to create awareness among farmers.  Sub-Mission on Seeds & Planting Material (SMSP) covers the entire gamut of seed chain from nucleus seed supply to farmers for sowing and also to the major stakeholders in the seed chain.  It promotes adoption of quality seeds for increasing Agricultural Production & Productivity.

NFSM: This Mission includes cluster demonstration of rice, wheat, pulses on improved package of practices, demonstration on cropping system, cropping system-based training of farmers, seed distribution of high-yielding varieties and other agri inputs.  The Govt. of India has approved crops developmental programme on cotton, jute and sugarcane for enhancing production and productivity of these commercial crops from 2014-15. Demonstration on High Density Planting System (HDPS) in cotton on inter-cropping with pulses, oilseeds & cereals with sugarcane are also conducted under the Scheme to enhance production and productivity. 

The programme ‘Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India’ (BGREI) was initiated to address the constraints linking the productivity of Rice based cropping system in eastern India comprising 7 States namely – Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Eastern U.P. and West Bengal. The programme provided a more focused approach on medium and long-term strategies for asset building activities of water conservation and utilization along with short-term strategies pertaining to Transfer of Technologies (ToTs) of major cereals in BGREI districts.  Under Soil Health Management Scheme farmers are trained for judicious use of fertilizers.

MIDH: Capacity building programmes of farmers & technicians are carried out under the Mission for adopting improved technologies. 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR):

It has established a network of 642 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the country aiming at assessment and demonstration of technologies/ products and its dissemination through number of extension programmes including training of farmers to update their knowledge and awareness to increase the productivity of crops.

Due to the training programmes conducted by KVKs on improved technologies related to agriculture and allied fields benefited the farmers in terms of increased crop production and improved farm income. The successful technological interventions identified by KVKs through On-farm testing (OFTs) and frontline demonstrations (FLDs) are up-scaled with the help of Department of Agriculture and other line departments for the spread of the technologies to large number of farmers in the district by the respective KVK and also organizing the extension activities like technology week in the demonstration farm of KVK for exposure of farmers to the improved technologies of agriculture.

            ATMA under NMAET provides generic extension covering all the crops and allied sectors through extension activities / capacity building programmes like Farmers Training, Demonstrations, Exposure Visits, Kisan Melas, Farmer-Scientist-Interaction, Mobilization of Farmers Interest Groups (FIGs) and Farm Schools, etc.  NFSM carries out counseling of farmers through cluster demonstrations and FFSs for Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Cotton, Jute, and Sugarcane Crops.  MIDH imparts capacity building programme for farmers in horticultural crops namely - fruits, vegetables, roots & tuber crops, mushroom, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa & bamboo, etc.

ICAR: The major crops covered were rice, wheat, maize and barley (Cereals); barnyard millet, finger millet, pearl millet (Millets); groundnut, sesame, soybean, sunflower, linseed, mustard, castor (Oilseeds);  black gram, cowpea, field pea, green gram, lentil, pigeon pea, rajmash (Pulses); sugarcane, cotton, betel leaf, guar seed (Commercial Crops); berseem; cowpea, maize, Lucerne, napier, oat, sorghum (Fodder Crops); vegetables, fruits, flowers, spices and condiments, tuber crops and plantation crops (Horticultural Crops).    

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Sh. Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundaria in Rajya Sabha.