AGRICULTURE

CHAPTER
AGRICULTURE EXTENSIONS
SUMMARY SHEET
For NABARD Grade A/B 2019

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Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Agriculture extension ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Evolution of the Extension System in Indian Agriculture ............................................................................................. 4
Agricultural Extension in India: Institutional Framework & Policy Measures .............................................................. 6
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)......................................................................................................... 6
National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) ........................................................................................................ 7
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)...................................................................................................................................... 7
Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms (ATMA Scheme) .................................................. 7
Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension ........................................................................................................ 7
Establishment of Agri-Clinics & Agri-Business Centres (ACABC) .............................................................................. 8
Kisan Call Centres (KCC) ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Extension Education Institutes (EEIs) ....................................................................................................................... 8
Evaluation of Extension Programmes ........................................................................................................................... 9
Indian Council of Agricultural Research Vision-2050..................................................................................................12
Roadmap for modernizing national extension system ...............................................................................................13

Introduction
• The word ‘Extension’ is derived from the Latin roots, ‘tensio’ meaning stretching and 'ex'
meaning out.
• Extension education means that type of education which is stretched out into the villages
and fields beyond the limits of the schools and colleges to which the formal type of
education is normally confined.
• Extension education is a science which deals with the creation, transmission and application
of knowledge designed to bring about planned changes in the behavior complex of people;
with a view to help them to live better by learning the ways of improving their vocations,
enterprises and institutions.
• Various scientists have defined the term “Extension” according to their interest, experience
and training.
• Extension education is used in various fields, such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy,
Veterinary, Health, Home Science, Industry, Cooperative and Forestry.
The different concepts of Extension may be studied as:

• Extension service: An organization and or a programme for agricultural development and rural
welfare which employs the extension process as a means of programme implementation.
• Extension process: The extension process is that of working with rural people through out of
school education, along those lines of their current interests and needs which are closely

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 related to gaining a livelihood, improving the physical level of living of rural families, and
fostering rural community welfare.
• Extension Job: The job of extension in agriculture and home economics is to assist people
engaged in farming and home making to utilise more fully their own resources and those
available to them, in solving current problems and in meeting changing economic and social
conditions.

Agriculture extension
Agriculture extension can be viewed as an educational programme to be undertaken by public
agencies to activate the process of transferring knowledge, science and technology from
laboratories to people or farmer and to help them in farm planning, decision making, record
keeping, use of inputs, storage, processing and marketing, ensure supplies and services, increase
their production, develop people and their leaders, improve their occupation, family, and
community life.

The following areas indicate the scope of agricultural Extension work:

• Increasing the efficiency in agricultural production
• Increasing the efficiency in marketing, distribution and utilization of agricultural inputs and
outputs
• Conservation, development and use of natural resources
• Proper management on the farm and at home
• Better family living
• Youth development
• Leadership development
• Community development
• Improving Public affairs for all round development

Different models of the Extension Services:

✓ Technology transfer – the traditional model of the transfer of advice, knowledge and
information in a linear manner;
✓ Advisory – the use by farmers of a cadre of experts as a source of advice in relation to
specific problems faced by them;
✓ Facilitation – the aim of this model is to help farmers to define their own problems and
develop their own solutions.

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Evolution of the Extension System in Indian Agriculture

The evolution of agricultural extension system in India has a long history.

During Green revolution:
• Its contribution to productivity enhancement during the Green Revolution era has been well
documented.
• During this period, the public extension system played the key role in conducting field
demonstrations of high-yielding varieties and improving the input delivery that ensured
timely availability of quality seeds, fertilizers and agricultural chemicals at affordable prices.
• By the end of 1970s, the Green Revolution type of extension system had largely achieved
its major goal of increasing the area under high-yielding varieties.

Late 1970s:

• In the late-1970s, the agricultural extension system became mostly involved in the
distribution of agricultural inputs through the state agricultural depots and handling of the
subsidies that were provided through various agricultural development programs.
• The public-sector extension system as a whole seemed to have become a monolithic
organization without specific goals to achieve.
• Sustaining such a large system without added benefits to agricultural productivity became a
big challenge for agriculture ministries at both the central and state levels.
• Therefore, reforming of the system towards goal orientation and better operational
efficiency was sought.

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Launch of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)
• The 1970s also witnessed the launch of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) or Farm Science
Centres, Lab-to-Land programmes, and Operational Research Programmes by the ICAR. Krishi
Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) were begun by ICAR to provide need-based and skill-oriented
vocational training to farmers, field-level extension workers and other self-employed
persons.
• KVKs were meant to bridge the gap between technology developed at research institutions
and its adoption at the field level.
• Their role was to feed proven technologies to the main extension system.
• The KVK programme began in 1974.

In the 1990s:

• Agricultural extension witnessed a qualitative change in the 1990s, with a new focus on
privatisation and the withdrawal of support to the state-led extension system.
• Reduced spending by government weakened the public-sector extension system. Other non-
governmental agencies stepped in to fill the vacuum.

ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency)

• About a decade ago, in order to introduce reforms in the public sector agricultural extension
system and increase its relevance, accessibility, and efficiency of knowledge sharing among
various actors, players, and stakeholders, the Agricultural Technology Management Agency
(ATMA) was introduced as a pilot (1998-2003) in 28 districts.
• Following a positive feedback from the pilot implementation, the ATMA model was scaled up
across 251 all 528 rural districts of the country.
• The ATMA model was meant to make the extension system a demand-driven, market-
oriented, and farmer-accountable system.
• ATMA was to be the nodal point at the district level for technology dissemination,
integrating research and extension activities, and decentralizing day-to-day management of
the public agricultural extension system.

Agricultural Technology Information Centres (ATIC)

In 2000, ICAR introduced Agricultural Technology Information Centres (ATIC) in selected ICAR
institutes and State Agricultural Universities to function as a single window to disseminate
technologies developed in the Universities and Institutes.

Why Agricultural Extension is Important?

✓ It helps in adoption of innovations.

✓ Extension helps in studying and solving the rural problems.
✓ Increases farm yields and improve the standard of living of farmers
✓ Increasing efficiency in agricultural production.

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 ✓ Increasing efficiency in marketing, distribution and utilization of agricultural inputs and
outputs
✓ Conservation, development and optimum use of natural resources.
✓ Community and rural development.
✓ Extension uses democratic methods in educating the farmers.

Agricultural Extension in India: Institutional Framework & Policy Measures

Recognizing the importance of Agricultural Extension in Indian Scenario, various Institutions have
been setup and policy measures initiated by the government.

They are broadly discussed as follows:

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organisation under the
Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India.
• Formerly known as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, it was established on 16 July
1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in pursuance of the
report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture.
• The ICAR has its headquarters at New Delhi.
• The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education
in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.

Contribution of ICAR

• Initiation of the first All-India Co-Ordinated Research Project on Maize in 1957

• Establishment of the first State Agricultural University on land grant pattern at Pantnagar in
1960.
• Placement of different agricultural research institutes under the purview of ICAR in 1966.
• Creation of Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) in the Ministry of
Agriculture in 1973.
• Opening of first Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Puducherry (Pondicherry) in 1974.
• Launching of Lab-to-Land Programme and the National Agricultural Research Project
(NARP) in 1979.
• Initiation of Institution-Village Linkage Programme (IVLP) in 1995.
• Establishment of National Gene Bank at New Delhi in 1996.
• The ICAR was bestowed with the King Baudouin Award in 1989 for its valuable contribution
in ushering in the Green Revolution. Again awarded King Baudouin Award in 2004 for
research and development efforts made under partnership in Rice Wheat Consortium.

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 • Launching of National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) in 1998.
• Launching of National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) in 2005.

National Agricultural Research Project (NARP)

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) had added a new dimension to agricultural
research in India by launching in 1979 the National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) with World
Bank assistance to strengthen the research capabilities of the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)
to conduct need-based, location-specific and production-oriented research as an important means
of finding solutions to the location specific problems in different agro-climatic zones in their
respective service areas.

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)

The ICAR mooted the idea of establishing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agricultural Science Centres) as
innovative institutions for imparting vocational training to the practicing farmers, school dropouts
and field level extension functionaries.

Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms (ATMA Scheme)

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension
Reforms” was launched in the year 2005 - 06.
• This concept was pilot tested under the World Bank assisted National Agricultural
Technology Project (NATP) from 1999 to 2005.
• The scheme aims at promoting decentralized, demand - driven and farmer - accountable
extension system through a new institutional arrangement for technology dissemination in
the form of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA).
• ATMA provides an institutional mechanism for coordination and management of
Agricultural Extension System in the district.
• Under the Scheme, sustained efforts are being made to provide fillip to major extension
reforms such as bottom - up planning, broad - based extension delivery, involvement of
multi - agency extension service providers, farmer - centric extension services and main -
streaming gender concerns in agriculture by introducing innovative and progressive
arrangements at different levels viz. State, District and Block.

Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension

• The “Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension” scheme was initially launched on 21st
January 2004.
• The objective of the scheme is to disseminate information and knowledge to the farming
community in local language/dialect for strengthening the agricultural extension system.
Under this scheme existing infrastructure of Doordarshan and All India Radio is being utilized
to make the farmers aware about modern farm technologies.
• Farm related programmes of 30-minute duration are being telecast 6 days a week through 1
National, 18 Regional Kendras and 180 High Power/Low Power Transmitters of
Doordarshan.

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 • Similarly, 96 Rural FM Radio Stations of All India Radio are being utilized to broadcast 30
minutes of programme for farmers 6 days a week.
• The Free Commercial Time (FCT) available under Krishi Darshan and Kisanvani programme is
being utilized for dissemination of Advisories during Rabi / Kharif and popularizing the
central scheme like contingency plan developed by State Governments, emergent issues like
drought, flood, credit and insurance and popularization of schemes like Kisan Call Centre,
Kisan Credit Card, National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and Minimum Support Price
(MSP).

Establishment of Agri-Clinics & Agri-Business Centres (ACABC)

• The Central Sector Scheme “Establishment of the Agri-clinics and Agri-business Centres
(ACABC)” is under implementation since 2002.
• The scheme promotes the involvement of agri-preneurs to supplement the efforts of public
extension system by way of setting -up of agri-ventures in agriculture and allied areas. These
agri-preneurs are actively involved in providing advisory, extension services including know-
how to the farmers at grass root level besides input infrastructure, processing and machinery
support.

Kisan Call Centres (KCC)

• To harness the potential of ICT in agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture took the initiative of
launching an innovative scheme “Kisan Call Centers” on 21st January, 2004 aimed at offering
solutions to farmers’ queries on a telephone call and to leverage the extensive
telecommunication infrastructure in the country to deliver extension services to the
farming community.
• These Kisan Call Centres (KCCs) are presently operating in 25 locations covering all the States
& UTs with 144 Call Center Agents engaged therein answering farmers’ queries in their
language.

Extension Education Institutes (EEIs)

• Training and capacity building of extension functionaries was always given a priority status
in the national extension system.
• Establishment of Extension Education Institutes (EEIs) is aimed at imparting higher training
in extension education.
• EEIs were specifically established to meet the training requirement in the field of
Communication Technology, Extension Methodology, Training Management, Participatory
Rural Appraisal (PRA), Management of Agricultural Information System, etc. extension
functionaries of State Development Departments on a continuing basis.

Four Extension Education Institutes (EEIs) have been established on regional basis as detailed
below:

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 ✓ EEI, Nilokheri (Northern Region) started in 1959
✓ EEI, Hyderabad (Southern Region) started in 1962
✓ EEI, Anand (Western Region) started in 1962
✓ EEI, Jorhat (East & North East Region) started in 1987

National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology

National Mission on Agricultural Extension shall support the state governments, local bodies &
institutions for enhancing their capacity and institutionalizing structures & mechanisms for a
knowledge - driven, accountable, decentralized, broad - based & participatory programme planning
& implementation to facilitate farmers, farmwomen & youth to achieve economic, food, nutritional
& environmental security and thus achieve Plan objective of faster, sustainable and more inclusive
agricultural growth .

Sub-missions: This mission has four sub-missions as under:

• Sub Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE)
• Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)
• Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
• Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPP)

Evaluation of Extension Programmes

An "extension programme" is the sum total of all the activities and undertakings of a county
extension services.

It includes: (i) programme planning process; (ii) written programme statement; (iii) plan of work; (iv)
programme execution; (v) results; and (vi) evaluation.

An "extension programme" is arrived at co-operatively by the local people and the extension staff
and includes a statement of:

• The situation in which the people are located;

• The problems that are a part of the local situation;

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• The objectives and goals of the local people in relation to these problems; and
• The recommendations or solutions to reach these objectives on a long-time basis (may be
several years) or on a short-time basis (may be one year or less).
Evaluation is the process by which the effectiveness of extension is assessed. It is more than simply
finding out what happened; it involves passing judgement on what happened. Was the outcome of
the programme good enough? Was it better or worse than expected? Could more have been
achieved?

The evaluation of agricultural extension programs implies the systematic collection of information
about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of a program to make judgments about the
program, improve its effectiveness, and/or inform decisions about future programming.

Some trends in focus of agricultural extension and implications for evaluation:

Various Methods of Evaluation of Extension Programmes

1. Formative and summative evaluation

• Formative evaluation is conducted to provide program staff with judgements useful in

improving the program.
• Summative evaluation is generally conducted after completion of the program (or when a
program has stabilized) and for the benefit of some external audience or decision-maker.
The findings from a summative evaluation could be used to decide whether to continue a
program or not, or to justify program spending.

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 • The main difference is that the aim of a summative evaluation is to report on the program,
whereas a formative evaluation reports to the program.

2. Process evaluation and outcome evaluation

• Process evaluation focuses on the process of a program rather than the outcome and is
generally carried out during the implementation of a program.
• It involves the collection of information about program activities and about the delivery of
a program.
• Process evaluation is generally formative in nature, but can also be summative, for example
when the stakeholders need to know about the actual delivery of a program for justification
of program spending.
• Outcome evaluation is carried out towards the end of a program’s life and is aimed at
assessing the program to establish whether the desired outcomes have been reached.
Outcome evaluation is generally summative but may be formative when the findings are
used to improve future or other existing programs.

3. Goal-based and needs-based evaluation

• Goal (or objective) based evaluations are carried out to judge whether the stated goals or
objectives of a program have been achieved.
• In this approach goals are taken as given and decisions about the success of a program are
based on the extent to which the goals are reached.
• In needs-based evaluation the evaluator does not concentrate solely on the stated
objectives of a program but also evaluates the impact of the program with regard to the
needs of the stakeholder group and the needs of society in general.

4. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis

• Quantitative data analysis in evaluation usually refers to approaches involving heavy use of
numerical measurement and data analysis methods, from social science or from accounting
(e.g. cost–benefit analysis).
• Quantitative research emphasizes standardization, precision, objectivity and reliability of
measurement. Quantitative research is characterized by generating data that can be
analyzed statistically.
• Qualitative data analysis in evaluation refers to the part of evaluation that cannot be
usefully reduced to quantitative measures.
• A large part of contemporary evaluation is qualitative, meaning that description and
interpretation make up most of it.
• The use of qualitative methods can provide evaluators with rich, first-hand information on
questions such as how a program is implemented, the patterns of interaction between
stakeholders, the kind of day-to-day problems that are confronted by program staff, and so
on. It also tends to focus on social processes rather than outcomes.

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Indian Council of Agricultural Research Vision-2050

Vision: Lead India to attaining sustainable food, nutritional, environmental and livelihoods
security through agricultural research and education.

Mission: Harness the power of science and innovation for food security, food safety, farmer
prosperity and enhance natural resources base to promote inclusive g r o w t h and sustainable
development.

The project-wise details are as follows:

Farmers FIRST:

• The objectives of the 'Farmer FIRST' initiative is to move beyond the production and
productivity and to privilege the complex, diverse & risk prone realities of the farmers
through enhancing farmers-scientists contact with multi-stakeholders participation for
technology development and application.
• The project has been conceptualized with focus on Enriching Farmers –Scientist interface;
Technology Assemblage, Application and feedback; Partnership and Institutional Building and
Content Mobilization.
ARYA:

• The ICAR has initiated a program on “Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA)”
in selected districts through KVKs with an objective for entrepreneurial development of
Youth in Rural Areas to take up various Agriculture, allied and service sector enterprises for
sustainable income and gainful employment.
• The identified youth are trained on entrepreneurship development skills by providing a
basket of options to start agriculture ventures for self employment.

Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav:

• An innovative initiative “Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav” has been planned to promote the direct
interface of scientists with the farmers to hasten the lab to land process.
• The objective of this scheme is to provide farmers with required information, knowledge
and advisories on regular basis by adopting villages.
• Under this scheme, scientists will select villages as per their convenience and will remain in
touch with the selected villages and provide information to the farmers on technical and
other related aspects in a time frame through personal visits or on telephone.
• Being a resource person for the village, the scientists are also expected to monitor the
process of adoption of agricultural technologies by the farmers.
• The scientists may make use of community radio, local newspapers, mobile messages,
video, exhibition and local media and make initiatives to have dialogue with the farmers in
their local language.

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 • The cooperation of KVKs, ATMA, etc. will be effective in demonstration of technologies to
the farmers.

Roadmap for modernizing national extension system

To modernize and further improve our extension systems the following roadmap needs to be
followed:

• Assess the existing extension organization against farmer’s needs and determine whether to
strengthen or restructure it.
• Decentralize extension but not before capacity-building of the staff and orientation of relevant
elected officials.
• Broaden the technical mandate of extension to aim at broader development of rural human
resources.
• Formulate national policy on extension in order to ensure political and financial commitment.
• Promote pluralism in extension by involving public, private and civil society institutions.
• Privatize extension partially or fully where it is socially and economically feasible.
• Develop and apply information technology tools to facilitate the work of extension workers.
• Develop original, location-specific, participatory, gender-sensitive and inexpensive extension
methodologies and materials instead of applying those methodologies which are promoted as
universally suitable.
• Encourage the extension services to empower farmers through organizing them into legal
associations to constitute a strong lobby for themselves and for extension.

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