Home » Operational Innovations

Operational Innovation

Location Specific and Demand Driven Research and Extension System:

Bottom up approach was adopted to find out research and extension needs of farming community in the district. Based on different farming systems being followed;

Preparation of Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP):

The entire area of district was divided into five Agro-ecological situations (A.E.S.) mainly based on elevation. Details of block wise area covered under each A.E.S. is depicted below. Eights villages under each A.E.S. were identified for carrying out a joint (extension & scientists) Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise to identify researchable and extension problems being faced by the farming community besides having in hand knowledge about existing strengths, opportunities weakness and threats. On the basis of PRA, Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) of the district was prepared jointly by extension personnel's of line departments and scientists. Keeping in view the new emerging issues, change in extension focus, liberalization of global markets & to strengthen the extension system from gender perspective, a workshop was organized on 16-20th July, 2002 at SAMETI, Mashobra to revisit the exiting SREP of ATMA and on the basis of out come of workshop critical issues, their strategies and activities were re-identified and accordingly revisited SREP was prepared which is further discussed in the State level workshop held at SAMETI, Mashobra on 7th December, 2002, wherein 77 issues were re-identified. 27 out of them were categorized as researchable & remaining 50 were categorized extensional issues.

Strategy for Development of Agriculture and Allied Sector for each District:

Development of Agriculture and Allied sectors will be accomplished through diversification and intensification of existing farming systems, improvement in productivity and income of existing enterprises and improvement in sustainability in productivity and income. The extension strategy viz. demonstrations, training, exposure visits, field days, kisan melas, mobilization of farmers organization will be adopted. Through these strategies the following achievements will be made;

• Expansion of area under vegetables crops
• Diversification from traditional crops to high value crops
• Diversification from buffalo rearing to cross breed cow rearing
• Organization of youth and other farmers groups for new commodities to be produced through diversification of farming system
• Facilitation of linkage of farmers with suitable markets for new commodities to be produced through diversification of farming system
• Over coming technological gaps in case of major agricultural crops, horticultural crops and live stock
• Organization of commodity oriented groups for better assess to market, convenience in procurement of inputs, cost effectiveness in provision of technological support
• Integrated pest management in vegetable and horticulture crops
• Integrated nutrient management in all agricultural and horticultural crops
• Improvement of grass/ pastureland and erosion management through involvement of farmer organization

Research Need for Each District:

Research and resynthesis of technological package on the following line has been emerged through SREP;

• Deletion of those items of technology from generalized package which are not relevant for a particular farming situation
• ü Addition of those new items of technology which are expected to solve a problem specific to the particular farming situation
• Addition of all those indigenous technological options, which are evolved by other sources of innovations namely private sector, NGO sector or even by innovative farmers. Technology evolved under public sector may also be kept as an option so that farmers may have an opportunity to choose one out them
• Assessment, refinement, validation and adoption of front line technologies and researchable issue through KVK's and other local research centers
• Creation of appropriate research-extension-farmers linkages
  
  Thrust Areas identified for Extension in Each District:
  
  
  • Diversification and intensification
  • Increase in productivity and income
  • Improvement in sustainability of productivity and income
  • Human resource, natural resource and farming system management through need based and participatory approache