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hybrids of maize, rice and sunflower, are getting popularity without much field
testing and support from the public extension system.
For commercialisation of public sector generated technology, public
extension systembecomes crucial. Despite the initiative takenby theDepartment
of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) to reform the extension system in the
second half of the
Tenth Five Year Plan
(2002-03 to 2006-07), the Mid-Term
Appraisal of the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-08 to 2011-12) has reported
persistent frailties in the extension system Planning Commission 2011, p.67).
Public extension system is the responsibility of the state governments and it is
said to be “the weakest link in the chain” (
ibid
). The Planning Commission has
reported large unfilled vacancies and the number of extension workers declining
though marginally over the last three decades even as four-fold increases have
taken place in the number of operational holdings. The Commission writes:
“In the absence of any such improvements, input dealers have donned
the role of extension workers and it has been left to the dealers of inputs
to provide advice to the farmers. Given their poor grasp of technological
issues, and more importantly, their interest in selling the inputs, this
development is inappropriate and possibly counter-productive. There
is an urgent need to innovate extension models built on public–private
partnership (PPP) mode, that specifically integrates the needs of the
many farm households that are run today by women, give the farmers
the latest information about an array of technologies, and let them
choose the best (ibid, p.67).
The latest
Annual Repor
t of the Department, of Agriculture and
Cooperation (DAC) for 2011-12 has provided some useful information on
the progress achieved in the centrally-sponsored scheme “Support to State
Extension Programme for Extension Reforms” and based on it the ATMA
scheme described earlier. Under the modified ATMA scheme, 604 ATMAs in
equal number of districts, constituted in 28 states and 3 UTs, appear to have
yielded positive and prompt response from the states. More significantly, the
process of recruitment of manpower began in 22 states with 6,937 positions
filled up during 2010-11 and 2011-12. Physical performance of the ATMA
scheme since its inception in 2005-06 (April 2005 to December 2011) is as
follows:
Over 1,69,75,357 farmers including 42,30,140 farm women (24.92%)
have participated in farmer oriented activities such as exposure visits,
trainings, demonstrations & kisan melas.
