Krishi Vigyan

Kendra

A Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is an

agricultural extension center in India. In
English, the name means "farm science
center." Usually associated with a local
agricultural university, these centers serve
as the ultimate link between the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research and
farmers, and aim to apply agricultural
research in a practical, localized setting.
All KVKs fall under the jurisdiction of one
of the 11 Agricultural Technology
Application Research Institutes (ATARIs)
throughout India.

History
The first KVK was established in 1974 in
Pondicherry. Since this initial founding,
KVKs have been established in all states in
India, and as of 2018, there are 690 KVKs
in India.[1] On average, this is about 23
centers per state, although more densely
populated states tend to have more
centers. The Indian agricultural landscape
faces many challenges, including a high
percentage of smallholder farmers, lack of
supply chain infrastructure, and extreme
weather conditions. For a full description
of these challenges, see Agriculture in
India. A key strategy in addressing these
issues, in addition to policy support and a
functioning market, is using technology to
better understand and adapt to complex
challenges. However, higher-level research
about modern agricultural trends, such as
Climate Change and GMO, takes place in
universities. The practical implications of
this research, or their relevance to a
certain local context, are not readily
apparent. For example, academic research
on new crop practices or seed types often
takes place in centralized testing
locations, due to the ease of monitoring
and evaluation. The same goes for ground-
level innovations which are effective in one
local context but may not be extensible to
others. Especially in areas with such
geographic complexity as India,
agricultural extension departments such
as KVKs serve to gather, test and
disseminate knowledge between
centralized institutions and a
geographically-dispersed rural population.

In this mandate, the effectiveness of KVKs

is difficult to measure, due to large number
of farmers served by a single KVK and
largely off-line communication between
the KVK and farmers. For this reason,
research over the past 20 years has
focused on the capacity of KVKs to make
use of ICT for the purpose of better
managing their communications with
farmers. An plethora of applications have
been developed, sharing advisories such
as weather information and market
pricing, supplementing the KVK's
communication with its beneficiaries.[2]
However, many of these initiatives are
short-lasted, or have limited impact, since
the teams at each KVK often do not have
the capacity to maintain software
applications or because farmers do not
find the information useful.

While KVKs are expected to undertake

their own projects, they are also expected
to serve as a resource center for extending
government initiatives to local areas. The
current national government's program
"Doubling Farmers' Income by 2022" calls
for increases in agricultural productivity,
development initiatives such as Pradhan
Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana and Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana as well as more
focus on technological innovation. The
government expects KVKs to aid in the
dissemination of information and
practices regarding these new government
initiatives.[3][4][5] In addition to KVKs, there
are many local institutions which also
interface directly with farmers, such as the
Agricultural produce market committee
and the Agricultural Engineering
Department.

Criteria
A KVK can be formed under a variety of
host institutions, including agricultural
universities, state departments, ICAR
institutes, other educational instiutions, or
NGOs. The 690 KVKs in operation were
split into: 482 under universities and
educational institutions, 55 under ICAR
institutes, 105 under NGOs, and 39 under
state departments or other public sector
undertakings.[6] A KVK must also own
about 20 hectare of land for the purpose
of testing new agricultural technologies.[7]

Responsibilities
On-Farm Testing: Each KVK operates a
small farm to test new technologies, such
as seed varieties or innovative farming
methods, developed by ICAR institutes.
This allows new technologies to be tested
at the local level before being transferred
to farmers.
Front-line Demonstration: Due to the
KVK's farm and its proximity to nearby
villages, it organizes programs to show the
efficacy of new technologies on farmer
fields.

Capacity Building: In addition to

demonstrating new technologies, the KVK
also hosts capacity building exercises and
workshops to discuss modern farming
techniques with groups of farmers.

Multi-sector Support: Offer support to

various private and public initiatives
through its local network and expertise. It
is very common for government research
institutes to leverage the network of KVKs
when performing surveys with a wide
range of farmers.[8][9][10]

Advisory Services: Due to the growing use

of ICT, KVKs have implemented
technologies to provide farmers
information, such as weather advisories or
market pricing, through radio and mobile
phones.[11]

In each of these activities, the KVK

focuses on crops and methods specific to
the local climate and industry. Some
factors which may impact this decision
are: soil type, crops grown, water
availability, seasonal temperatures, and
allied sectors such as dairy and
aquaculture. In addition to addressing
local factors, KVKs are also mandated to
increase adoption of practices that align
with renumerative agriculture, climate
smart agriculture, and dietary
diversification.[12] Some KVKs also host
social activities to facilitate rapport
between the institutions and the local
community.[13]

See also
Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalgaon Jamod
 Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nashik
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Indian Institute of
Spices Research
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Indian Institute of
Horticulture Research
Van Vigyan Kendra
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Agricultural Statistics Research
Institute
Agriculture in India
List of agricultural centres established
by CCS HAU

References
1. "Agricultural Extension Division | भारतीय
कृ ष अनुसंधान प रषद" . Icar.org.in. 2017-02-23.
Retrieved 2018-06-23.
2. Saravanan, Raj. "Mobile Phone
Applications for Agricultural Extension in
India" (PDF). FAO. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
3. Chand, Ramesh. "NITI Policy Paper
No.1/2017 : Doubling of Farmers income
Rationale, Strategy Prospects and Action
Plan" (PDF). National Informatics Center
(India). p. 21. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
4. "PM Modi: Target to double farmers'
income by 2022" . Indianexpress.com. 28
February 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
5. "10th National Conference of KVK's 2018
concludes" . Icar.org.in. Retrieved 10 May
2018.
6. "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved
2018-06-23.
7. "Criteria for selection and
establishment" (PDF). Icar.org.in. Retrieved
23 June 2018.
8. "Strengthening Agricultural Extension
Activities through IARI Partnership with
KVK, Muradnagar and NGO, Foundation for
Agricultural Resources Management and
Environmental Remediation (FARMER) in
Ghaziabad district, UP" (PDF). Iara.res.in.
Retrieved 23 June 2018.
9. "ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi hosts partners from
private seed company during Brinjal-Chilli
Day - ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable
Research" . Iivr.org.in.
10. "ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research
Institute - Services" . Ctcri.org.
11. "Agricultural Extension Division | भारतीय
कृ ष अनुसंधान प रषद" . Icar.gov.in. 2017-02-23.
Retrieved 2018-06-23.
12. "Role of KVK system in Agricultural
Extension Programmes" (PDF).
Eeslindia.org. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
13. "Newsletter" (PDF). Kvkdharwad.org.
Retrieved 23 June 2018.

External links
KVK - Ajmer
KVK - Badwani
KVK - Bilaspur
KVK - Dharwad
KVK - Hooghly
 KVK - Indian Institute of Sugarcane
Research
KVK - Jalandhar
KVK - Jhabua
KVK - Kannur
KVK - Kodagu
KVK - Mandsaur
KVK - Nagpur
KVK - Ranga Reddy

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