Agriculture continues to be mainstay of Indian economy. With food being the crowning need of mankind, much emphasis is on commercializing agricultural production.With the changing agricultural scenario and global competition, there is a need of exploiting the available resources at maximum level. The enormous pressure to produce more food from less land with shrinking natural resources is a tough task for farmers. The key challenges to be addressed are:
(i) weakening of input delivery and local agro-governance systems; (ii) increasing risk in agriculture due to weather, prices and trade policies; (iii)small, declining and fragmented holdings; (iv) growing marketing inefficiencies and increasing agro-waste; and (v)limited employment opportunities in non-farm sector. These challenges can have serious implications on the farm income and the future of Indian agriculture. Appropriate policy and institutional responses are, therefore, needed to address these challenges by up-scaling and out-scaling some of the successful models evolved both within and outside the country.
Agriculture as a state subject in India, Public sector extension is getting down its efficiency to reach the unreached farmers in remotest places because of various causes from which widening ratio of extension workers and farmers (1:5000) that leads to only 6.8% farmers receive extension service in India (GFRAS,2012). With the shifting approaches of Indian agriculture towards diversification, sustainability and commercialization, it has become essential to look for alternate extension approach that enable speedy reach of improved agricultural technologies largely through the best utilization of existing infrastructure and manpower resources .One of the alternate model was thought of with the postal department of India.
To utilize the potential of postal services Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) initiated an innovative extension model using village post masters as change agents for information sharing and disseminating technology to the farmers. The IARI-Post office linkage extension model was tested on pilot basis in rabi 2009 with IARI improved crop varieties in Sidhauli and Kasmanda blocks in collaboration with seven post offices of Sitapur district in UP.
This effort ensures the location specific adaptation and diffusion of IARI technologies which enhance the productivity and profitability of farmers. Under this model, village level post masters and farmers are trained in improved farm practices with the help of local KVKs(Krishi Vigyan Kendra).Demonstration of improved IARI varieties on the farms of village postmasters which become the place of learning for other farmers that led to “Farmer to Farmer” seed sharing.
It is reported that the increase in crop yield from 11 to 30% and increase in seed replacement rate is due to high quality seed access and timely awareness of farmers or stakeholders about IARI technologies through this model. The overall development of stakeholders by minimizing the knowledge and skill gap and capacity building of them by strengthening their linkages with local KVKs ,state department and other agencies.
