Policy Update
Atharva Salunke
Background:
Agriculture is still the backbone of India’s economy, and it is essential to build farmer-oriented knowledge systems to improve productivity and sustainability. In this regard, the KVK scheme operating under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), holds utmost significance. KVKs were established fully by the Centre as district-level Farm Science Centres with the key purposes of technology assessment, demonstration, and capacity-building.
Activities include on-farm testing and frontline demonstrations, training of farmers and extension personnel, imparting knowledge, and functioning as resource centres. KVKs also provide farm advisories and promote quality ICT products, delivery of technologies, and convergence with other schemes and innovations. While the Directorate of Knowledge Management in Agriculture (DKMA) primarily undertakes disseminating and sharing agricultural information worldwide; DKMA strengthens e-connectivity among ICAR institutes, Agricultural Universities, and KVKs through print, electronic, and web-based media for effective knowledge management
Functioning:
The operation of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) is regulated by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) entered into between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the concerned Host Organization. Under the scheme, ICAR offers grants for KVK projects as per the agreed pattern of assistance, within the personnel and budgetary norms of the Government of India. The financial support mainly funds the wages of qualified scientists and technical personnel in subjects like Agricultural Extension, Agronomy, Plant Breeding, Horticulture, Livestock Production, Agricultural Engineering, Soil Science, Fisheries, Home Science, and Plant Protection, as per regional farming requirements.
Years of development have seen the KVKs being provided with up-to-date infrastructure in the form of soil testing kits, seed capsules, micro-irrigation systems, farm equipment, District Agro-Met Units, and models of Integrated Farming Systems. These units allow KVKs to make available to farmers enhanced technologies, climate-resilient farming practices, and effective management of resources.
At the district level, the KVKs act as frontline knowledge and resource points. They carry out on-farm experimentation to prove technologies under local agroclimatic conditions, make frontline demonstrations to determine production possibilities, and implement need-based extension and on-farm training programs for farmers, rural youth, and extension staff. Besides, KVKs spread farm advisories on a timely basis using ICT tools, publications, and community interactions. The charter of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) is Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Development at the district level.
To effectively implement mandate, the following core activities are undertaken by each KVK:
- On-farm-testing (OFT): Testing of a technology for location-specific suitability and performance from one site to another under diverse farming systems.
- Frontline demonstrations (FLD): To demonstrate to farmers the production potential of new technologies and practices, so that farmers would accept them.
- Capacity development: Training farmers, rural youth, and their extension persons in order to upgrade their knowledge and skills on modern agriculture technology.
- Knowledge and Resource Centre: Acts as a resource center of agricultural knowledge, to support initiatives that help strengthen the agricultural economy of the district in public, private, and voluntary sectors.
- Farm advisories: Providing needed and time-sensitive advisories with the use of ICT tools, mobile services, and other media platforms over topics of interest to farmers.
Image 1: Zone & State wise Krishi Vigyan Kendras
Performance:
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have shown remarkable performance in augmenting agricultural development at the grassroots level. In 2019-2022, KVKs produced 5.48 lakh quintals of quality seeds, 1150.53 lakh planting materials, 2.74 lakh quintals of bio-products, and 680.79 lakh livestock strains and fingerlings, directly benefiting farmers with better inputs. To further boost services, the Government sanctioned ₹7730.76 lakh during 2023-24 for the upgradation of KVK infrastructure, including administrative buildings, farmers’ hostels, demonstration units, and farm development works.
A strong monitoring and review system promotes accountability and dynamism of the system. ICAR, Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes, Agricultural Universities, and Scientific Advisory Committees review the performance of KVKs at various levels: National, Zonal, University, and District. Further, Quinquennial Review Teams and third-party assessments from time to time evaluate their working.
The reviews by the International Food Policy Research Institute (2019) and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (2020) indicated remarkable outcomes: increased net farm income of ₹5752 per hectare, cost-benefit ratio of 1:11.78, expanded outreach, increased involvement of farm women in training, and considerable expansion in seed and planting material production.
In the period between 2019 to 2022, KVKs organized 1.32 lakh technology evaluation experiments and 8.69 lakh demonstrations on crops, livestock, fisheries, and farm equipment. Their model is innovative in such a way that a single KVK-trained farmer imparts knowledge to 30 others, doubling the benefit of technology transfer and making the agricultural economy stronger.
Impact:
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have brought a revolutionary change in Indian agriculture by extending beyond the assigned tasks to carry out large-scale interventions with measurable results. In the XII Plan, KVKs led the way in augmenting national food security with the creation of 97 Pulses Seed Hubs and carrying out more than 1.11 lakh technology demonstrations on pulses, leading to record production in 2016-17.
Climate resilience was met by the launching of 151 Climate Smart Villages in the affected areas, whereas resource-saving technologies like zero tillage, laser land levelling, Happy Seeder, and raised-bed planting were widely adopted, especially in soyabean-producing pockets of Madhya Pradesh and rice-wheat ecosystems of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
KVKs also led the way in programmes that connected research with grassroots action. The Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav programme connected 13,500 villages to the research system, while ARYA programme equipped 4,400 rural youth to start agri-enterprises. With the Farmer FIRST Project, 20,000 farming families were involved in participatory technology adaptation. Skill development programmes also spread through 254 KVKs, increasing rural employment opportunities.
In addition, under the Special Campaign 2.0 in October 2022 of the Government on ‘Swachhata’ and pendency mitigation in governance, more than 1,200 villages were taken up by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for developing sustainable agricultural waste management through vermicomposting technology, thus making more than 38,000 stakeholders participants in participatory knowledge sharing and practice.
Emerging Issues:
Though they play a central role, KVKs still suffer from severe infrastructural and administrative issues. Only 657 out of the total established have separate administrative buildings and 521 have farmers’ hostels, leaving many lacking in basic facilities. While expansion and infrastructural support have been committed by the Government, there remain wide gaps.
A second significant challenge comes from the decentralized institutional management of KVKs, which are dispersed among various administrative jurisdictions such as state governments, agricultural universities, ICAR institutes, NGOs, and other institutions. This plurality of control makes coordination more difficult, dilutes accountability, and impedes the crafting of a unified, pan-India extension strategy, thus inhibiting the complete utilization of KVKs for catalyzing agricultural innovation and outreach.
Way Forward:
To meet the challenges that are emerging, it is suggested that a National-Level Coordination and Management Council be set up to administer all KVKs in such a way that there is uniform monitoring of research efforts and implementation statistics. The council would be supplemented by State-Level Units, working under its umbrella, to enable efficient regional coordination and accountability. In addition, emphasis on the establishment of KVK infrastructure is crucial to have a permanent institutional presence at the district level that can direct localized research and extension operations.
In this regard, KVKs may also lead a mission like a “One District, One Focus Produce” (ODFP) program to allow each district to focus on a high-potential agricultural commodity. This would increase efficiency, enhance the development of value-chains, and boost sustainable agricultural expansion both at the national and regional levels.
References:
- Chandran, D. (2021, August). Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are the knowledge centres for farmers. Just Agriculture: Multidisciplinary e-Newsletter, 1(12). https://justagriculture.in/files/newsletter/2021/august/60.%20Sustaining%20Sheep%20and%20Goats%20Productivity%20in%20Arid%20Ecosystem%20Though%20Ailanthus%20Excelsa.pdf
- Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agricultural Research & Education. (2021, March 16). Unstarred Question No. 3435 answered in Lok Sabha. https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/175/AU3435.pdf?source=pqals
- Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agricultural Research & Education. (2024, December 13). Unstarred Question No. 2109 answered in Rajya Sabha. https://icar.org.in/sites/default/files/Circulars/RU-2109.pdf
- Press Information Bureau. (2016, July 8). Shri Radha Mohan Singh launches Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) portal: KVK portal will help in monitoring at the national level and in providing timely information and advisory to the farmers. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=146917
- Press Information Bureau. (2022, July 22). Krishi Vigyan Kendras. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1843884
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2018, March 28). Cabinet approves continuation, strengthening and establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras till 2019-20. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1526909
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2021, July 20). Improving Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1737285
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2021, August 10). Government has made a provision for opening of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in each of the rural districts across the country. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1744512
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2022, April 5). Technological products by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs). PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1813691#:~:text=The%20activities%20of%20KVKs%20include,creating%20awareness%20on%20improved%20agricultural
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2022, November 2). Special focus by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education on ‘Special Campaign 2.0 on Swachhta and reducing pendency in Government’. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1873127
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2024, July 30). Promoting the use of advanced agricultural technologies. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2039199
- Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2024, December 17). Upgrading infrastructure of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. PIB Delhi. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2085175
About the Contributor:
Atharva Salunke is a Policy Research Associate at NITI TANTRA and a Research Intern at IMPRI. He has recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune.
Acknowledgement: The author extends his sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team and Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja for her invaluable guidance throughout the process.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
