The document discusses the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) model for agricultural extension and technology dissemination. [1] The ATMA is an autonomous organization at the district level responsible for coordinating technology transfer activities between various government departments, research organizations, NGOs, and other agricultural stakeholders. [2] It aims to integrate extension programs, link research and extension, and decentralize decision making through farmer participation. [3] The ATMA is managed by a Governing Board and Management Committee which oversees planning, implementation, and monitoring of extension activities.

1. INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY
DISSEMINATION : ATMA
( Agriculture Technology Management
Agency)
Submitted to: Dr. Dhriti Solanki Submitted by: Miss. Nishu Kanwar Bhati
Prof. and Head, HECM Ph.D

2. System Constraints
3.1.1 Multiplicity of Technology Transfer Systems
3.1.2 Narrow Focus of the Agricultural Extension System
3.1.3 Lack of Farmer Focus and Feedback
3.1.4 Inadequate Technical Capacity within the Extension System
3.1.5 Need for Intensifying Farmer Training
3.1.6 Weak Research-Extension Linkages
3.1.7 Poor communications capacity
3.1.8 Inadequate operating resources and financial sustainability

3. Components of NATP
• Developing an
Organization and
Management System.
• Support for Agro-
Ecosystems Research
• Innovation in
Technology.

4. 'Innovations in Technology
Dissemination'
Department of
Agriculture and
Cooperation (DAC)
Indian Council for
Agricultural
Research (ICAR)

5. a) Increase the quality and type of technologies being disseminated
by the extension system, with an emphasis on:
• Location-specific recommendations for economically important
commodities and production systems;
• diversification and intensification of different farming systems
that would increase farm productivity and household incomes,
especially for resource poor and disadvantaged farmers; and
• Sustainability enhancing technologies, such as 1PM and NRM
that would help reduce production costs a while maintaining the
natural source base;
b) Enable the R-E system to become more demand a driven and
responsible to solving farmers' problems;
c) Strengthen research-extension-farmer (R-E-F) link-ages,
especially feedback;
AIMS…..

6. d) Increase the financial sustainability of the public extension
system;
e) Move toward shared ownership of the agricultural technology
system (ATS) by key stakeholders, including
• The producers themselves, especially resource poor, women,
and other disadvantaged groups of farmers,
• Central and state government agencies (ICAR DAC, SAUs, and
relevant line or development departments), and
• NGOs and private sector organizations'
f) Generate replicable experiences that can be documented,
analyzed, and then used in expanding this approach(s) to other
districts in future projects;
g) And develop new partnerships with the private institutions
including NGOs.

7. The Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) is an autonomous
organization registered under the “Societies Registration Act of 1860” responsible for
technology dissemination activities at the district level. It has linkages with all
departments of the government and research organisations as well as NGOs and
agencies associated with agricultural development in the district. The ATMA would
be a society of key stakeholders involved in agricultural activities for sustainable
agricultural development in the district
The central institutional innovation that emerged to address these system problems
was the Agricultural Technology Management Agency or “ATMA” model that was
introduced at the district level to:
Integrate extension programs across the line departments (i.e., more of a farming
systems approach),
Link research and extension activities within each district, and
Decentralize decision-making through “bottom-up” planning procedures that
would directly involve farmers and the private sector in planning and implementing
extension programs at the block and district-levels.
Agricultural Technology Management
Agency

8. Concept of “ATMA MODEL”/
Extension Reforms
It can receive and dispense government funds, enter into
contracts, maintain revolving funds, collect fees and
charge for services.
In addition, it operates under the direction and guidance
of a Governing Board (GB) that determines program
priorities and assesses program impacts. ATMA is
headed by the Project Director or PD under the NATP,
and reports directly to the GB as Member Secretary.
The PD helps coordinate and integrate all agricultural
research and extension activities carried out within
the district

9. Strategic Research and
Extension Plan (SREP)
• Prepared through participatory
methodologies such as
Participatory Rural Appraisal
(PRA) involving all the
stakeholders and farmers.
• Detailed analysis of all the
information on existing farming
systems in the district and
research –extension gaps
required to be filled-up
• Prioritizes the research–extension
strategies within the district. It
becomes the basis for
developments of work plans at
block / district level.
State Extension Work Plan
(SEWP)
• A consolidated activity-wise
plan incorporating all the
District Agriculture Action
Plans (DAAPs) in the state and
state level activities to be
carried out with activity-wise
budgetary requirement
• Indicate all other extension
activities that may be
undertaken from out of
resources provided under any
other scheme of the Centre/
State Governments.

10. ATMA Governing Board
• determines program priorities and assesses
program impacts
ATMA Management Committee
• coordinate and integrate research and
extension activities within the district

11. A R-E unit within the project district including KVKs, ZRSs or sub-stations, and the
key line departments including the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Animal
Husbandry (DAH), Horticulture (DOH) and Fisheries (D0F) are the constituent
members of ATMA. Each R-E unit retains its institutional identity and affiliation but
programmes and procedures concerning district wise R-E activities are determined
by the Governing Board of the ATMA, to be implemented by its Management
Committee.

13. Key Functions of Governing Board
• Review and approve Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP)
and annual action plans that are prepared and submitted by the
participating units.
• Receive and review annual reports presented by the participating
units, providing feedback and direction to them as needed, for
various research and extension activities being carried out within
the district.
• Receive and allocate project funds to carry out priority research,
extension and related activities within the district.
• Foster the organization and development of Farmers’ Interest
Groups (FIGs) and Farmers Organizations (FOs) within the district.
• Facilitate greater involvement of private sector firms and
organizations in providing inputs, technical support, agro-
processing and marketing services to farmers.
• Encourage agriculture lending institutions to increase the
availability of capital to resource poor and marginal farmers,
especially SC, ST and women farmers.

14. • Encourage each line department, plus the KVK and ZRS, to establish farmer
advisory committees to provide feedback and input for their respective R-E
Programmes.
• Enter into contracts and agreements as appropriate to promote and support
agricultural development activities within the district.
• Identify other sources of financial support that would help ensure the financial
sustainability of the ATMA and its participating units.
• Converge human and financial resources available for extension under different
schemes and programmes of DAC.
• Establish revolving funds / accounts for each participating unit, and encourage
each unit to make available technical services, such as artificial insemination or
soil testing, on a cost recovery basis moving towards full cost recovery in a
phased manner.
• Arrange for the periodic audit of ATMA’s financial accounts; and
• Adopt and amend the rules and by-laws for the ATMA.
• Hold meetings of ATMA GB every quarter or frequently.
• Any other functions that support effective functioning of ATMA in the district.

15. 1. Project Director of Agriculture Technology Management Agency Chairman
2. District Head of Dept., Agriculture Member
3. District Head of Dept., Horticulture Member
4. District Head of Dept., Animal Husbandry District Head of Dept., Animal
Husbandry
Member
5. District Head of Dept. Fisheries Member
6. District Head of Dept. Sericulture Member
8. Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Member
9. Head, Zonal Research Station Member
10. Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency Member
11. One representative of Farmers’ Organization promoted by an NGO Member
12. Representative of NGO, if any, involved in agricultural extension Member
13 District level NABARD Officer Member
14 Lead Bank Officer Member
15 A representative of trained input dealers who is also providing
extension services
Member
16. Two progressive farmers (one of whom should be a woman) Member
17. Two Deputy Project Directors One of the Dy.PDs will be
Member Secretary
M
A
N
A
G
E
M
E
T
C
O
M
I
T
T
E
E

16. Key functions of Management Committee (MC)
• Carryout periodic Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to identify the problems and
constraints faced by different socio-economic groups and farmers within the
district.
• Prepare an integrated, Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) for the district
that would specify short and medium term adaptive research as well as technology
validation and refinement and extension priorities for the district.
• Prepare annual District Agriculture Action Plans in consultation with DFAC which
would be submitted to the ATMA Governing Board for review, possible
modification and approval.
• Maintain appropriate project accounts for audit purposes.
• Coordinate the execution of these annual action plans through participant line
departments, ZRSs, KVKs, NGOs, FIGs / FOs and allied institutions, including
private sector firms.

17. • Establish coordinating mechanisms at the Block level, such as Farm
Information & Advisory Centres (FIACs) that would integrate
extension and technology transfer activities at the block and village
levels.
• Provide periodic performance reports as required by DAC to the
Governing Board outlining the various targets and achievements.
• Provide secretariat to Governing Board and initiate action on policy
direction, investment decisions and other guidance received from the
Governing Board.
• ATMA Management Committee shall meet once in a month to review
the progress in various blocks and submit the report to State Nodal
Cell/ DAC.

18. ATMA Personnel
The ATMA staffs include
•Project Director,
•a Deputy Project Director
(DPD),
• an Accountant,
• a Computer Operator,
• a Secretary-cum-
Stenographer,
•a Peon-cum-Watchman.

19. Operational Modality of ATMA

20. Farm Information and Advisory
Centres (FIAC)
• Farm Information and Advisory
Centers (FIAC) at block level manage
the key extension programmes within
the block and are considered as the
extension planning and operational
arm of ATMA.
• The FIAC team prepares Block Action
Plans (BAPs) with detailed extension
activities to be undertaken.
• This plan is approved by the FAC
before being forwarded to the ATMA
Management Committee (AMC) for
ensuring that these plans are
technically and administratively
feasible, and consistent with the
SREP, which then forwards it to
Governing Board (GB) for approval.
BTT FAC SREP

21. Block Technology Team (BTT)
• (BTTs) include technical
officers from the line
departments
• The senior most officer within
the block serves as the head or
convener of the BTT.
• The role of the BTT is to
develop a comprehensive
extension program (called a
Block Action Plan) that is
consistent with farmer needs.
Farmer Advisory Committee
(FAC)
• These FAC are composed
entirely of farmers who
represent different socio-
economic categories of
farmers within the block.
• The FAC reviews and approves
the annual BAP, monitors and
provides feedback to the BTT
on its implementation.
• Another important function is
to organize FIGs in other
villages in their area.

22. Extension Mechanism at Village Level
Farmers Organization (FO)
Farmers groups are encouraged at village level
and these groups in turn, evolve into
Commodity Associations (CAs), Marketing
Cooperatives and other types of FOs at the
block and district level. At village level Farmer
Interest Groups (FIGs) and Women Interest
Groups (WIGs) are effectively involved in the
preparation of group action plans, which
were later integrated into the block action
plans.

23. Strategy
Directorate of Extension (DOE), Department of
Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)
MANAGE
SAMETI
National Level Committee (NLC)
 State level inter departmental working group
(IDWG)

24. Directorate of Extension (DOE), Department of
Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)
• Day-to-day monitoring of project activities;
• Coordination with participating agencies.
• coordination with state/ district level societies;
• Monitoring physical and financial progress under the project. Evaluating
and analyzing the performance of executing agencies providing feedback
information to such agencies to enable them take corrective measures
consistent with project objectives;
• Carrying out in filed review of project, providing technical guidance,
organizing review workshops;
• Initiating actions on policy directives and guidance received from project
management unit and technology dissemination management committee;
• Hiring and retaining experts and consultants wherever necessary, to assist
in monitoring, technical of examination and evaluation; and
• commissioning studies wherever necessary on aspects related to
technology dissemination under NATP

25. Role of MANAGE
• Developing investment plans in the 24 districts identified for pilot
projects;
• Developing organization and management (O&M) plans for selected
districts;
• Conducting skill gap analysis of the district functionaries in the
agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry departments and developing
training / HRD plans for the selected districts;
• Conducting training for project functionaries of agriculture and line
departments with focus on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA);
• Developing Strategic Research and Extension Plans (SREP) for the selected
districts based on the PRA;
• Developing technical material / operational guide-lines / manuals for
implementation of the dissemination component; and
• Developing training modules for NATP requirements both at MANAGE as
well as for SAMETIs

26. Role of SAMETI
– To function as a mini-MANAGE at the state level and
provide extension input for extension functionaries;
– To provide the consultancy in areas like project planning,
appraisal, implementation etc;
– Develop and promote the application of management tools
for improving the effectiveness of Agricultural Extension
services through better management of human and
material resources;
– Organize need based training programme for middle level
and grass-root level agricultural extension functionaries;
and
– Management, Communication, Participatory
Methodologies etc. as a sequel to the feedback from
training programmes.

27. State level inter departmental working group
• To provide a mechanism for interactions with the technology
dissemination management committee (TDMC) of the DAC, GOI,
guide the human re-source development activity and to monitor
the district level technology dissemination programme
• To oversee and support Agricultural Extension Re-search activities
being undertaken by ATMA and to make policy interventions on
inter departmental matters and co-ordination thereof.
• To promote and establish integrated approach in Transfer of
technology at state, division and district level by agriculture and
line departments;
• To internalize new concepts and institutional arrangements
successfully demonstrated by the ATMAs; and
• To deal with any other policy issue related to implementation of the
project which emerge from time

28. • Agriculture Production Commissioner / Secretary Agriculture - Chairperson
• Secretary (Finance) - Member
• Secretary (Animal husbandry) - ---do------
• Secretary (Fisheries) - ---do------
• Secretary (Horticulture) - ---do------
• Secretary (Rural development) - ---do------
• Secretary (Soil conservation) - ---do------
• Secretary (Women development) - ---do------
• Secretary's of related departments (Wherever necessary) - ---do------
• Vice Chancellor(s) of SAU(s) - ---do------
• Chairman, ATMA - ---do------
• Secretary (Agri.) / deputy Secretary (Agri.) - Member secretary

29. 1. Creating Farmer Advisory Committees to improve Feedback
2. Using NGOs to organize farmers
3. Encouraging Private Sector Involvement in Technology Transfer
4. Validating and Refining Technology
5. Bottom-Up Planning Procedures
6. Increased Use of Information Technology
7. In-Service Training
8. Developing New Public-Private Partnerships
ATMA aims at………

30. PROJECT INVESTMENTS
• Technical Assistance (TA)
 Planning Institutional and
Operational Reforms
 Developing Models and Materials
.for Organising Farmer- Groups:
 Organising farmers within Pilot
Districts
 Monitoring and Evaluation of Pilot
Districts :
• Operational Expenses
 On-farm research costs
 Extension demonstration costs
 Travel budget for research and
extension personnel units
 Communications Expenses
• Civil Works
• Equipment
 Computer and related equipment
 Training and communications
equipment
 Diagnostic equipment
 On -farm research and
demonstration equipment
 Tentative equipment
• Vehicles
• Training
 Technical training for KVK, ZRS, and
SMS personnel
 Management Training
 Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
and District Planning Procedures
 PRA and Planning Procedures
 Organising Farmers

31. DISTRICT STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND
EXTENSION PLAN
• The diagnostic section
• The technical section
• Technology
dissemination

32. Implementation of SREP
Governing
Board
Management
Committee
Technology
Dimension Unit
TDMCReleasing Funds

33. Coordination of implementation, maintenance of accounts and compliance
with agreed monitoring and reporting commitments will be the ultimate
responsibility of the Project Director ATMA. The Project Director will draw
necessary support, advice or authority from (i) the ATMA Chairman, (ii)
authorities at State Level Inter-Departmental Working Group and (iii) the TDU
/ TDMC / DMC of the NATP National Steering Committee at the national level
to help resolve any problems falling beyond his /her competence.
The ATMA Management Committee will be authorized to release project
funds onwards to the public / private partners in the agreed activities
included in the framework of the district extension plan and will maintain
separate accounts / sub accounts partner-wise and activity-wise. The
accounts (audited by chartered accountants) and reimbursement claims will
then be routed to the TDU through the State Department of Agriculture for
onward transmission.

34. District level
activities
Farmer
oriented
activities
Farm
information
dissemination
R-E-F linkages
administrative
expenses
Cafeteria of
Activities

35. Policy Parameters Governing the
Cafeteria:
• Multi-agency extension strategies:
• Farming system approach:
• Farmer Centric Extension Services
• Convergence:
• Mainstreaming Gender Concern
• Sustainability of Extension Services:

36. Evaluation reports of NATP-ATMA- ITD pilot testing
More than 10,800 crop or product-based FIGs had been organized at
village level, with 85 FAs or FFs being organized at the block and district
levels.
Approximately 700,000 farmers, including over 100,000 women
farmers, directly benefited from these new extension programs through a
combination of exposure visits, farmer training courses, on-farm trials,
demonstrations and so forth.
More than 250 farmer-led, successful innovations had been
implemented and documented within the ATMA districts (IIM-Lucknow,
2004b).
Many ATMAs, such as in Maharashtra, developed strong partnerships
with private sector firms, ranging from poultry marketing; organic
farming; the production, processing and marketing of medicinal &
aromatic crops and export commodities (basmati rice, baby corn, snow
peas, etc.); to jointly operating Information Technology (IT) kiosks in
collaboration with block-level FIACs.

37. ATMA programs have contributed directly to increased rural employment
through agricultural diversification, such as the production, processing and
marketing of high-value, labour intensive crops and products, such as
vegetables, mushrooms, vermi-composting, floriculture, medicinal plants,
fisheries, poultry, dairy and beekeeping.
Finally, ATMAs have promoted eco-friendly, sustainable agricultural
technologies, such as integrated pest management (IPM); Integrated Nutrient
Management (INM); organic farming; and the use of water conservation
practices, including well recharging, converting from water intensive crops,
such as paddy and wheat, to water extensive crops, such as vegetables,
floriculture, maize, oilseeds and pulses. Also, all ATMAs have promoted the
use of microirrigation systems.

38. Challenges/ constraints in the
implementation
• Legal Framework
• Strengthening Local-level Management
Capacity
• Improving Technical Capacity
• Operational-level Funding

39. Some specific problems faced by ATMA at field
level
• Operationalization of BTT is a major problem before
• The BDO (superior officer to BTT Convenor) did not come under the
purview of ATMA and he had little understanding of the concept leading
to weak performance in some blocks.
• Convergence of various Central and State sponsored programmes with its
activities is difficult in absence of clear cut policy directives from the state
government.
• functions ATMA GB is required to meet regularly on quarterly basis, but
meetings of Governing Board are not regular in the districts. Attendance
in GB meetings is also an issue, especially with respect to official members.
• IDWG is not very effective in providing leadership to the ATMA activities .
• The role of SAMETI in a project state was to function as mini-MANAGE
for PIAs it however barring a few cases it did not properly cater to the
HRD needs of the ATMAs. Most positions in SAMETI are vacant for
varying periods.
• In case of the State Nodal Officer appointed to coordinate between ATMA
& State Govt., much needs to be done.