IFPRI organized a two day workshop on “Agricultural Extension Reforms in South Asia – Status, Challenges, and Policy Options” to be organized at Committee Room 3, NASC, Pusa, New Delhi on February 17-18, 2015. IFPRI has been conducting research related to agricultural extension reforms in India and collaborating with researchers in other south Asian countries for the past five years through various projects. For understanding extension reforms in India, a major consultation was held in NAARM in 2009 during which policy makers called for development of evidence for spreading extension reform process in India. Since then several research papers have been produced on various aspects of Indian extension system. While they are presented in various forms including several discussion papers, there is a need to pull all the research result together to present it in form that could be used by the policy makers to further guide them in the reform process. South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are going through similar challenges in getting knowledge to farmers. Several experiment shave been conducted to test new approaches to extension by the public, private and NGO sectors. Learning from each country experiences will bring collective understanding and knowledge for the policy makers who are attempting to bring changes in the reform process. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together a groups of researchers, analysts and policy makers to present the issues, constraints and challenges facing agricultural extension reforms that are being implemented in South Asian countries.

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Nutrition in Agricultural
Extension
Suresh Babu

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Adapted from: Gillespie, Harris, & Kadiyala,
Nutrition-sensitive development pathways

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Agriculture – Nutrition integration
strategy
• Current set of capacity development activities
• What capacities are needed for the successful
integration of nutrition in Agriculture
programs
• What need based training and learning
activities need to be developed for
sustainability
• Scaling up the adoption and adaptation of
intervention
• Looking Ahead in next five to ten years

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Opportunities for Nutrition Extension through
ATMA
Extension facilitators at field level:
• Agril. and veterinary extension functionaries
• BTMs, ATMs and farmer friend
• Progressive farmers
• Group leaders (SHGs and FIGs)
• Input dealers
• Agri-preneurs
• KVK – Scientists
• State Gender Coordinator

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Opportunities for Nutrition
Extension
• Opportunities for Nutrition Extension through ATMA Capacity
building
• SREP Preparation
• Nutrition GAPs
• Nutrition training to SAMETI faculty who in turn trains
agriculture and allied sector functionaries at the district and
block level
• Nutrition education to farmer friend
• Simple nutrition modules for training the women groups, FIGs
and progressive farmers

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Opportunities for Nutrition
Extension
• Channels for Integrating Nutrition Extension:
Kisan Call Centre (KCC) - 1800 180 1551
• Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for
Input Dealers (DAESI )
• Agri Clinics and Agri Business Centres (AC ABC)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Agricultural
Extension Management (PGDAEM) •
• Farm Information Dissemination (15% of total
budget) • Farmer Portal (farmer.gov.in)

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Technical Content
• Concept of Food and Nutritional security (FNS)
• Foods group and nutrients, balanced diet
• Nutritional deficiencies and prevention
• Safe storage and post-harvest methods
• Food Safety (Farm to table), Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene
• Role of Urban Agriculture and Edible Greening

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Technical Content
• Role of Women in ensuring F & N Security of
the Rural Households
• Right cooking practices, Nutrition Gardening
• Low cost food processing technologies for
women/ women groups
• Group work - identifying the crops and
livestock grown locally and planning a menu
• Group work – developing messages for
nutrition extension by the BTMs and ATMs.

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Methodology for Nutrition Extension
• Participatory methods for analyzing the existing nutritional
status of the community – nutrition mapping
• Identification of deficiency disorders, vulnerable groups
• Analysis of resources - crops, fruits and vegetables, livestock –
• community and individual level
• Understanding the myths, cultural / local food preferences
• Identifying the local groups and leaders – SHGs, Farmers
• organizations, mothers committee, progressive farmers etc.,

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Methodology
• Developing simple modules with messages on Nutrition
• Education to different categories of community
• Training the nutrition facilitators- a cadre of “Community
Hunger Fighters”
• Promoting traditional foods with good shelf life.
• Promoting collective farming by women groups – Red Gram,
• Jowar, Bajra, Ragi etc., sharing and utilizing the produce for
• household consumption
• Competitions for women farmers in preparation of nutritious
recipes using the local foods

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Programs for integration
• 1. Integrated Child Development Services
(ICDS) 2. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme For
Empowerment Of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)-
Sabla 3. Indra Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana
(IGMSY) 4. Mid Day Meal (MDM) 5.
Reproductive and Child Healthcare (RCH)
Services 6. Anaemia Control Programme 7.
Vitamin – A Supplementation Programme 8.
National Rural Health Mission

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Program for integration
• Programme for Elimination of Iodine
Deficiency Disorders 10. National Vector
Borne Diseases Control Programme (Kala-azar)
11. National Vector Borne Diseases Control
Programme (Malaria and Filariasis) 12.
Revised National Tuberculosis Control
Programme (RNTCP) 13. National AIDS Control
Programme 14. Integrated Disease
Surveillance Programme (IDSP) 15. Blindness
Control Programme

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TNAU – UG NUTRITION Curriculum
GAP
• • B.Sc. (Agriculture): Nil • B.Sc.(Forestry) : Nil
• B.Sc.(Horticulture) Classification and
Nutritive value of horticultural crops
Nutrition garden, kitchen garden and other
types of gardens •
• B.Tech. (Food Process Engineering
• B.Sc (Home Science) Fundamentals of
Nutrition Therapeutic Nutrition Six Food
Science courses MOST OF THE EXTENSION
OFFICERS COME FROM BSC ( AGRICULTURE)

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Figure 1: Conceptual Framework for Developing a Curriculum to Achieve Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages
Nutritional Challenges of
Agricultural Communities
Agriculture-Nutrition
Curriculum
Locality-Specific Design of
the Curriculum
Nature of Agricultural
Extension Systems and
Nutrition Programming
Nutrition-Informed
Agricultural Communities
Problem Identification Content/Curriculum Needs Conditioning Factors Contextual Factors for
Inclusive Extension
Developmental Outcomes
Obesity: men, women,
children
Nutritive value of food Subsistence/
commercialization of
agriculture
Agricultural extension
department (state
government)
Increasing Production and
Income
Consumption pattern
changes: high-value
agriculture, fat, sugar
Monitoring nutritional
status/indicators of nutrition
Systems of organization of
production activities (e.g.,
contract farming, public
procurement)
KVKs (farm science
centers) at central, state, and
district government levels
Children under 5 years of
age: stunting, wasting,
underweight
Study of consumption
patterns/nutritional intake
through dietary surveys
Agroecology/ natural
resource constraints (e.g.,
endowment, water, soil,
rainfall)
Integrated child
development services
(social welfare at the village
level)
Agriculture and Nutrition
Outcomes
Balanced diet: food and
nutrition security
Biofortification principles
and solutions
Market linkages to nutritive
foods and their supply
Nongovernmental
organization/private sector
actors
Specific vitamin
deficiencies: iron, vitamin
A, iodine
Contextualization and
decentralization of nutrition
problems and nutrition
solutions
Locality-specific
(decentralized) nutritional
issues and their potential
solutions
University
extension/outreach
programs (research stations,
district level)
Balanced Diet and
Nutrition
General micronutrient
malnutrition: “hidden
hunger”
Market-based solutions to
address nutrition challenges,
(e.g., value chain approach)
Currently existing nutrition
intervention programs (e.g.,
for children, pregnant/
lactating mothers, elderly
population)
Agricultural Technology
Management Agency
(ATMA)—state/district/
block levels
Agriculture and nutrition
interaction: creating a
nutritional imbalance in
communities
Systems thinking to link
agriculture system to
nutrition outcome
Local institutions (nature of,
functions)
Other sectors interacting
with agriculture
Source: Authors’ compilation.

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Figure 1: Mapping of Channels of Nutrition Education from National to Village Levels
Source: Authors’ compilation.
*Face-to-face consultations with relevant officials for the study.
ICAR = Indian Council on Agricultural Research; SAU = state agricultural university; KVK = farm science center; ATMA = Agricultural Technology Management Agency;
PDS = Public Distribution System; ICDS = Integrated Child Development Services.
National Level State Level District Block Village
ICAR* SAUs* KVKs* Farmers*
Ministry of
Agriculture*
Ministry of
Consumer
Affairs, Food,
and Public
Distribution
Ministry of
Social Justice
and
Empowerment
Ministry of
Health and
Family
Welfare
Department of
Agriculture
Extension*
ATMA*
PDS/Food
Stocks and
Nation Social
Welfare
Program
National
Health/Disease
Prevention
Program
State
Department of
Extension*
ATMA*
PDS Based on
Poverty Levels
Noon Meal
Scheme
State-Level
Health Programs
Maternal/Children
District
Agriculture
Officer*
ATMA*
District PDS
Office*
District-Level
Monitoring
System*
Block
Extension*
ATMA*
Block-Level
District Plot
Centers*
Block-Level
Extension
Officers*
Farmers
Friend
PDS Outlets*
Primary
Middle High
Schools*
Primary
Health Care
Material*
District Health
Centers
Primary
Health Care
Facility
ICDS
Centers*
HouseholdNutritionWelfare
Child
Nutrition
Programs*

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Figure 1: Curriculum Strategy at the District Level Using Nutrition Security Conceptual Framework
Basic
(20 minutes)
Intermediate
(20 minutes)
Immediate
(20 minutes)
Module 1 on basic
causes
Module 2 on
basic causes
Module 1 on
intermediate causes
Module 2 on
Intermediate causes
Module 1 on
immediate causes
Module 2 on
immediate causes
Module 1 on basic
solutions
Module 2 on
basic solutions
Module 1 on
intermediate
solutions causes
Module 2 on
intermediate
solutions causes
Module 1 on
immediate solutions
Module 2 on
immediate
solutions
Nutrition Security
Quality and quantity
of care
Material and child
care practice
Household
income/expenditures
in food
Access to food Health environment
and services
Intermediate
Causes
Immediate
Causes
Access and quantity
of quality of health,
sanitation and water
Food security Dietary intake Health status
Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Policies that encourage Policies and programs that
increase
Policies that improve
 Food production
 Income generation
 Transfer food in-kind
 Caregiver access
 Caregivers’ resource control
 Caregivers’ knowledge,
adoption and practice
 Adequate sanitation
 Safe water supply
 Health care availability
 Environment
safety/shelter
Basic Causes
Causes
Modules
Solutions
Modules
Source: Adapted from Babu et al. 2014.

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Figure 1: Strategy for the Development of a Nutrition-Smart Agricultural Extension Curriculum
Curriculum Design Opportunities
and Options
Extension Functionaries Training Institutions/Functions
Curriculum Development/
Dean’s Committee
Nutrition/Agriculture Extension/State
Universities/Faculties of Agriculture/
Home Science Colleges
Curriculum Designed for
the District by SAUs and
KVKs
Curriculum Contextualized
for the Block and Village
Levels
Village Level
National Level/Ministry of
Agriculture
State ATMA/Extension
System/Training Scheme
District-Level Agriculture
Extension/ATMA
Committee
Block-Level Agriculture
Extension/Technology
Officer
Farmers Friends/
Village Extension
Workers
ICAR Institution/
NAARM/MANAGE
SAUs/State Training
Centers
KVKs District Farms Training
Centers/Training/Programs for
Block-Level Extension Workers
Training of Trainers/
Farmers Friends
Household Nutrition StatusFarmer Field Schools Training Programs
Source: Author (Suresh Babu of IFPRI).
ICAR = Indian Council on Agricultural Research; NAARM = National Academy for Agricultural Research Management; MANAGE = National Institute for Agricultural
Extension Management; SAU = state agricultural university; KVK = farm science center; ATMA = Agricultural Technology Management Agency.

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Primary Targets
• Rural Extension Workers •
• Subject Matter Specialists (Krishi Vigyan Kendras) •
• Extension departments of Home Science college of
Agricultural University •
• Subject Matter Specialists (Bihar Govt.) •
• Anganwadi workers • Lady Supervisors •
• Accredited social health activists (ASHA) •
• Auxillary Nurse Midwife (ANM) • Kisan Mitra •
• Village level workers (VLW) •
• Agricultural Extension Officer • Block Extension Officer • Block
Agricultural Officer • District Agricultural Officer

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What is needed?
• Identifying problems, developing contextual
solutions, implement interventions, monitor and
evaluate the programs, refine the programs and
policies
• Institutional development and organizational needs
for adoption of nutrition knowledge in programming
• Policy analysis and research capacity for developing
enabling environment for integration of nutrition in
agriculture research and extension

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Some Next Steps for Discussion
• Needs assessment at the national level with specific
contextual needs and opportunities
• Identify short, medium, and long run strategic activities –
State extension systems, centrally sponsored schemes, and
national nutrition interventions outside agriculture
• Strategic interventions at all levels – research, education
extension and outreach
• Intervention through filling the needs of public, private and
NGO sectors.