The document summarizes four major extension systems in India: 1) The first line extension system established by ICAR in 1971. 2) Extension systems run by the Ministry of Agriculture and state departments. 3) Systems run by the Ministry of Rural Development and state departments. 4) Development work by voluntary organizations. It then provides details on four major transfer of technology projects under the first line extension system: the All India Coordinated Project on National Demonstrations, Operational Research Project, Krishi Vigyan Kendra program, and Lab to Land Project. Krishi Vigyan Kendras were established in 1974 as grassroots institutions for training farmers and disseminating agricultural technologies.

1. Systems of Extension in India
Dr. Rajinder Kaur Kalra
Professor and Head (Rtd.)
Department of Extension
Education PAU

2. Introduction
Four major organizational streams
1. The first line extension system
2. Extension system of the Ministry of Agriculture and the
state Departments of agriculture
3. Extension Systems of the Ministry of Rural
Development and the state Development Departments
4. Development work by the voluntary organizations

3. First-Line Extension System
• ICAR established a section of Extension Education
at its headquarter in 1971
• Later on strengthened and renamed as Division of
Agricultural Extension
• To enforce functional relationship down the line in
the research, Education and Extension

4. TOT Projects of the ICAR
• Four main Transfer of Technology Projects of the
ICAR
 All India Coordinated Project on National
Demonstrations (AICPND)
 Operational Research Project (ORP)
 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)
 Lab to Land Project (LLP)

5. All India Coordinated Project on
National Demonstrations (AICPND)
National Demonstrations (ND) on major food crops was
launched in 1964
• Rationale
 Unless the scientists could demonstrate what they
advocated, their advice might not be heeded by the
farmers

6. Conti….
• Four major aspects
1. Specific yield target and no separate control plot
near the demonstration
2. Area of the demonstration plot was about one
hectare
3. The farmers in whose plots the demonstrations were
laid out were the actual cultivators with small
holdings
4. The agricultural scientists conducted these
demonstrations in association with local extension
agencies

7. Objectives
• To demonstrate convincingly to farmers and extension
workers and encourage them to adopt/popularize these
technologies for accelerating the production.
• To fully exploit these demonstrations for the purpose of
training farmers and field extension workers
• To provide the research workers a first hand knowledge
of the problems
• To determine the income and employment generation
potentialities
• To influence extension system (state departments of
agriculture, voluntary organizations etc.)

8. Operational Research Project (ORP)
• The ORP was launched in 1975 by the ICAR.
 Aim
1. ORP was to demonstrate the technologies to the
farmers and the extension workers on a watershed
basis to evoke community action and participation.
2. socio-economic development of farmers with an
integrated approach
3. Improving health hygiene and nutrition etc. by
utilizing local available resources.

9. Conceptual framework
• To demonstrating the impact of new technologies on
a large scale involving a whole village
• To involve inter institutional and interdisciplinary
approach
• Consider two kind of problems
1. The common agricultural problems
2. Total resource development

10. Objectives
1. To test, adopt and demonstrate the new agricultural
technologies in farmer's field in a cluster
2. To calculate profitability of the new technology
3. To identify socio-economic constraints affecting
transfer of new technologies
4. To demonstrate group action

11. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK)
• KVK’s are grass root level institutions designed
• to impart need based,
• skill-oriented,
• short and long term vocational training to farmers, extension
workers and to male, female, rich/poor, illiterate, literate farmers.
• Who intend to go for self employment. Learning is provided through
work experience. Learning is provided to work experience.

12. Conti…
• KVK, is an integral part of the National Agricultural
Research System (NARS),
• Aims at assessment of location specific technology
modules in agriculture and allied enterprises
• KVKs have been functioning as Knowledge and Resource
Centre of agricultural technology
• linking the NARS with extension system and farmers.

13. History
• The first KVK was established in 1974
in Pondicherry under Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University. Since then, KVKs have been established
in all states, and the number continues to grow.
• As of January 2020, there were approximately 721
KVKs throughout India

14. Design of KVK

15. Objectives
• To organize on and off campus training
programmes for farmers, rural women, youth, and
officers of the Department of Agriculture
• To organize short and long term vocational
training courses
• To arrange front-line demonstrations and on-farm
trials at farmer’s fields

16. Mandates
• On-farm testing to identify the location specificity of
agricultural technologies under various farming
systems.
• Frontline demonstrations to establish its production
potentials on the farmers’ fields.
• Training of farmers to update their knowledge and
skills.

17. Conti…
• To work as resource and knowledge centre of
agricultural technology for supporting initiatives of
public, private and voluntary sector for improving the
agricultural economy of the district.
• To conduct large number of extension activities in order
to create awareness about improved technology.

18. Lab to Land Programme
• The Lab to Land Programme (LLP) was launched by the
ICAR in 1979 as a part of its Golden Jubilee celebration.
• Overall objective of the programme was to improve the
economic condition of the small and marginal farmers
and landless agricultural labourers, particularly scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes, by transfer of improved
technology developed by the agricultural universities
research institutes etc

19. Objectives
• Study and understand the background and resources
of the selected farmers and landless agricultural
labourers.
• Assist the farmers to develop feasible farm plans
keeping in view the availability of technologies,
needs and resources of the farmers
• Guide and help the farmers in adopting improved
technologies

20. • Organize training programmes and other
extension activities
• Make the farmers aware of the various opportunities and
agencies
• Develop functional relations and linkages with the
scientists and institutions for future guidance
• Utilize this project as a feedback mechanism for the
agricultural scientists and extension functionaries

21. Reorganized KVK System
• All first line transfer of technology projects of the ICAR
viz. ND, ORP and LLP have been integrated with the
KVK from 1st April, 1992
• Major mandates of KVK are:
• Training programme
• Frontline demonstrations
• On-farm testing

22. Thank You