Prime Minister awarded Krishi Sakhi certificates to more than 30,000 women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Varanasi.
Krishi Sakhis
- Krishi Sakhis are practicing farmers and trained para extension professional in agriculture at grassroot level.
- Agriculture Extension system support farmers and rural producers in applying scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through education, training and information.
- Role: To be farmers’ friend at their doorstep with all necessary information, skills and abilities to guide farmers on various aspects of natural farming, providing capacity building and skilling in emerging areas of natural farming and soil health management.
Krishi Sakhi Convergence Program (KSCP)
- Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) and Ministry of Rural Development jointly launched the Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme (KSCP).
- Aim: To transform rural India through the empowerment of rural Women as Krishi Sakhi, by imparting training and certification of Krishi Sakhis as Para-extension Workers.
- It aims to create 70,000 Krishi Sakhis on natural farming and soil health management in a phased manner.
- Part of Lakhpati Didi program: Under Lakhpati Didi program, the aim is to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis, one dimension of which is Krishi Sakhi.
- Implementation: It has been rolled out in 12 States in Phase – 1: Gujarat, Tanil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Meghalaya.
- Presently, over 34,000 Krishi Sakhis out of 70,000 have been certified as Para-extension Workers.
National Mission on Agriculture Extension and Technology (NMAET): Introduced to enable delivery of technology and improve current agronomic practices of farmers under four sub missions, namely:
- Sub Mission on Agricultural Extension (I)
- Sub Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)
- Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
- Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine (SMPP).
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs): KVKs are field research units of the ICAR and are meant to test new seed varieties, agronomic practices, machinery etc. in field conditions across different agro-climatic zones before these are cleared for adoption by farmers.
- Additionally, they conduct farmer outreach programmes through on-farm demonstration plots, training etc.