Lok Sabha Question No. 640 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Setting-up of KVKs
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: DNV Senthilkumar. S., Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Ganesan Selvam, C.N. Annadurai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 640 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## SETTING-UP OF KVKS

640.   DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR S.: SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI: SHRI SELVAM G.: SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE: SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the country including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andaman and Nicobar Islands;

(b) whether the Government proposes to set up more Krishi Vigyan Kendras;

- (c) if so, the details of the locations identified to set up such Kendras, State/UT-wise including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of the steps taken by the Government to upgrade the infrastructure of KVKs across the country for better services to the farmers, State/UT-wise;
- (e) whether the Union Government has reviewed the working of KVKs and if so, the outcome thereof;
- (f) the number of KVKs under the control of the State Governments, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), NGOs and Agricultural Universities, respectively; and
- (g)  whether any techniques/methods have been implemented beyond the pilot/test plot in respect of the research conducted at ICAR during the last three years, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

- (a): The total number of KVKs in the country are 731 including those in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andman & Nicobar Islands.

(b) & (c): National Commission on Agriculture (1976) in its report on 'Research, Education and Extension', recommended to have one KVK in each district.  Opening of new KVKs in newly created districts is a continuous process as per the prescribed procedure and guidelines.

(d): The KVKs are provided with basic infrastructure facilities like, administrative building, farmers' hostel, demonstration units, equipment and farm machineries. As per requirement, KVKs have also been strengthened with infrastructure facilities like, pulses  seed  hubs,  soil  testing  kits,  micro-irrigation  systems,  Integrated  Farming Systems units, farm machineries and equipment, district Agro-Met Units, etc.

(e): Third  Party  evaluation  of  Krishi  Vigyan  Kendras  (KVKs)  was  carried  out  by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through National Institute of Labour Economics  Research  and  Development  (NILERD),  an  autonomous  institute  under NITI Aayog, in 2015. The major observations and findings of this evaluation were as below: -

- It  was  observed  that  KVKs  are  playing  proactive  role  in  transferring  new technology at field level with beneficial impacts.
- The KVKs have an edge in technology transfer over other service providers by virture of having better technical expertise and demonstration abilities.
- About  40  percent  farmers  reported  that  they  implemented  the  technology immediately after its dissemination by KVK and that 25 percent did so from the next agricultural season.
- On an average a KVK covers 43 villages and 4300 farmers per year. 80% of villages covered are 10 km away from KVK.
- 96% farmers' requests were attended by KVKs.
- 42% technologies adopted by farmers resulted in higher productivity, 33% resulted in high harvest income and 20% resulted in drudgery reduction.
- About 25% of persons trained started self-employment ventures.
- With the intervention by KVKs, about 80 percent of the farmers have modified their agricultural patterns which were related to diversification of crops and  changes in  cropping  pattern,  seed  planting  technique,  use  of  fertilizers  and  pesticides, changes in machinery used and in water use pattern.

Again in 2020, ICAR conducted a study on impact evaluation of KVKs through Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals, New Delhi. Major findings of the study were as below:

- On an average, KVK outreach found to be around 90-100 villages. With its strong ICT interventions, the outreach to villages increases to even 200 villages per KVK.

- There is increase in outreach programs by KVKs from 2012-13 to 2019-20 in number of  on farm  trials  by  51%  frontlines  demonstrations  by  61%  farmers trained by 16% and extension personnel trained by 35%.
- There is increase in proportion of farm women in trainings from 30% in 201213 to 37% in 2019-20.
- There is 142% increase in the number of short message sent from 2012-13 to 2019-20. Similarly, there is increase in the number of the farmers covered from the year 2012-13 to 2019-20 by 135% with the advent of the digital technologies such as WhatsApp group, Facebook group which has increased the outreach by 4 times.
- There is 32% increase seed production and 117% increase in planting material production by KVKs during the said period.

(f): The number of KVKs under State Government, ICAR, NGO and Agricultural Universities are 38, 66, 101 and 509 respectively.

(g): The technologies developed out of research conducted by ICAR are taken to farmers' fields for its assessment by KVKs to ascertains their location specificity under various farming systems. KVKs also conduct large number of technology demonstrations  at  farmers'  fields  for  their  adoption  by  the  farmers.  The  KVKs conducted 1.20 lakh assessment trials of technologies at farmers' fields and 8.09 lakh demonstrations on different technologies related to crops, livestock, fisheries, farm machineries and other enterprises during the last three years.

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