Governance Schemes in Agriculture: Overview

Governance Schemes in Agriculture: Overview

Question: SMAM/Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation is one of the many agricultural governance initiatives that have changed the face of Indian agriculture. Discuss the schemes adopted in this field by the Union Government.

- SMAM/Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation has been implemented through the National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology

SMAM has the following components:

- Promotion and Strengthening of Agricultural Mechanisation via Training, Testing and Demonstration: Aim for ensuring performance testing of agricultural machinery and equipment, farmers’ capacity building and end users for promotion of farm mechanisation via demos

- Demonstration Training and Distribution of Post Harvest Technology and Management/PHTM: Popularising technology for primary processing, value addition and reasonable scientific storage/transport and crop by product management via demos, farmers capacity building and that of end users; GoI provides financial assistance for establishment of PHT units

- Financial Assistance for Procurement of Agriculture Machinery and Equipment: Promotes ownership of numerous agricultural machinery equipments as per assistance norms

- Setting up Farm Machinery Banks for Customising Hiring: Provides suitable financial help to set up Farm Machinery Banks for Custom Hiring for relevant locations and crops

- Set up Hi Tech, High Productive Equipment Hub for Customised Hiring: This provides financial assistance for establishing high tech machinery hubs for high value crops such as cotton and sugarcane

- Promotion of Farm Mechanisation in Relevant Villages: This provides financial assistance for the promotion of appropriate technologies and establishing Farm Machinery Banks in identified villages in states experiencing low mechanisation

- Financial Assistance for Promotion of Mechanised Operations/hectare basis to beneficiaries hiring machinery/equipments from custom hiring centres in areas with low mechanisation

- Promotion of Farm Machinery and Equipment in NE Region: This is for extending financial help to beneficiaries in NE states where there is high potential and low mechanisation

- To result in knowledge increase and awareness amidst farmers for enhancing production as well as productivity of numerous crops, GoI has proposed numerous programmes such as the following:

- Front Line Demonstrators and Extension through network of Krishi Vigyan Kendras

- National Mission of Agricultural Extension and Technology

- National Food Security Mission

- Soil Health Management Scheme

- Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture

- Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India

- Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

- NMAET is implemented through Sub Mission on Agriculture Extension, Sub-Mission on Seed and Planting Material, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation and Sub-Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine

- SMAE focusses on creation of awareness and enhanced appropriate technology in agriculture and allied sector

- ATMA(Agricultural Technology Management Agency) is the scheme using SMAE of NMAET. Scheme is implemented in 29 states and 3 UTs of the nation

- Decentralised farmer driven and farmer accountable extension system for technology dissemination is the focus of this scheme

- ATMA encourages multi-agency, broad based extension strategies execution and implementation on district level

- As per the Scheme grant, state governments have to work on their extension systems and make agricultural technologies in different thematic areas for increasing production and crop productivity through demonstrations, training demonstrators and exposure visits, kisan melas, farmer scientists interactions, mobilisation of farmer interest groups and establishing farm schools through field of progressive farmers; GoI also creates awareness via print and electronic media

- Kisan Call Centre Scheme is also implemented across the nation for farmer benefits; main scheme of aim is answering farmer queries

- Central Sector Scheme “Establishment of Agri Clinics and Agri Business Centers” supplements efforts of public extension, supporting agricultural development and gainful self employment opportunities for unemployed youths through qualification in agriculture and allied sectors

- Agri-prenuers have also been trained under the scheme

- NFSM is a mission encompassing cluster demos of rice, wheat , pulses on improved package and practices, demo on cropping system, cropping system based training of farmers, seed distribution of HYV and agri inputs

- GoI has approved crop developmental programme on jute, cotton, sugarcane for enhancing production and productivity of commercial crops from 2014-2015

- Demo on High Density Planting System in cotton on inter-cropping with pulses, oilseeds, cereals and sugarcane to enhance crop production and productivity

- Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India was initiated for addressing the constraint linking productivity of rice based cropping system in Eastern India (7 states comprising Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Eastern UP).

- Medium and long term strategies for asset building activities of water conservation and utilisation through short term strategies associated with Transfer of Technologies of major cereals in BGREI districts

- Under the Soil Health Management Scheme, farmers are trained for judicious fertiliser use

- MIDH involves capacity building of farmers and technicians for adopting technologies

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR):

- It has established a network of 642 Krishi VIgyan Kendras in the country aiming at assessing and demonstrating technologies/products and its dissemination through numerous extension programmes

- Training programmes conducted by KVKs on improved technologies pertaining agricultural and allied fields led to benefits for farmers in terms of increased crop production and enhanced farm income

- ATMA under NAMET is for the provision of generic extension covering all crops and allied sectors through capacity building programmes such as Farmer Training, Kisan Melas, Farmer Scientist Interaction and more

- ICAR covers major crops including rice, wheat, maize and barley, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, soybean, cowpea, maize, green gram. pigeon pea, as well as fodder and agricultural crops