Bringing in innovation and targeted approach in agricultural extension system, the State is set to use the over 12,000 grassroots-level milk producers’ co-operative societies as platforms for disseminating information and advisories related to agriculture and weather.
Under this programme, information related to agriculture such as timely and area-specific advisories on the steps to be taken to protect standing crop will be displayed prominently in these village-level societies.
“We are emphasising the use of the milk producers’ co-operative societies for agricultural communication because their reach is wider at the grassroots-level.
A large number of farmers are into dairy farming and they go to these societies mandatorily twice a day to supply milk. It is believed that farmers spend a minimum of 10 minutes at the dairy during every visit. Hence, displaying information related to agriculture at the dairies would draw their attention,” says K. Narayana Gowda, vice-chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
The university is the implementing agency for the project.
Of course, it is not just about putting out agriculture-related information at the dairies but also providing forward and backward linkages, Dr. Narayana Gowda says.
Explaining how the proposed system works, he says that the district-level Krishi Vigyan Kendras will act as nodal agencies by deciding on the area-specific information related to crops, agricultural inputs, weather and pest warning to be disseminated to different villages.
For example, if they ask farmers to sow seeds of a particular variety of crop, then they should also inform where such seeds are available besides co-ordinating with the Agriculture Department to ensure that it has stocks of such seeds.
What prompted the university to take up the dairy-model of information dissemination was the savings to farmers in terms of prevention of crop losses, including post-harvest losses, when it used such dairies in 75 villages of Tubagere hobli in Doddaballapur taluk for disseminating weather-related information under a Centrally-sponsored bio-resources complex project implemented by it from 2005 to 2010.
To begin with, he said, the university was thinking of trying the experiment on a pilot basis in two districts near Bangalore.
“We are in discussion with Krishi Vigyan Kendras and various agencies and the pilot project will be launched soon,” he said.
