The creation of 2000 ‘Kisan Khidmat Ghars' (KKGs)’ was one of the biggest achievements of the “Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalizing Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir”. The KKGs will work as a one-stop center for extending farmer-oriented services, according to Atal Dulloo, the Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department.
He claimed that supplying a sizable clientele while accommodating structural complexity and functional variety is just one of the numerous difficulties the extension system in Jammu and Kashmir faces.
"With a ratio of 1:100 and an annual contact intensity of one hour per farmer, there is now a huge communication gap between extension staff and farmers. Inadequacies in the current system include a dearth of accurate base-level data, poor coordination and cohesion among extension participants, and low public confidence,” he said.
The project, according to Dulhoo, will address all these issues by creating a flexible agri-extension system with IoT-enabled real-time big data; with farm-centric planning and resource allocation.
This method uses real-time analysis of the regional climate and the agroecology information in order to promote niche agriculture under given agro-climatic conditions. It will also form a basis for a proactive agriculture extension system with a cluster approach.
The project, according to the official, is one of 29 that the Jammu and Kashmir administration approved after the UT Level Apex Committee suggested them for the comprehensive development of the region's agriculture and related industries.
Dulloo said that they are looking to create a project that will promote sustainable and profitable agriculture which will also contribute to a significant share of the agricultural GDP. “We will establish 2,000 Panchayat level KKGs, revitalizing the Block-level Extension Advisory Committee and promote the KVK as a hub of services at the district level.”
As part of the initiative, "business orientation centers will be established at SKUAST-Kashmir and Jammu, and real-time problem resolution through cyber extension, including RS-GIS driven agro-advisories and ICT-based virtual contacts and communication systems, would be facilitated," the official added.
It will act as a knowledge hub equipped with cutting-edge ICT technologies, such as a kiosk, to give users easy access to a variety of information about input supply, technology, marketing, and other topics.
According to the official, KKG would serve as a platform for public-private partnerships to manage the value chain effectively and economically. He also mentioned that KKG will have a technical facilitator to offer end-to-end services to farmers for affordable prices. The project will also encourage secondary agriculture and realign the capacity-building program.
"Agribusiness, marketing, secondary agriculture, and non-farm activities will all be covered in this training. It will function as an "Agri-Extension Club," promoting regular online Expert Extension Lecture Series and educating farmers and youngsters on how to run successful farms, develop their entrepreneurship, launch new agribusinesses, create jobs, and secure their livelihoods,” he said.
