Agricultural Extension in India

Farmers require a diverse range of information to support their farm enterprises. Information is needed not only on best practices and technologies for crop production, which the traditional public sector extension system provided during the Green Revolution, but also information about post harvest aspects including processing, marketing, storage, and handling. Farmers require access to timely, reliable, and relevant information that can support the complexity within which their farm enterprises operate. Although agricultural extension today has a broad mandate, this review shows that despite pluralistic extension approaches in India, the coverage and use of these services are limited. The aim was to ascertain whether the information needs of Indian farmers are being met, to understand how information reaches farming communities, and to identify the major challenges and constraints to information flow in the agricultural extension system in India. Agricultural Extension is an essential pillar for research and development. Despite a wide range of reform initiatives in agricultural extension in India in the past decades, the coverage of, access to, and quality of information provided to marginalized and poor farmers is uneven. The objective of this paper is to examine agricultural extension programs within the public, private and third sectors in India. The Paper analyzes; Basics of Extension, Importance of Agricultural Extension, Dimensions of Agricultural Extension, Farmer’s Information Needs and Preferred Information Medium, Agriculture Extension Approaches in India, Challenges to Traditional Extension Practices; Public and Private Extension and General Challenges and Constraints to Agricultural Extension.