Investor: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Project: Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Locations: Kodinar, Gujarat

Partnership Duration: 2007 - To Date

Key Stakeholders: Indian Council of Agricultural Research & Ambuja Foundation

Agriculture is a way of life in India, and has a rich, traditional knowledge that is largely inherited within families - being passed from one generation to another.

But in today's day and age, with the advent of technology and new scientific approaches to farming, there is a need now more than ever, for farmers to adopt learning as a daily exercise.

For the average farmer however, accessing that information is a challenge. In many areas, there is no formal approach for reaching the farmer to transfer knowledge from research and scientists, from 'lab to land.'

This was the case in Kodinar, Gujarat - until 2007 when Krishi Vigyan Kendra came along.

In 2007-08 the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) sanctioned the establishment of a Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the district of Junagadh, to be implemented and managed by Ambuja Foundation.

Having undergone a rigorous process and assessment, Ambuja Foundation was awarded the project based on the strength of its work in agriculture in the region, strong relationship with farmers and proven expertise in project management. As part of its commitment, Ambuja Cements Ltd agreed to provide 20 ha land for the establishment of the KVK in Kodinar.

Ambuja Foundation's KVK team started by selecting 20 villages in four blocks to conduct a Participatory Rural Appraisal to understand the agriculture situation and identify gaps in knowledge, skills and adoption of technologies. Based on this, baseline information was generated and interventions were planned to plug the gap - organizing training, demonstrations, on-farm testing and other extension activities.

To add value to this work and provide daily information, an FM Community Radio Station was established to disseminate information and knowledge to farmers across 54 villages in a 12-15 Km radius of KVK. Additionally, a 'voice message service' was initiated to address different agricultural issues according to the season and crop - reaching 8000 farmers annually via 40-50 messages.

And the results are seen in the fields of farmers every day! Thanks to efforts and guidance of Ambuja Foundation's KVK, farmers have adopted new technologies, become entrepreneurs and increased their income as a result - with many farmers receiving university, district and state level awards in recognition of their initiative and efforts.

IMPACTS:

• 313 Villages Reached
• 118,528 farmers participated in Field Days & Activities
• Capacity Building of 42,062 farmers via Training
• Distribution of 69 Agricultural Articles to 74,500 farmers
• 220 Front Line Demonstrations on 3,830 farmers' fields
• 72 technologies promoted to farmers for adoption
• Salinity resistance wheat variety KRL-19 promoted in 25 coastal villages
• 500+ farmers adopted organic farming under KVK scientist guidance