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 ICAR acts
as a repository of information and provides consultancy
on agriculture, horticulture, resource management, animal
sciences, agricultural engineering, fisheries,
agricultural extension, agricultural education, home
science and agricultural communication. It has the
mandates to co-ordinate agricultural research and
development programmes and develop linkages at national
and international level with related organisations to
enhance the quality of life of the farming community.
ICAR has established various research centres in order to
meet the agricultural research and education needs of the
country.It is actively pursuing human resource
development in the field of agricultural sciences by
setting up numerous agricultural universities spanning
the entire country.The Technology Intervention Programmes
also form an integral part of ICAR's agenda which
establishes Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) responsible for
training, research and demonstration of improved
technologies.
 Research
Centres
Human
Resource Development
Technology Intervention Programmes
Research
Centres
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Harvesting
of rainwater at Rel Majra,
Ropar, Punjab. |
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The Central Research
Institutes have been established to meet agricultural
research and education needs of the country in terms of
pursuit of basic and strategic research in the concerned
disciplines in a focussed area. They develop, evaluate
and refine technologies for packaging them in a form
ready to be transferred from Lab to Land. They also help
in human resource development for agricultural sector.
The Institutes/Directorates/Bureaux have a mandate for
working on single or selected group of crops, animals or
commodities with each major discipline having status of
the division/section. Some of the Institutes have
regional stations to cover diverse agro-ecological areas
for developing area-specific technologies.
The National Research Centres (NRCs) have been
established for concentrated attention with a mission
approach by a team of scientists under a single leader on
selected topics with relevance to resolving national
problems in a particular animal, crop or commodity. There
is no divisional set up and rarely any regional station
for the NRCs.
The creation of All India Co-ordinated Research Project
(AICRP) under the ICAR system is a landmark in the
history of agricultural research in India. The AICRP is a
mechanism in building nation-wide co-operative,
inter-disciplinary research network linking ICAR
Institutes with the SAUs to focus attention on
commodities and species of national importance. The
AICRPs have succeeded in mobilizing country's scarce
resources through inter-institutional and
inter-disciplinary interaction and joint evaluation of
new technologies to arrive at collective recommendation.
The AICRPs also strengthen research base in each
agricultural university. A few projects are elevated to
the level of Project Directorates with additional
research responsibilities for important areas e.g. wheat,
rice, oilseed, pulses and vegetables.
In addition, the ICAR supports a number of short-term
ad-hoc research schemes, implemented by scientists in
various colleges, universities and institutes. The
programmes of ad-hoc research schemes are need-based and
are formulated and executed in accordance with the
recommendations of the scientific panels related to
different disciplines.
Human
Resource Development
A total of 38
agricultural universities have been established in the
different parts of the country, including a Central
Agricultural University for the north-eastern hills. In
addition the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New
Delhi, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar (Bareilly), the National Dairy Research
Institute, Karnal and the Central Institute of Fisheries
Education, Bombay have the status of deemed universities.
The agricultural education system in the country offers
degree programmes in 11 specific disciplines viz.
agriculture, veterinary science, agricultural
engineering, forestry, home science, dairy technology,
fisheries, sericulture, marketing, banking and
co-operation, horticulture and food science with a total
intake of about 11,000 students. It also offers post
graduate programmes in more than 55 fields of
specialization with a total intake capacity of about
5,000 students. Under the human resource development
programme the council offers about 1200 scholarships and
fellowships from the undergraduate to post-doctoral
levels. Special fellowships are also offered for socially
and economically weaker groups.
Technology
Intervention Programmes
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Dr
V.V.S. Suryanarayana loading
a sequencing gel. |
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The Technology
Intervention system of the ICAR is devoted to the
front-line extension programmes. At present there are
415 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). The KVKs are
responsible for vocational training, on-farm research and
demonstration of the improved technologies. In majority
of the cases, the technologies developed were found
appropriate only in the area where they were generated.
Even slight variations in conditions turn the technology
irrelevant. Keeping this in view a new approach is being
experimented for technology assessment and refinement
through Institute-Village Linkage Programme (IVLP). The
IVLP started initially at 42 centres through
various ICAR institutes and state agricultural
universities is now running through 70 centres.
In addition to the new initiative of the IVLP, the
technology intervention programmes are going on in eight
zones through out the country. At present about 6 lakh farmers are trained
every year in various fields of agriculture such as Crop Production, Plant
Protection, Livestock Production and Management, Soil and Water Management, Use of Improved Tools and Implements and Home Science.
More than 1 lakh rural youths are trained in the areas of poultry, dairying, piggery, bee-keeping, fisheries, fruit & vegetable preservation, maintenance and repairing of farm machinery and tools, and hybrid seed production.
In order to accelerate the process of dissemination of technologies, various extension activities are undertaken benefiting about 12 lakh farmers.
A large number of technological interventions(1671) were undertaken covering important areas like crop(923), livestock(247), horticulture(306), forestry(12), fisheries(37), gender issues(53) and other related areas(93).
The farmers' fairs, farmers' days, Kisan-Goshthies
(farmers' meetings) and farmers' visits are organised in
all the zones.
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