India has long had a strong and well-established system for disseminating agricultural knowledge and science. However, with changing times, new challenges, emerging technologies, and evolving goals have come to the fore. Amidst crises like climate change, farming must be turned into a profitable enterprise for farmers. The gap between modern technology, emerging markets, and farmers needs to be bridged.
To put into practice the concept of bridging the distance between science and farmers—popularly known as “Lab to Land”—the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare launched a nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from May 29 to June 12, 2025, for the Kharif season. Under this campaign, farmers were provided with knowledge about improved seeds, technologies, and farming methods to help reduce costs and increase productivity.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), through its 113 institutes, 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and 2,170 teams of scientists, reached villages across the country to disseminate agricultural knowledge on an unprecedented scale. More than 13.5 million farmers from 142,000 villages participated, making this campaign a historic milestone in agricultural extension.
Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of ICAR, said that transforming farmers’ lives is their highest priority. He added that during the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, all ICAR institutes, scientists, and farmers across the country came together as One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team. This collective effort turned the campaign into an unprecedented initiative. Direct farmer interaction revealed critical insights, the most important being that research agendas cannot be set merely from Delhi. From now on, research will be guided by farmers’ needs.
In Dabathuwa village of Meerut, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sat on a cot and held discussions with farmers, where sugarcane farmers shared their difficulties. In Madhya Pradesh, soybean farmers highlighted crop damage caused by herbicides. Farmers also raised concerns about spurious fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides. These interactions helped identify farmers’ issues, for which solutions are being pursued.
According to Dr. Devendra Kumar Yadav, ICAR’s Deputy Director General (Crop Science), the campaign proved to be a significant initiative in connecting farmers with advanced technologies and making agriculture more prosperous. For 15 days, scientists directly engaged with farmers, providing region-specific advice on which crops and varieties to grow, how to use fertilizers in a balanced manner, and how to consider factors like local soil, water, and climate. Discussions on natural farming were also held.
Women’s Participation
Under the campaign, farmers in over 60,000 villages were engaged in dialogue. One of the major achievements was the remarkable participation of women farmers. Out of more than 13.5 million participating farmers, 9.57 million were men and 3.97 million (29%) were women. Women participated enthusiastically in Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand. In proportionate terms, women from the Northeastern states played an exceptional role.
Tribal Districts
The campaign was also conducted in 176 tribal districts of the country. A total of 504 teams organized 15,445 programs across 31,048 villages, with the participation of more than 2.55 million farmers. Odisha led the way, where 948 programs were held in 5,093 villages, reaching 583,000 tribal farmers, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Aspirational Districts
The campaign successfully reached out to 112 Aspirational Districts, contacting more than 2 million farmers across 23,000 villages. Uttar Pradesh led in farmer outreach with 818 programs in 2,936 villages, engaging 293,000 farmers. Odisha followed with 308,000 farmers, Jharkhand with 235,000, and Bihar with 218,000 participants. Thus, the campaign proved to be a milestone not only in terms of geographical coverage but also in reaching women farmers, tribal areas, and aspirational districts.
Follow-Up Plan
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the campaign will not stop here but will continue for different crops. He stressed that the existing gaps in knowledge, research, and capacity will be bridged. Crop-specific and region-specific conferences will be organized to prepare roadmaps for different crops. KVKs will serve as nodal agencies at the district level to coordinate for farmers’ benefit. KVK scientists will be required to spend at least three days a week in farmers’ fields. Additionally, ICAR will appoint nodal officers for each state to oversee scientific experiments and provide advice and solutions.
Crackdown on Spurious Inputs
The campaign also exposed several practical problems faced by farmers, particularly concerning substandard fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides. On this issue, Agriculture Minister Chouhan took a tough stance and directed officials to take strict action. In Madhya Pradesh, following crop losses due to substandard herbicides and issues related to biostimulants, he ordered cancellation of licenses of companies whose products damaged crops.
Farmers’ Innovations
During the campaign, several farmer-led innovations came to light, surprising even scientists. Farmers carried out new experiments based on local conditions and needs. Efforts will be made to provide scientific recognition to these innovations. Farmers also emphasized the need for devices to detect spurious fertilizers and pesticides. Dr. M. L. Jat noted that around 500 new research themes emerged during the campaign, which will now shape research priorities. Focus will be given to increasing the productivity of pulses and oilseeds and developing farm machinery for small farmers.
The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan has returned for the Rabi season. A two-day conference was held in New Delhi on September 15–16, 2025, to plan the campaign. The Abhiyan for the Rabi season began on October 3, 2025, and will continue until October 18, 2025.