India is a leading agricultural producer globally, ranking first in the production of milk, pulses, jute and second in rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnuts, cotton, fruits, and vegetables in the world. Between 1947 and 2020, India's food grain production increased six fold, horticulture ten fold, milk nine fold, and fish production thirteen fold.
However, despite possessing soil, climate, and abundant vegetative resources suitable for agriculture, agricultural productivity and farmers' income from farming remain lower compared to other nations. The small size of landholdings is often cited as one of the primary reasons for this low productivity. Yet, productivity does not inherently depend on the size of the landholding; rather, it relies on technological and capital investment in agriculture. Any unit area that receives higher inputs of technology and capital will consequently exhibit higher productivity. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea demonstrate higher productivity than India, even though the average size of their landholdings is roughly equivalent to or even smaller than that of India. Therefore, to enhance agricultural productivity and boost farmers' income, it is imperative to increase capital and technological investment in the agricultural sector.
The government is promoting capital investment in agriculture through schemes such as the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Kisan Credit Card. However, another significant reason for low agricultural productivity is the limited adoption of advanced technologies in farming. The majority of farmers continue to rely on traditional and outdated techniques. The limited use of advanced technologies by farmers does not imply that such technologies are not being developed within the country.
More than 100 research institutes dedicated to agriculture and allied sectors operate across the country under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Every year, these institutes develop hundreds of improved crop varieties endowed with diverse traits as well as various other technologies; however, due to a disorganized agricultural extension system, only a limited number of these innovations are successfully transfer from lab to land.
Numerous experiments were conducted to transfer agricultural technologies from the lab to the land; however, the establishment of the first Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Puducherry in 1974 marked a revolutionary beginning in the field of agricultural extension. Witnessing the success of these KVKs, on August 15, 2005, the former Prime Minister, the late Dr. Manmohan Singh, announced from the Red Fort the establishment of one KVK in every rural district of the country by 2007. In accordance with the announcement, one KVK also known as a Farm Science Centre was established in every rural district of the country and two in certain large districts.
Currently, 731 KVKs are working across the country as multi-disciplinary institutions to transfer technology from lab to the land. They facilitate the assessment and demonstration of technologies, provide training to farmers including women farmers and agricultural extension personnel, foster rural entrepreneurship and supply quality seeds, planting materials and agricultural advisories. Through national initiatives such as natural and organic farming, the formation of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), the use of agricultural drones, promotion of pulses and oilseeds production, crop residue management and climate-resilient agriculture, they are actively enhancing agricultural productivity and farmers' income. During the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' held from May 29 to June 12, 2025, KVKs played a pivotal role in facilitating scientific dialogues with approximately 13.5 million farmers across 728 districts. While ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) and state governments also engage in agricultural extension activities, they, too, depend on the KVKs.
According to a study conducted by NITI Aayog in 2018, approximately 40 percent of farmers immediately adopt the techniques recommended by KVK experts, while about 25 percent implement them the following year. The adoption of techniques recommended by KVKs has resulted in an increase of approximately 42 percent in productivity and 33 percent in income, alongside a 20 percent reduction in hard labour. Approximately 25 percent of the youth who receive training from KVKs go on to start their own self-employment ventures. As a result of interventions by KVKs, about 80 percent of farmers have modified their farming patterns; these changes include crop diversification, seed sowing practices, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, changes in machinery and the efficient utilization of water. In another impact study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute in 2019, the benefit-cost ratio for investments in KVKs is approximately 12. This implies that an investment of one rupee in a KVK yields a return of 12 rupees, thereby underscoring the favourable economic returns generated by the activities of these centres.
Despite these remarkable achievements, KVKs are plagued by multifaceted structural challenges. Inadequate budgeting - constituting less than one percent of the agricultural budget and limited staffing (only 16 employees), wherein 30 percent of the positions remain vacant according to the parliamentary committee report-2025, coupled with delays in fund allocation and uncertainties regarding experts' salaries, promotions, and pensions, are adversely affecting morale. Despite being 100 percent funded by the ICAR, administrative control exercised by diverse host institutions such as ICAR institutes, agricultural universities, NGOs, and state governments gives rise to financial and administrative complexities. Furthermore, a dearth of infrastructure - including testing laboratories, training halls and farmers' hostels is weakening the Lab to Land linkage, thereby hindering the timely transfer of technology.
Therefore, KVKs can play a crucial role in nourishing growing population and ensuring income security for the farmers amidst a deepening climate crisis, shrinking arable land and water resources. To achieve this, it is imperative to transition KVKs from 'Plan' to 'Non-Plan' budgetary heads bringing them under an integrated umbrella as well as to fill vacant positions, ensure timely disbursement of salaries, promotions, and pensions to employees, adequate budgetary allocations, digital infrastructure and merge ATMA with KVKs, to develop them on the line of district hospitals as a ‘Krishi Vigyan Evam Gramin Udyamita Kendras’, thereby enabling farmers to access knowledge, technology, training, inputs, and advisory services all under a single roof.
(The writer is an Agriculture Scientist, associated with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Siddharthnagar, U.P. Views expressed here are his personal)