'Customized Farmers’ Training & Extension and Online Agriculture Monitoring through Application of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) at Block Level in Uttar Pradesh

   Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of India by which States are offered incentives for increasing investments in agriculture and allied sectors by a 100 percent grant for attaining a growth rate of more than 4 percent in agriculture.

   “Customized Farmers’ Training & Extension and Online Agriculture Monitoring through Application of "Information & Communication Technology (ICT)” is one of the innovative interventions under RKVY. AFC was awarded the task of implementation of above project in 45 blocks by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Uttar Pradesh during the year 2007-08. This intervention has since been extended to another 225 blocks during 2008-09.

   The mission of the project is to increase the farm productivity, profitability and sustainability of farming systems, efficient use of natural resources and agricultural inputs etc. by customized farmers’ trainings at village cluster level in selected blocks as per their needs and aspirations and also to provide online information on weather parameters, demand and use of agricultural inputs and market intelligence.

   Besides, risk assessment and establishing quick alert system for benefit of stakeholders and for management of crop production support system by the line departments, yield assessment, expected gluts and shortfall in crop production are the other components of the project. All these activities are to be undertaken by innovative use of ICT applications.