1. 17/05/2014 Department of Agricultural Extension
1

2. FARM INNOVATORS AND THEIR ROLE
IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
PRESENTATION BY
GOPALA, Y.M
PALB-1028
III Ph.D (Agril. Extn.)

3. Introduction
• Agriculture is one of the oldest professions practiced over
centuries.
• The Indian farmers consistently tried to make this occupation
more efficient and cost effective which resulted in numerous
innovations.
• Obviously, these innovations have supported food security of
the country.
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4. Contd…
• Farmers have done commendable work on
Low cost processing technologies
Germplasm conservation
Postharvest management
Value addition.
• Since, farm innovations are evolved under specific agro-
climatic and socio-economic conditions such innovations have
been widely adopted and are sustained.
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5. NEED OF THE HOUR
• The innovations in agriculture from farmer innovators need to
be validated, integrated and scaled up.
• Hence, ICAR has come out with a popular slogan called as
‘Farmers First’ to reduce the gap exists in the quality of
research output required at the farm level.
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6. OBJECTIVES OF SEMINAR
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1
• To understand the meaning of farm innovators
and innovations.
2
• To study the role of farm innovators as para-
extension workers
3
• To discuss the challenges confronting the farm
innovators
4
• To review the studies related to farm innovators

7. FARM INNOVATORS
“Farmer innovators are the individuals or groups within
a given locality who discover or develop and apply improved
ways of managing the available resources, building on and
expanding the boundaries of their indigenous knowledge”
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8. Farm innovation
“The knowledge that grows within a social group,
incorporating learning from own experience over generations,
but also external knowledge internalized within the local ways
of thinking and doing”.
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9. Characteristics of innovators
Innovators are,
• Willing to take risk
• Have the highest social class
• They are very social
• Have closest contact to scientific sources
• Interaction with other innovators
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10. Farm innovation development process
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11. Classification of farm innovations
1. Innovation as application of knowledge
2. Innovation by type
 Innovation as application of knowledge
• New processes
• New markets
• New organizational arrangements or practices
• New designs or arts of work
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12. Contd….
Innovation by type
• Changes in technology systems
Ex. Seed drill to seed cum fertilizer drill
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13. Condition necessitate the farmer led
innovation
1. Diversity requires locally-specific practices
2. Rapidly changing conditions
3. High cost of purchasing improved technologies
4. Non availability of the technology
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14. Role of farm innovators as para-extension
workers
1. Farm innovators serve as opinion leaders.
2. Serve as a feedback mechanism for technology refinement.
3. Source of input for researchers.
4. Increases the success of programs through mobilization of farmers.
5. Promotion of the knowledge sharing among the fellow farmers.
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15. 1. Farm innovators serves as opinion
leaders
• Farm innovators will be first to adopt the new technology
• Demonstrate the feasibility of the new technology
• Farm innovators pocess the knowledge regarding various
aspects of the farming.
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16. 2. Farm innovators serves as feedback
mechanism for technology refinement
• Feedback from the farm innovators helps in technology
refinement.
• Feedback helps in development of location specific technology
development
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17. 3. Source of input for researchers
• Farm innovators have the knowledge regarding the deficiency
of the technology.
• Farm innovators helps the research to set research priorities.
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18. 4. Increases the success of programs
through mobilization of farmers.
• Farm innovators mobilize the farmers which will enhance the
peoples participation in the programmes.
• Consideration of farm innovators in developmental prgrammes
will increase the participation of the fellow farmers.
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19. 5. Promotion of the knowledge sharing among
the farmers
• Farm innovators can serve as medium to share the information
about technology developed in the research system.
• Information regarding the developmental programmes
• Information regarding different marketing opportunities.
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20. Importance of linking farm innovators
with research and extension system
• Effective communication between extension agents and
farmers through innovators.
• Helps in social learning of the stakeholders.
• Promotion of farmers research.
• Helping resource poor farmers.
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21. Effect of farm innovation on rate of
adoption of technology
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• Increased relative advantage
• High Compatibility
• Lower Complexity
• Easily trialable
• Enhanced Observability

22. Recent approaches to encourage farm innovators
in India
• Farm Innovators meet-2010 by ICAR
• Farm Innovation and Promotion Fund (FIPF) of NABARD
• Farm innovations museum by KVK, Kannur.
• ‘Farmers first’ project of ICAR.
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23. National farm innovators meet-2010
• Held at JSS KVK, Suttur of Mysore district
• 200 farm innovations were depicted
• 60 farm innovators displayed live specimens and models
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24. Farm Innovation and Promotion Fund
(FIPF)
• The Fund has been created in NABARD with an initial
corpus of Rs.5 crores from out of its operating surplus in the
year 2004-05.
Objectives of the Fund
1. To demonstrate new concepts in agriculture and farm sector.
2. To extend support for developing proto-types and for further
development to make it commercial.
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25. Eligibility for getting fund
1. New and viable concepts in agriculture and allied sectors.
2. Development of proto-types to make it commercial.
3. Activities connected with marketing, dissemination of
knowledge relating to new products/ processes, etc.
4. Obtaining patents for innovative
technology/designs/products/ processes.
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26. Farm innovation museum
• Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kannur established farm innovation
museum at Panniyur.
• Named after innovative farmer late Joseph, an innovative
farmer and the inventor of the coconut climbing machine.
Objectives
1. Aims at highlighting the important innovations of the district
2. Motivating fellow farmers to adopt the innovations.
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27. Advantages of farm innovation museum
• The museum offers a forum for the farmer researchers to share
their findings with other fellow farmer.
• Visitors could learn more about the inventions for
commercializing and popularizing.
• Serve as an alternative source of farm information.
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28. “FARMERS FIRST”
• Research system is not getting adequate feedback to plan and
conduct demand driven research.
• Purpose is the involvement of farmers throughout the
technology development process.
• To reduce the gap exists between the quality of the research
out put required at farm level.
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29. FOCUS OF FARMERS FIRST
1. Enriching Farmers –Scientist interface
2. Technology Assemblage, Application and feedback
3. Partnership and Institutional Building
4. Content Mobilization
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30. OBJECTIVES OF FARMERS FIRST
• Technology development based on feedback with the
participation of farmers and landless for enhancing production.
• To build a network of linkages with different entities
• Facilitating access of information, technology and
marketability of produce for higher returns.
• To identify and integrate economically viable and socially
acceptable entrepreneurial activities.
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31. Challenges confronting the farm innovators
• Lack of accommodative attitude of outsiders
• Lack of adequate opportunity for farmers to decide on
research priorities
• Lack of financial support
• Lack of recognition, and
• Illiteracy
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32. Implication for extension through
farm innovators
• Recognition of knowledge and practice of farmers.
• Dissemination of successful farmer innovations.
• Facilitation of increased dialogue between actors involved in
agricultural extension.
• Creating access to resources for innovative farmers
• .
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33. • Conducting study on system interface and policy discourses:
• Offering alternatives to compare with current practices or local
innovations.
• Up scaling of the technologies developed by farm innovators
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34. REVIEW OF STUDIES RELATED
TO FARM INNOVATORS
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35. Study-1
Title of the study: “An analysis of behavior of Krishi prashathi
awardees and their influence on neighboring
farmers”
Author: MANJULA, N.
Year of study conducted: 2002
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36. Methodology
Locale of the study: Bangalore rural, Bangalore urban and kolar
districts were selected for the study
Sampling size: 22 taluk level ragi krushi prashathi awardee
farmers and 108 neighbouring farmers.
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37. Table. 1. Extent of influence of awardees on knowledge level
of neighbouring farmers on cultivation practices of ragi
Sl.
No.
Recommended practices Knowledge of farmers
Number Per cent
1 Advantages of ploughing across the slope 20 18.52
2 Method of bunding for red soil 15 13.89
3 Improved variety for late kharif 97 89.81
4 Usefulness of seed treatment 23 21.29
5 Correct time of FYM application 12 11.11
6 Method of sowing for rainfed kharif 22 20.37
7 Recommended quantity of chemical fertilizers 98 90.74
8 Time of top dressing 59 54.63
9 Important diseases 5 4.63
10 Expected yield 101 93.52
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38. Table-2. Extent of influence of awardees on yield level of
neighbouring farmers
Yield
(qtl/ha)
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-2001
N % N % N % N %
Up to 30 70 64.81 62 57.41 65 60.19 30 27.78
30-35 20 18.52 35 32.41 31 28.70 32 29.63
35-40 18 16.67 9 8.33 11 10.19 24 22.22
40-45 - - 2 1.85 1 0.92 8 7.40
Above
45
- - - - - 14 12.97
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39. Table-3. Extent of adoption of recommended cultivation
practices of ragi by neighboring farmers
Sl.
No.
Recommended
practices
Full adoption Partial adoption -Non adoption
N % N % N %
1 Ploughing across the
slope
20 18.52 - - -
2 Variety 80 74.08 - - -
3 Month of sowing 40 37.10 - - -
4 Seed rate 28 25.93 - - 35 32.41
5 Seed treatment 23 21.30 - - -
6 Method of sowing 22 20.37 - - -
7 FYM application 32 2.63 - - 14 12.96
8 Chemical fertilizers 46 42.59 - - 33 30.56
9 Top dressing 31 28.70 - - 25 24.56
10 Plant protection
chemical
0 0 - - -

40. Implications of the study
1. The awardee farmers can be used by the extension personnel
in various extension activities to educate the other farmers
2. There is a need to implement schemes such as best farmer in
all the crops to motivate the farmers.
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41. Case study-1: Two Wheeler Mounted Sprayer
Shri Chandragouda M. Lingadal
Harti, Gadag, Karnataka
• Age : 40 years
• Landholding : 2 ha
• Farming : 20 years experience
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42. Description of innovation
• Compression pump is mounted on Bajaj M-80 two wheeler to
generate pressure.
• Two water cans each of 25 lit capacity are fixed on either side
of the carrier.
• Horizontal pipe having 4 nozzles is fixed at the rear end for
spraying field crops and 2 guns having 30 feet pipe length for
spray orchard crops.
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43. Practical utility of innovation
• Innovative sprayer can cover 12 ha in bengalgram, 6 ha in
chilli, 8 ha in cotton per day.
• Cost of sprayer is Rs 18000.
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44. Impact created by innovation
• Effective for uniform spray and solves labour problem for
spraying.
• The sprayer can cover 6-12 ha depending on the type of crop,
thus saving the cost of labour.
• This sprayer is being used by the farmers of Harti and
surrounding villages on hire basis @ Rs 150 per acre
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45. Recognition
• Received award and certificate from UAS, Dharwad
• Recognised by AIR, Dharwad
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46. Case-2: Village Level Fodder Bank
Shri Madhava Reddy Karakampalli
Gundlakattamanchi, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
• Age : 50 years
• Education : 9 std
• Landholding : 2 ha
• Farming : 40 years experience
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47. • In 2 acres of his land Shri K. Madhava Reddy is raising 85
fodder varieties i.e. Guinea, Napier and tree species.
• For the past 12 years he is doing research on all these varieties
and identified 40 {Guinea (20 sps), Napier (15 sps) and Tree
species (15)}
• He not only works on cultivation of different species but also
tested the palatability and yield improvement in milch animals.
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Practical utility of innovation

48. • Source of planting material to farmers, research farms, and
other private Dairy farms.
• He supplied seeds to about 10000 families in the district.
• He also motivates the dairy farmers to take up fodder
production through training programmes, radio talks, TV
Shows and news items.
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Impact created by innovation

49. • Progressive Farmer Award from IARI, New Delhi,
• Best Farmer Award by State Farmers Federation,
• Best farmer award by Village Milk Society
• Certificate of Merit from the District Collector for fodder
production.
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Recognition

50. Case-3: Mango tress date back to Tippu era
Syed Ghani khan, Kirugavalu village,
Malavalli (T), Mandya, Karnataka
Age: 39
Landholding: 20 acres
Education: B.Sc in archeology
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51. Description of innovation
• Preserved 112 mango tress of more than 200 years old.
• He also preserved native paddy varieties.
• Protection of plant varieties and farmers right authority
started registered all the exotic varieties.
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52. Impact of the innovation
• Mr. Syed is selling the fruits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• He is planning to take up propagation of native mango
varieties.
• Provide training farmers and students about local varieties
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53. RECOGNITION
• Mr. Khan honored with “Plant Genome Savior Farmers”
award in 2012
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54. Conclusion
Technologies generated by innovative farmers are more
sustainable and adoptable compared to technologies generated
by research system. Extension agency should device the ways
and means of taking these technologies to the relevant farmers
of the region. In case of Karnataka there is a need to identify
farm innovators as para extension workers at the grassroots
level.
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