Policy Framework for Agriculture Extension Interface with Private Sector Organizations
October 30, 2001, New Delhi

Theme Presentation by Dr. Rita Sharma, Joint Secretary & Extension Commissioner, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture

Distinguished Participants, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

On this occasion of the Interface with the Private Sector, to discuss the Policy Framework for Agricultural Extension, it gives me immense pleasure to present to you the Theme for today's Seminar.

In many people's minds, extension and government have been inextricably and indissolubly linked. Yet elements of privatization and diversification in supply of extension services have been witnessed throughout the world over the past two decades. Developed countries such as Britain and France have taken steps towards complete privatization of their services and other countries as ideologically diverse as Chile and China have moved to new contractual extension arrangements. The emerging extension scenario across the world appears to be characterized by a pluralistic service drawing upon a variety of extension agencies with different strengths.

In India, public research and extension played the pivotal role in ushering in the Green Revolution and transforming agriculture from one of subsistence farming to modern, scientific farming. In the post-Green Revolution era, however, public extension finds itself unable to meet the changing demands of the farming community, trapped as it is in out-dated, centralized, top-down institutional arrangements and constrained in terms of financial and human resources, lacking in skills and capacities.

It may well be asked, what are these new demands that the public extension system is unable to fulfill, when not so long ago it emerged triumphant from the success of heralding in the Green Revolution. The Training and Visit, or the T&V system of extension was geared to support primarily the transfer of homogeneous green revolution technologies for wheat and rice, in irrigated regions.

• It floundered when it was called upon to address productivity issues in the vast rainfed areas.
• It was found wanting in its ability to fuel the diversification process.
• It was unable to address environmental concerns related to careless use of natural resources.
• It is extremely weak in providing forward linkages for marketing and processing.
• It is struggling to keep pace with the latest developments linking Indian agriculture to the international trading regime.
• It has been ineffective in harnessing frontier sciences to service the farming community.

The Draft Policy Framework for Agricultural Extension which we are scheduled to discuss and deliberate upon today envisages a multi-agency, pluralistic extension system for the future. An extension system which harnesses the special strength and vigour of different agencies to address the extension needs of the diverse agro-climatic regions of the country as well as the varied class and categories of farmers and farming systems.

A key feature of the Policy Framework Document is the recognition and acceptance that other players beyond the public system have a role to play in extension. It proposes to bring about policy reforms, institutional restructuring and management changes to provide for tapping and drawing upon the well-spring of resources, both financial and entrepreneurial, outside the public domain to effectively enlarge the extension universe.

Apart from government agencies, Farmers' Organizations, Farmers' Cooperatives, Self-Help Groups, NGOs, para-professionals, agri-clinics and small agri-businesses, private corporate sector, input dealers and distributors, TV and radio systems, Information Technology shops and kiosks are expected to play an increasing role in agricultural extension in the future.

It is clear that no one model will serve the entire country and no one agency will be able to serve the needs of all. Customized and tailor-made extension will need to evolve in taking into account requirements as diverse as needs of subsistence farmers on the one hand and demands of commercial agri-entrepreneurs exploring niche exports markets on the other. Remote and backward regions, poor and vulnerable sections of the farming community, ill served by markets, will need to be provided safety nets and serviced by the public sector.

In the changing pluralistic extension scenario the role of the State is in transition from being a provider of services to enabler, facilitator and regulator. Public extension planners would emerge as agents of positive thinking, while making clear the risks of "business as usual". They would act as catalysts for partnerships, while recognizing the challenges of forging consensus.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today's Interface with the private sector is one more step in our consultation process with various stakeholders. Several rounds of discussions have been held with the State Governments, "Agriculture" being a state subject. Today we shall hear the views and take on board suggestions of the private sector representatives. We hope that the deliberations will help in refining and honing the Policy Document and progressing from the blue-print to the
building stage.

I conclude my remarks with a quote from Albert Einstein who once said that "there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come". Developing the Policy Framework and building consensus is about bringing, centre-stage, the vision of public-private partnership in agricultural extension. A powerful idea whose time has most undoubtedly, come.

Thank You