Krishi Vigyan Kendra
Also called: KVK · Topic: Rural Development: Diversification, Allied Sectors and Organic Farming · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) is a farm science centre at the district level. It works under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), India's top body for farm research. A KVK tests new seeds and methods on local farms and trains farmers. It also runs field demonstrations, where farmers watch a better practice work on a real plot. This is called extension: carrying new science from the laboratory to the farmer. The government's plan is to have one KVK in every rural district. This makes KVKs the main last-mile link between farm research and farmers. Because one centre has to serve hundreds of villages, the "lab-to-land" gap does not fully close.
Example
In the Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan – Rabi 2026 campaign (22 October – 30 November 2026), KVKs ran 40,000 of the 50,000 field demonstrations. ICAR institutes ran the other 10,000. The demonstrations taught balanced fertiliser use, such as the 4R principle: the right fertiliser, at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place.
Don't confuse with
- ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency): ATMA is the district body that plans, coordinates and carries out farm programmes for the State. A KVK is only a knowledge partner. It gives scientific advice and runs demonstrations, but it has no administrative or enforcement role.
- Kisan Call Centres (2004): these give farmers advice over the phone. A KVK works directly in the field, with demonstrations and hands-on training.