Research and extension
Also called: Agricultural extension · Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation: An Appraisal"; Class 11, Ch 5 "Rural Development"
Meaning
Research means developing better seeds and farming methods. Extension means taking that knowledge to farmers through demonstrations, advice and training. Together they were crucial to the Green Revolution, because high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds work only when farmers know the right doses of water, fertiliser and pesticide. Government spending on research and extension fell after the 1991 reforms, and this is blamed for slower agricultural growth.
Example
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and state agricultural universities, such as Pantnagar (1960) and PAU Ludhiana (1962), bred and tested HYV seeds. Their field staff then showed farmers how to use them.
Don't confuse with
- Input subsidies: these make inputs such as fertiliser and power cheaper. Research and extension is a form of public investment. Studies find it gives higher returns than input subsidies.
Related concepts
- Green Revolution
- High-yielding variety seeds
- Farm mechanisation
- Crop yield
- Seed replacement rate
- Kharif crops
- Rabi crops
- Zaid crops
- Multiple cropping
- Net sown area