Campaign-mode extension (e.g., Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan) versus institutionalised extension systems: critically evaluate their effectiveness in changing farmer behaviour.

Farmers change their habits when advice fits their own plot, is repeated over time, and makes sense against what inputs cost them. Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan (KBA)–Rabi 2026 (22 Oct–30 Nov) is a short campaign run by joint KVK–ATMA teams [1]. Institutional extension (ATMA, KVKs, Soil Health Cards) works all year. Each helps in its own way, but neither can beat a skewed price signal on its own.

Campaign mode: strengths

• Timing: It runs during Rabi sowing, when the first fertiliser dose is decided [1].
• Convergence: ICAR scientists, KVKs, State departments and ATMA reach the same villages at the same time [1].
• Federal fit: Agriculture is a State subject (Entry 14, List II). A campaign lets the Centre persuade without giving orders.

Campaign mode: weaknesses

• Counts outputs, not outcomes: Targets are set as farmers reached [1], not fertiliser saved.
• One message for many soils: ICAR says no single NPK ratio suits the whole country [3]. A general "use less urea" slogan cannot replace advice for each plot.
• Overlap: The Soil Health and Fertility component has already run 7.17 lakh demonstrations and about 1.3 lakh trainings [2]. Part of the campaign is the same work under a new name.

Institutional extension: strengths

• Continuity: ATMA and KVKs give advisories all year [2], and trust builds through repeated contact.
• Data base: Soil-test cards make plot-specific doses possible.

Institutional extension: weaknesses

• Weak uptake: CAG (Madhya Pradesh, 2025) found that only 48% of cardholders applied the recommended dose [4].
• Unreliable data: Grid sampling made the card data unreliable [4].
• Price beats advice: The NPK ratio is about 9.8:3.7:1, against the recommended 4:2:1 [3]. Urea's MRP is fixed at ₹242 per 45 kg bag, while P&K prices follow the market. The Standing Committee has asked for a roadmap to fix urea's relative price [5].

Verdict: complementary, conditionally effective Campaigns raise awareness quickly, and institutions keep the change going. Both fail if urea pricing is not reformed. The fixes:

• Use DBT PoS sales data [6] to compare fertiliser sales before and after the campaign in target districts.
• Link campaign districts to PM-PRANAM incentives for cutting chemical fertiliser use [7].
• Test soil on smaller grids and follow up after each campaign.

Campaign mode and institutional extension work best together: one sparks change and the other sustains it. With price reform and measured results, balanced fertilisation can become normal farm practice. That would advance SDG 2.4 on sustainable agriculture and secure farm incomes.