Krishi Vigyan Kendra (the Farm Science Centre) is a noble concept developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) which rests upon a solid base of transfer of technology from laboratory to farmer's field with respect to Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal husbandry, Floriculture. Bee keeping, Mushroom Cultivation, Broiler Farming and allied subjects. As per the recommendations of the Education Comission (1964-66) and further consideration by the Planning Commission and Inter-Ministerial Committee, the ICAR decided to establish Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in the Country.
The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry. The number of KVKs has risen to 645 and 106 more KVKs are to be established in the newly created districts and some larger districts. The KVK scheme is 100% financed by Govt. of India and the KVKs are sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, ICAR institutes, related Government Departments and Non Government Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture. .
First KVK was established in Pondicherry during 1974. Till the end of IX Plan (2001-02) within a span of 27 years the Govt has approved establishment of KVK's in all the 578 districts in the country. In the last three years (2002-2005) 178 KVK's have been sanctioned including 128 during 2004-2005. At present there are 488 rural districts covered with KVKs including all the districts of J&K state. The Council has a plan to set up KVKs in the remaining districts during the X Plan period. The facilities created through the network has benefited a large number of farmers in the past through out the country.
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- To demonstrate the latest Agricultural Technologies to the farmers as well as the extension workers of the state Department of agriculture/Non-Governmental organization with a view to reduce the time lag between the technologies generation and it's adoption.
- To test and verify the technologies in the socio economic condition of the farmers and to identify the production constraints.
- To get first hand scientific feed back from the fields and passing it to the research system in order to keep the scientist abreast with the performance of the technologies and the farming problems, so that they re -orient their research, education and training programmes accordingly.
- To impart training to the farmers, farmwomen, rural youth and field level extension functionaries by following the principles of "teaching by doing" and "learning by doing".
- To provide training and communication support to the line department of the state/NGOs.
- To develop extension models to be adopted by general extension system for large scale multiplications.