Livestock Extension Services Delivery In India: In Search of

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Livestock Extension Services Delivery In India
In Search of a Paradigm

• Mahesh Chander
• R K Ravikumar
• Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar
• INDIA

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Introduction

• Poor productivity and quality of production -a
  cause of concern in Indian livestock sector
• For productivity improvement, technology
  generation, technology dissemination, technology
  users and support mechanisms need to be geared up
  
• Effective provision of information on animal
  husbandry is important as it informs about the
  policies and strategies of government, livestock
  development programmes, new technologies and also
  about the scientific management practices of
  livestock

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Percentage of farmer households in India
obtaining information on Animal Husbandry through
selected sources
Source NSSO, GOI, 2005
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Distribution of farmer households by type of
information accessed on Animal Husbandry
Source NSSO, GOI, 2005
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Introduction

• Productivity is the function of quality research,
  type of extension services and farmers
  preparedness
• Productivity may be substantially improved by
  effective targeted extension services focused on
  livestock development
• Education and extension contacts enable Farmers
  to acquire, receive and decode new information to
  evaluate benefits of alternative sources of
  economically useful information and to have
  earlier access to such information
• This necessitates a system through which farmer
  can receive desired information
• The livestock extension activities in India are
  sporadic and do not meet the requirements of a
  vast majority of farmers

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Introduction

• Since 1960s many agricultural development
  programmes including Training Visit (TV) were
  introduced under the guidance of Department of
  Agriculture (DoA)
• But, the farmers see village extension workers as
  crop specialists and do not go to them for
  livestock information.
• Various livestock development programmes
  initiated by government could not improve the
  productivity of the milch animals substantially
  for the want of a specialized extension service
  for livestock farmers

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Introduction

• The livestock extension activities by public
  agencies are also facing severe budgetary
  constraints
• The investment of the GOI in livestock sector is
  extremely low and varied between 0.4 percent and
  1.0 percent
• National Department of Animal Husbandry and
  Dairying (DAHD) commits less than 10 percent of
  its budget to information delivery
• The low investment by the DAHD in information
  delivery including livestock extension activities
  is also likely to be followed by the state
  departments, which often face budgetary
  constraints

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General allocation pattern of funds by department
of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GOI (1996-97)
Source GOI, 1998
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Agencies Dealing with Livestock Extension Service
in India

• Directorate of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture
  
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research
  (ICAR)/DAC
• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
• Krishi Vigyan Kedra (KVKs)
• State Agricultural Universities
• State Department of Animal Husbandry (SDAH)

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Need for a Specialized Livestock Extension
Service

• The sectorial approaches introduced through the T
  V system meant that, in practice, the form of
  extension was oriented for crop production and
  livestock was neglected
• Most models try to integrate livestock into
  general extension systems by providing cross
  training of crop specialists in the areas of
  livestock production and vice versa.
• But in practice, its availability has been patchy
  and obviously affected the quality of the
  extension service to the livestock owners

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Specialized livestock extension service has
different requirements

• Because of
• longer time scale of animal production
• slower speed of technology development
• lack of synchronous of different animals
• difficulty in demonstrating merits because of
  their poor observability
• frequently dispersed and non uniform needs of the
  livestock owners

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SDAH - Main actor

• The SDAH have the widest mandate for livestock
  development and are best placed to deliver
  livestock production information
• Available throughout the country for livestock
  owners to consult for information on livestock
  related issues
• The services of SDAH can be effectively utilized
  for livestock extension education activities,
  especially when (i) there is no specialized or
  separate livestock extension service in operation
  in India, (ii) the possibility of creating a
  separate/independent agency for livestock
  extension under the government is very remote

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Activities of SDAH having bearing on Extension

• Veterinary staff engages in informal extension
  when interacting with livestock keepers
• Camps are organized to provide clinical
  veterinary treatment as well as to pass on
  information
• Livestock fairs, shows and competitions are
  occasionally run at district and village
  locations
• Programmes for cattle, Poultry, small ruminants
  and pig production have extension components

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Administrative Set Up - Directorate Of
Veterinary Services, Tamil Nadu
Director of Veterinary Services
Addl.Director (Livestock development)
Addl.Director (Veterinary Services)
Financial advisor Chief Accounts Officer
Joint Director (Extension)
Deputy Director (Sample Survey)
Deputy Director (Personnel)
Assistant Directors 1. Veterinary institutions 2.
Publicity and Propaganda 3. Rinderpest
Officer 4. Planning 5. Schemes 6. Manual revision
Deputy Registrar (Coop)
Accounts Officer
Admn. Officer
Coop sub registrar
Office manager
Assistant Accounts Officer
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons (VASs) 1. Junior
Research Statistician 2. Publicity and
Propaganda 3. Animal Disease Surveillance 4.
Field Officer 5. Rinderpest 6. Office 7. Annual
Administrative report
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Problems of SDAH in livestock extension services
delivery

• No physical targets and achievement details in
  extension work
• Shortage of funds for transport and travel
  allowances limits the ability of staff to travel
• Veterinary functionaries are expected to perform
  twenty-five multifarious activities in which
  extension is one (Venkatadri, 2002)
• The expenditure incurred over the years by
  various SDAH in India on livestock extension
  activities was found to be only around 1-3 of
  their total budget
• Lack of staff devoted specifically to extension

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Suggestions to improve livestock extension service

• A. Overhauling of institutional set up
• streamline the livestock extension services
  rendered by the SDAH especially by knowing
• what type of extension activities the SDAH is
  conducting for information delivery and through
  what mechanisms and facilities?
• How much importance they attach to livestock
  extension service?
• How far and in what ways the livestock owners
  seek advice from the SDAH?
• In what way the livestock extension service can
  be improved upon?

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B. Revitalization of operational mechanism

• The institutional structure must possess a
  qualified advisory service
• Extension orientation among the field
  functionaries replacing the clinical approach
• Analyzing the existing strength and resources and
  to build on the same for further improvement so
  that improved technologies reach the grassroots
  level for integration with the production system

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Conclusion

• Absence of clear-cut policy on livestock
  extension service and delineating that role to
  any organization in India
• National livestock policy indicating the goals
  and objectives set for the livestock development
  is required for livestock extension service
  delivery
• The livestock extension policy has to take into
  account the goals of the National livestock
  policy i.e increasing productivity alongside
  ensuring quality

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Conclusion

• It is important to determine the nature and type
  of extension service extended by DAHD various
  SDAH
• Creating a separate unit within the SDAH for
  livestock extension activities and provision of
  enhanced budget, staff, vehicles and other
  infrastructure
• Contract farming for milk and meat production may
  improve delivery of extension messages to
  contract farmers

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