Mandate of KVK:

The KVK aims at technology assessment, refinement and frontline demonstration of the technology and its dissemination through training of farmers and extension personnel. The activities include:

• On-farm testing of agricultural technologies to identify its location –specificity under various farming systems
  
  
• Frontline demonstrations to establish its production potentials
  
  
• Training of farmers to update their knowledge and skills
  
  
• Training of extension personnel to orient them in the frontier areas of technology development

The KVK has adopted an innovative approach of implementing the technology through a “Target-Group-Based-Modules” approach. The basic idea behind this is to percolate the benefits of modernization of agriculture holistically and not reductionistically. Unlike the conventional method of doing PRA for all, the farmers are first divided into “Target Groups” and then appraisal for each group is done. There are many ways one may define a target group. We have classified the farmers of each adopted village in terms of socio-economic status, which is essentially a function of land – holding of the family. So, based on the land-holding, farmers are classified into following groups,

1.Landless farmers and Skilled labourers
2.Marginal farmers
3.Small farmers
4.Semi-medium farmers
5.Medium farmers (field & horticultural crops & dairy raiser with fish pond )
6.Medium farmers (field & horticultural crops & goat/pig rearer with fish pond )
7.Rural youths
8.Women in agriculture
9.Common interest group

Depending on the nature of problem and need of each group problem cause diagrams are made and intervention points are identified. Then a “Module” is developed to implement the interventions. One example of the module of the landless farmers and skilled labourers of one of the adopted village is depicted below,