BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday launched the ‘Krushi Unnata Sahayogi’ internship programme under which 964 final-year agriculture and horticulture students will be deployed across 314 blocks in all 30 districts to strengthen field-level agricultural extension services.
Launching the programme at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said the programme will help strengthen the state’s agricultural extension system while giving students practical field experience. He urged the associates to work with dedication, humility and a spirit of service.
The programme, initiated in 2023, will run for three months during the ongoing kharif season from October to December. Around two to three students will be deployed in each block.
The students will assist field staff in pest and disease surveillance through e-Pest and national pest surveillance system (NPSS), besides creating awareness among farmers about government schemes and agricultural applications. The e-Pest system is use for monitoring crop pests and diseases and providing timely advisory to the farmers, Singh Deo said.
He urged the interns to convert their ‘screen time into green time’ and emphasised that a key objective of the programme is to understand farmers’ issues firsthand and to document their success stories and feedback.
Each associate will conduct a qualitative survey of 100 farmers and undertake five crop-cutting experiments. They will also visit input dealers, one farmer producer organisation (FPO), two self-help groups and two PACS/LAMPS units to understand field-level issues and disseminate information on government programmes.
The students will document farmers’ problems, success stories and feedback to help strengthen the link between agricultural education, extension services and farmers.