Strategic Research & Extension Plan (SREP)
Khunti district of Jharkhand was selected as ATMA district under extension reforms programmes Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. An autonomous institution registered under society act in the name of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) to Carry out the project activities in collaboration with different line departments like Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries Plant protection along with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, NGO and representative of various stoke Holder of the agriculture production system the strategic research and extension plan for Giridih was prepared fallowing the participatory methodology to reflected the issues needs and expectation of farming community .the main steps fallowed for preparation of Strategic Research and extension Plan (SREP) are as fallows.
The strategic research extension plan basically has two Sections namely “Diagnostic” section and ‘Strategic section’. The diagnostic section has two subsections namely information and analysis. In the information sub section, information from the different line departments gathered and recorded along with the detailed data of the representative village under each AES.
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DISTRICT
Agriculture in the Khunti district is characterized by mono cropping, the main crop is being paddy. Other kharif crops are Maize, Urad, Moong, Niger as rainfed crop. Rabbi crops are wheat, Pea,Potato. How ever vegetable are grown extensively in some block of district. Main vegetables are Lady’s Finger, Tomato, Brinjal, Capsicum, Chilli, Cucurbitaceous vegetables. Unseasonal vegetables are also grown on large scale in the District. In winter and summer season 90% land remain fallow therefore cropping intensity is hardly 110% in the district. Therefore it is a great challenge to increase the cropping intensity at national average 146%. There is an Opportunity to increase the cropping intensity through crop Diversification & Intensification. Since vegetable are also grown in AES-III, therefore opportunity for market led extension is also good by growing Unseasonal vegetables.
Yield of rainfed upland rice is low(less than 1000 kg/ha) and unstable. It is being cultivated to meet the family food requirement of small and marginal farmers who constitute 75 percent of total farm holdings. Replacement of rainfed upland rice with low water requiring high value crops may be one of the best options to increase the production, productivity, income and employment in rainfed upland rice areas of the state. It is generally recognized that second green revolution could be realized in the state through small farm diversification and integrated development of both farm and non-farm sectors is crucial from the point of view of alleviation of rural poverty. Therefore, viability and sustainability of small farms through diversification assume importance.
