Innovative Climate Smart Agriculture through Knowledge Dissemination and Empowerment.

Small farm holders in the semi-arid areas particularly the women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  Main constraints for coping with the climate change are lack of knowledge about the available technologies as well as the impacts of climate change.  In most of the developing countries, agricultural extension systems are very weak. For example, in India, only 28% farmers receive information through Govt. extension systems. In a mission program, Bhoochetana, ICRISAT and its partners have developed knowledge based entry points for developing climate resilient agriculture in semi-arid tropical Karnataka, India.  Based on the strategic research on soil, water, nutrient and crop management along with agro-ecological studies, small farm holders and women are empowered by using innovative institutional mechanism of knowledge dissemination system. The concept of Farm Facilitators (FFs), village level extension agents, evolved from Bhoochetana program. Farm Facilitators are empowered through android based portable device (tablet) and portable pico projectors for effective dissemination of agriculture knowledge. These new tools allow farm facilitators to demonstrate good technologies as well as innovative practices adopted by progressive farmers to the other farmers in small groups in villages. These tools are piloted in Karnataka State to reach five million small farm holders in rainfed areas. Adoption of improved agronomic practices has already benefited 3.6 million farming families covering 3.73 million ha in Karnataka. With improved management, crop yields have increased by 20 to 66% and total economic value of benefit is USD 242 in four years with the benefit cost ratio for individual farmers ranging from 1.6 to 14.6:1. Detailed results as well as the processes of knowledge dissemination system for climate smart agriculture will be discussed.