The training titled "Effective Capacity Building for Agri-institution Personnel: Tools and Techniques," organized by MANAGE (National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management), was aimed at enhancing the competencies of agricultural extension personnel. Dr. Srinivasacharyulu Attaluri, Deputy Director (Knowledge Management) at MANAGE, is a key resource person involved in such capacity-building initiatives.
Brief: The agricultural landscape is undergoing rapid transformation due to the rise of agri-startups that introduce novel approaches for capacity building by Training Institutions while working with farmers in India. MANAGE, EEIs, SAMETIs, SAUs, ICAR Institutes, and KVKs all conduct capacity building, skill development, and technology transfer activities for extension personnel and farmers. They deliver similar content independently, leading to duplication and overlapping of the efforts too.
Book Recommendation: The recommended book, titled "What Every Extension Worker Should Know: Core Competency Handbook" is a comprehensive reference manual created by USAID, Michigan State University, and MEAS (Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services)
Learnings
Innovation requires interactions and information flows among a wide range of actors within the innovation systems through digital technologies. Skill development is a short-term effort focused on improving specific abilities at the individual level, while capacity building is broader and more comprehensive. Capacity building develops people, organizations, and systems for long-term success through skills, governance, partnerships, and resource management.
Techniques for Capacity Building
World Café: A participatory group process modeled on butterfly movement and pollination. Participants rotate between small-group tables, sharing and cross-pollinating ideas. This helps generate creative insights, collective intelligence, and actionable outcomes in extension training, simulating the natural pollination processes for spreading and enriching discussions
Visual Facilitation: Engagement strategy using diagrams, mind maps, and visual storytelling during training sessions to simplify complex ideas, promote group learning, and stimulate creative thinking
Design Thinking: Design thinking infuses extension training with creative problem-solving by focusing on user needs, rapid prototyping, and testing. It encourages innovative approaches to addressing farmer challenges, service delivery, and system improvement
Tools for Capacity Building
1. New Extension Learning Kit - GFRAS
This toolkit contains digital resources and modules for agricultural extension workers. Topics include gender in advisory services, risk mitigation, climate adaptation, rural evaluation, youth mentoring, nutrition-sensitive extension, e-extension, and entrepreneurship.
2. Micro-Learning / Mobile Learning
Micro-learning delivers short, focused lessons (typically 3–10 minutes) via mobile or digital platforms. These modules are easily accessible, often use videos, infographics, and quizzes, and allow for self-paced, on-demand learning.
3. MOOCs (agMOOCs and NAARC)
MOOC platforms like agMOOCs by MANAGE and NAARC offer free, open, and flexible courses for lifelong agricultural education.
This government platform provides online training content and courses for extension professionals. The iGOT KarmaYogi platform is exclusively meant for government officials and civil servants. Access requires registration using an official government email ID or other credentials linked to government employment.
5. National Skills Qualification Framework - ASCI
ASCI’s skills framework supports modular courses in dairy, fisheries, animal husbandry, farm modernization, and commodity management. ASCI e-Learning Zone is a gateway to agricultural skill development.
*Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) portal offers a variety of free online courses and skill development programs across multiple sectors, including agriculture.
6. Agri Games
Agri games offer interactive, gamified modules for learning agricultural concepts like nutrient management. They boost engagement and help users gain practical knowledge through play and simulation
7. Blended Learning – ICAR-IASRI
This platform centralizes digital learning resources, including LMS (Learning Management System), AR/VR studios, video conferencing, online assessments, interactive whiteboards, and learning courses. It aims to increase knowledge retention and learner engagement across agricultural universities.
The ECHO platform, originally designed for health extension, is indeed being adapted for agriculture and other sectors by integrating resource persons, resource materials, trainers, and creating analytics in a virtual learning environment.
9.VR/AR-Based Learning
Virtual reality modules such as fish dissection, hydroponics, seed lifecycle, and irrigation are used for immersive, hands-on training at specialized experience centers.
