- PRA survey completed in three villages, new action plan for agricultural development of the district to be prepared with the participation of farmers;
- based on SREP, overall development of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries sector will get a new direction
An important initiative has begun towards making Mohla-Manpur-Ambagadh Chowki district an independent Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) district. Under the guidance of the District Collector and Chairman of the ATMA scheme, the Agriculture Department, under the centrally sponsored Extension Reform (ATMA) scheme, successfully completed a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) survey in three selected villages to prepare the district’s Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP). This survey is considered an important step towards formulating a future agricultural development strategy based on the district’s actual agricultural needs, challenges, and potential.
A comprehensive survey was conducted in selected villages of all three development blocks.
The survey was conducted by a joint team of officials from the Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries departments in village Renga Kathera of development block Mohla, village Baseli of development block Manpur and village Bagnara of development block Ambagarh Chowki. During this, detailed information was collected on various aspects related to agriculture and rural development with the active participation of farmers, women’s groups and villagers.
Farmers shared local experiences and development priorities
During the PRA survey, villagers shared their experiences on various topics including the social and cultural structure of the village, availability of natural resources, agriculture and irrigation system, availability of seeds and fertilizers, marketing system, roads and transportation, canals, pastures, forests and biodiversity. With the participation of villagers, other PRA charts were also prepared including social map, resource map, land use map, crop cycle, groundwater level, pest and disease management and Venn diagram depicting coordination of various departments.
Agricultural development strategy will be tailored to the district’s needs.
According to the Agriculture Department, the Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) prepared based on the PRA survey will be based on the district’s actual needs, available resources, and local potential. This will formulate a long-term strategy for the development of agriculture and allied sectors, ensuring better implementation of schemes and tailoring agricultural extension services to farmers’ needs.
Farmers will directly benefit from becoming an independent ATMA
After the district receives independent ATMA status, training, technical guidance, demonstrations, innovation, capacity building, and various government schemes related to agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, and fisheries will be implemented more effectively at the local level. This will provide timely technical assistance to farmers, accelerate the expansion of modern agricultural techniques, and develop new agriculture-based livelihood opportunities.
A new path to development will open up for thousands of farmers
. Currently, the ATMA scheme is being implemented in the district through the parent district, Rajnandgaon. After the PRA survey and SREP are completed, the approval process will be completed by the central team. Following the declaration of the district as an independent ATMA district, implementation of schemes will begin at the local level, directly benefiting thousands of farmers in the district.
The Agriculture Department believes that the SREP, being prepared with the active participation of farmers, will be based on the district’s actual needs. After becoming an independent ATMA district, agricultural extension services will be more effective, prompt, transparent, and farmer-centric, giving new impetus to the overall development of agriculture and allied sectors in the Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district.
