Vol. 12, Special Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Neha Kushwaha, KN Pathak, Satish Kumar Singh and Varsha More

Abstract:
A farmer is a person who works in agriculture and grows living organisms for food or raw materials, which often includes animal husbandry and crop production. Today's farmer is not the same as yesterday's. Aside from food, he relies on agriculture to support his many expanding requirements as a result of industrialization. His views on extension are evolving. The performance of public sector extension has been under investigation for some time, and questions have been raised about its ability to deliver commodities in a constantly changing environment. The advent of new extension arrangements supplied by the private and voluntary sectors (e.g., input firms, NGOs, farmer groups, producer co-operatives, media, agro-processing corporations, consultants, etc.) has accelerated the process of government participation in extension. "Privatisation of agricultural extension service refers to the services rendered in the area of agriculture and allied aspects by extension personnel working in the private agencies or organisations for which farmers are expected to pay fee and it can be viewed as supplementary or alternative to public extension service". Private extension is thought to be more client-accountable, demand-driven, cost-effective, and efficient and quality service. India owes a lot to its scientists for making the country self-sufficient in terms of food grain production by leveraging the benefits of the green revolution. Given population increase, policymakers intend to double food production. With this in mind, planners and administrators have begun to criticise the public extension system on economic and efficiency grounds. The state funds the public agricultural extension service, which is often seen as supply driven. Privatisation of agricultural extension services appears to be the answer to the lofty goal of producing an exportable surplus. The main topic being debated in the state and around the country is the privatisation of the extension network. Keeping all of these things in mind, the current investigation was an attempt to know the Farmers' Perspectives on the Privatisation of Agricultural Extension Services in Bhopal District, Madhya Pradesh, India.