INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (ICAR)

INTRODUCTION:
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, it was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The ICAR has its headquarters at New Delhi.

The Council is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country. 97 ICAR institutes and 53 agricultural universities spread across the country. The ICAR has played a pioneering role in Green Revolution and subsequent developments in agriculture in India.

OBJECTIVES:
To plan, undertake, aid, promote and co-ordinate education, research and its application in agriculture, agroforestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, home science and allied sciences To act as a clearing house of research and general information relating to agriculture, animal husbandry, home science and allied sciences, and fisheries through its publications and information system; and instituting and promoting transfer of technology programmes. To do other things considered necessary to attain the objectives of the Society

To provide, undertake and promote consultancy services in the fields of education, research, training and dissemination of information in agriculture, agroforestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, home science and allied sciences. To look into the problems relating to broader areas of rural development concerning agriculture, including postharvest technology by developing cooperative programmes with other organizations such as the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the universities.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRAS (KVKS)

Under ICAR there are 611 KVKs and they are distributed in 8 different zones. All the schemes from ICAR are implemented through KVK. In each district there is one KVK. In Maharashtra there are 44 KVKs.

FUNCTIONS:

To plan and conduct survey of the operational area through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods and characterize physical and human resources with special reference to identifying the technological and training needs of the farming community. To compile all relevant recommendations/package of practices for the district to be meaningfully utilized in the training programmes and the follow-up extension activities. To plan and conduct production-oriented and needbased short and long duration training courses both on the campus as well as in the villages for various target groups with priority on the resource poor sections.

To plan and conduct production-oriented and needbased short and long duration training courses both on the campus as well as in the villages for various target groups with priority on the resource poor sections. To organize Farm Science Clubs in order to inculcate in the younger generations a scientific temper and an interest on agriculture and allied sciences and for scientific farming through supervised individual and group projects. To develop and maintain the campus farms and demonstration units on scientific lines as the facilities for providing work experience to the trainees, dissemination of the latest technical knowhow and also as a means to achieve financial sustainability in due course of time.

To provide practical training facilities of the Kendra to the teachers and the students of vocational agriculture of the higher secondary schools. To implement all such schemes of the ICAR and other related organizations which intend to strengthen the training and technology dissemination programmes as well as follow-up extension activities of the Kendra. To undertake on-farm testing of the technologies developed by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in agriculture and allied fields for their suitability and identifying the constrains. To demonstrate the potentialities of various technologies and recommend for their adoption in maximizing yield/income per unit of time and area under different resource conditions.

ICAR SCHEME FOR AGRICUTURE EDUCATION:

National Talent Scholarships (NTS) ICAR Junior Research Fellowships for pursuing Master's degree ICAR Senior Research Fellowships for pursuing Ph. D. degree - 202 number

ICAR INSTITUTIONS:
Deemed Universities 4 Agriculture Research Institutions - 45 National Research Centres 17 National Bureaux 6 Directorates/Project Directorates - 25

ICAR IN MAHARASHTRA:
There are 4 Agricultural Universities. ICAR Research institutes in Maharashtra: 1. National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 2. CSIR Unit for Research and Development of Information Products, Pune 3. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 4. Central Institute of Cotton Research, Nagpur 5. National Institue of Abiotic Stress Management, Malegaon, Maharashtra

6. National Research Centre for Citrus, Nagpur

7.National Research Centre for Grapes, Pune 8. National Research Centre for Pomegranate, Solapur 9. National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur 10.Central Institute of Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai 11. Central Institute on Fisheries Education, Mumbai 12. Directorate on Onion and Garlic Research, Pune

FUTURE PROSPECTS:
Vision-2030 Ensure food and income security for all, through technological innovations and sustainable agriculture.

Mission Harness power of science and education with a human touch for higher and sustainable agricultural production.

Focus To accomplish the vision and the mission of the ICAR it gives highest priority to farmers, and entire strategy is based on farmer first. Promote innovations and improve human resource capacity by involving all stakeholders in the foodsupply chain. Strengthen institutional capacity for attaining sustainable food, nutrition, and livelihood security, and also for global Act as a catalyst in reclaiming degraded resources for agriculture, and conserve and enhance national wealth of natural resources and biodiversity.

Promote adaptation and preparedness for meeting climate change challenge, and evolve mechanisms for effective drought and flood management. Foster repositories of genetic resources related to crop, livestock, fish, insects and micro-organisms for their sustainable utilization. Develop and facilitate gradual replacement of pesticides, and execute mechanisms for bio-security of the country, especially that emerging from threat of gene piracy and crossborder vector-borne diseases. Reform agricultural education and extension systems, and enhance human resource befitting global competition. Foster linkages and collaborations with public and private, national and international organizations.

HOW TO GO FOR SCHEMES:

Farmer can avail the benefits of ICAR Scheme through 1. Agriculture Univercities 2. Agriculture Research Institute 3. Krishi Vigyan Kendras

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