KOHIMA, JUNE 1 (MExN): The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA), a nationwide agricultural campaign, was officially launched across Nagaland on May 29 as part of India’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
Organized under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the campaign is being jointly implemented by 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), 113 ICAR institutes, 63 State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), 3 Central Agricultural Universities (CAUs), and respective state governments. The VKSA initiative aims to reach 1.5 crore farmers across more than 700 districts by June 12.
In Nagaland, the campaign began with ceremonial flag-offs of Krishi Rath-Special Vans in every district, with participation from public representatives and district administrations. Thirty-six teams comprising scientists from ICAR, Central Agricultural University (CAU), Nagaland University’s School of Agricultural Sciences, KVKs, and State Government departments have been mobilized to lead the outreach efforts.
According to Dr. Sandeep Deshmukh, Senior Scientist & Head of ICAR-KVK Wokha and Nodal Officer for VKSA Nagaland, each team is visiting three villages daily to promote improved agricultural technologies and increase awareness of government schemes. So far, these teams have covered 324 villages and interacted with over 30,000 farmers—13,947 women and 16,065 men.
Teams are also documenting village-specific challenges, technology gaps, and local priorities to inform future research and government policy. The VKSA’s decentralized, bottom-up model is intended not only to spread sustainable practices but also to capture grassroots-level innovations.
The outreach is focused on several pressing agricultural areas for Nagaland, including artificial insemination, integrated farming systems, backyard poultry, scientific pig farming, acid soil management, Fall Armyworm management, terrace rice cultivation, mushroom and flower production, rainwater harvesting through jalkunds, and crop-specific technologies for banana, spices, millet, and king chilli.
With a strong emphasis on community participation, the VKSA campaign aims to empower farmers with knowledge and tools that contribute to both the transformation of Indian agriculture and the broader goal of a five-trillion-dollar economy.
