The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project led by CIMMYT partners with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s (KVKs), state agricultural universities (SAUs), and state governments to strengthen India’s research for development (R4D) ecosystem through evidence-based agricultural innovation.

The Landscape Diagnostic Survey (LDS) also called the Landscape Crop Assessment Survey (LCAS), initiated in 2017 and supported by ICAR-KVKs, gathered over 7,000 data points on rice and wheat practices across eight states directly from the farmers. Published in New Frontiers in Agricultural Extension (Vol.1 and 2), the findings highlighted district-level adoption trends and informed future interventions for policymakers and researchers.

CSISA continues to train KVKs and agriculture students on LDS methodology and the use of real time data collection through a global mobile-based application: the Open Data Kit (ODK). Follwoing ICAR’s recommendation, CSISA has expanded LDS for pulse crops to support KVKs in addressing key farmer challenges and improving pulse productivity in the country.

In recent months, CSISA, in collaboration with the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI-ICAR), organized three LDS workshops for regional KVKs in Hyderabad, Raipur, and Guwahati. The workshops engaged 16 KVKs: eight from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra in Hyderabad; four from Chhattisgarh in Raipur; and four more from Assam in Guwahati. The most recent workshop, held over three days in Guwahati, included participants from four KVKs: Baksa, Nalbari, Guapara, and Nagaon. These KVKs were selected by the regional ATARI based on their large pulse-cultivation area, and to create master trainers within the institutions to conduct the survey. The training, hosted at ATARI Guwahati, was facilitated by the CSISA technical team, including Madhulika Singh, Arindam Samaddar and Iftikar Wasim.

On the first day, participants were introduced to survey frameworks, the ODK platform, and the questionnaire used for the Pulse crops survey across India. Practical sessions covered logging into the ODK forms, syncing data with the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute’s (IASRI) database, uploading survey data, and updating pages to store LDS pulse data. The CSISA trainers guided the participants through the pulse survey questionnaire, explaining the rationale behind each question and the insights it was designed to gather about farmers’ practices and knowledge.

On the second day, the team and participants conducted hands-on training by visiting farmers’ households. Each participant interacted with a farmer and conducted the survey, uploading the data in real-time using the ODK form. Any issues that arose during this process were addressed, and participants were informed about alternatives to ensure data integrity.

On the third day, participants reconvened with the trainers to review both their theoretical and practical learnings, discussing potential challenges they might face while implementing the survey in their respective districts. CSISA trainers reassured participants of ongoing support and guidance throughout the survey implementation process.

Rosy Saikia from KVK-Baksa found the three-day training very useful and expressed confidence in sharing the knowledge with the rest of her colleagues: “Through this training, we have been equipped to implement surveys on a real-time basis and generate key data that are crucial for evidence-based planning. We are hopeful of building on learnings from today’s training and the continuous support of the CSISA LDS team in this endeavour.”

“While this workshop was mainly focused on Pulse crops, we feel confident of replicating it to all cropping systems to generate key evidence,” said Ambika Sharan Sharma from KVK, Nalbari.

The CSISA LDS team with ICAR has so far conducted 12 workshops, training KVKs and Rural Agriculture Work Experience (RAWE) students of SAUs to build capacity for big data management and support evidence-based decision-making. The Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR-ICAR) will review data generated from the Pulse survey to gather insights and evidence for future policy and decision-making.

The LDS approach has advanced evidence-based decision-making within ICAR. On February 19, 2024, ICAR’s Agricultural Extension Division, in partnership with CSISA and the KVK system, launched a MEL Cell at its New Delhi headquarters. This initiative bridges research and extension, addressing gaps and low adoption rates of new technologies. CSISA continues to support KVK capacity, aligning skills with national agricultural priorities.