EXT & RESEARCH-BIHAR

closed

The Bihar Agricultural Research Project will reorganize and strengthen Bihar's agricultural extension services, and help upgrade and develop adaptive research with the objective of achieving early and sustained improvements in agricultural production, particularly of foodgrains. The main project benefit will be an increase in production benefitting an estimated 7.6 million farm families. Small farmers with limited financial resources but excess labor will be the primary beneficiaries of the project's emphasis on efficientuse of existing resources. The most significant risk lies in the fact that the effectiveness of the new extension methodology is highly dependent on an efficient organization and management of extension and research services, as well as on farmers' response. Experience with ongoing projects has already demonstrated, however, that the new system can work efficiently in formulation and delivery of messages, and in motivating farmers. Project components include the provision of: additional staff, housing, equipment, vehicles and staff training for the extension service; additional staff, vehicles, simple farm buildings and equipment in order to strengthen adaptive research; and staff, equipment, vehicles and funds for project monitoring and evaluation.