The fundamental element of any agricultural activity is the information, its availability, and its accessibility to the farmers. But, the extent of seeking information is a major issue among the farmers. Small roles are played by the public extension workers and the services provided by the government such as KVKs, farmers’ study tours, demonstrations, etc. NGOs’ role in providing extension services is majorly towards the large-scale farmers, leaving the small and marginal farmers inaccessible to the information. As a result, most of the farmers depend on uncredible sources such as input dealers, cooperatives, and other progressive farmers for information. According to a MANAGE report, the input dealers (68.6%) were the major source of information for the farmers.
Considering all these problems faced by the farmers, VAIAL (VIT school of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning) has rolled out an initiative – VIT Agri Clinic.
VIT Agri Clinic was commenced on 19 August 2022 in an area of 4000 sq. ft. The Agri Clinic is run by technocrats that provide advisory and expert services to the farmers on various aspects like soil health, crop protection, etc.
It has well-equipped laboratories for analyzing the soil and water samples where the farmers can test and get the results of their field samples with free of cost, a training hall supported with video and audio equipment aids in various training programs are conducted for farmers, a traditional seed display and storage unit, a mini-conference hall, and a pest and disease diagnosing unit.