Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh today said knowledge generated by research gets obsolete by the time it reaches the farmers due to big lapse of time and called the relevant agencies to solve this problem.
"The relevant agencies should consider this problem seriously and should reform their activities to strengthen the links between research, teaching and extension," Lyngdoh said at the inauguration of the 7th National Extension Education Congress here.
"Centralised planning of the agricultural extension education system is not addressing the local needs to the extent it is required. Specialised courses in extension technology should be developed to upgrade the teaching extension skills," he said.
Lyngdoh said skill-based, problem-solving vocational training for self-employment for farmers, farm women and rural youth should be included in extension education.
The seminar, based on the theme 'Translational Research Extension for Small Farm Development', is being jointly organised by Society of Extension Education, Agra, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat and Zonal Project Directorate, Zone III, Umiam.
It was attended by over 500 extension specialists from all over India.
Former ICAR DG Dr Mangala Rai said the complexities of small farm holders are more complex than understood and it becomes still more complex because these farmers purchase in retail but sell in wholesale.
