Agriculture, which remains the backbone of the Indian economy, not only provides livelihood to nearly half of the population but also underpins national food security. The vision of a developed India is being actively pursued, and to realize this goal, it is essential to build a foundation of developed agriculture, modern farming practices, and prosperous farmers. Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to enable research and technology to reach farmers across the country. The campaign will be rolled out annually before the sowing seasons of both Kharif and Rabi crops. The pre-Kharif 2025 campaign is to be held during May 29 - June 12., 2025. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare The primary objective of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is to ensure food security for the country’s 1.45 billion people, while also guaranteeing availability of nutritious food, improving farmer incomes, and conserving natural resources for future generations. To meet these targets, the Ministry has laid out a six-point strategy: increasing production, reducing production costs, ensuring fair pricing for produce, compensating losses due to natural disasters, promoting crop diversification with value addition and food processing, and encouraging natural and organic farming. About the campaign The “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” will unify efforts from various agricultural bodies, including ICAR’s 113 research institutes, agriculture universities, state government departments, innovative farmers, and farmer-producer organizations (FPOs). This collaborative approach aims to align scientific research with real-time farming needs. Currently, around 16,000 agricultural scientists are engaged in research, and the campaign aims to make their work directly accessible and useful to farmers. As part of the initiative, 2,170 expert teams each comprising at least four scientists will visit over 65,000 villages across 723 districts between May 29 - June 12, 2025 These teams will include personnel from agricultural universities, research institutions, government departments, innovative farmers, and FPOs. They will conduct daily sessions morning, afternoon, and evening engaging directly with farmers. The teams will assess local agro-climatic conditions, soil nutrient profiles, water availability, and rainfall patterns. Using Soil Health Cards, they will recommend appropriate crops, high-yield seed varieties, ideal sowing techniques, and balanced fertilizer use, emphasizing scientific farming to lower costs and improve soil health. Expected outcome of the campaign Importantly, the campaign is designed as a two-way interaction. Farmers will share their challenges, ask questions, and report field-level problems such as pest infestations, which will inform future research directions. The initiative will harness the collective strength of 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and ICAR scientists, ensuring that science and farming progress hand-in-hand. With an expected direct engagement of over 1.3 crore farmers, this innovative and inclusive campaign is poised to set a new benchmark in agricultural transformation and awareness in India. Source : PIB