Vision

Ensure Food Security and also to make Agriculture a sustainable and viable vocation for livelihood support by 2020.

Mission

• To achieve the targeted growth rate of 4.5% in the agriculture sector by enhancing agriculture production and improving the income level of farmers by successful implementation of various state and central schemes.
• To offer outstanding educational opportunities, generate appropriate research output to address the contemporary challenges facing in agriculture and allied areas,
• To develop excellent globally competitive human resource for sustainable agriculture development.
• To effectively conserve, develop natural resources and their sustainable use.
• To ensure proper disaster and risk management in Agriculture/Climate resilient agriculture.

Objective

• Promoting Sustainable Agriculture.
• Ensuring food and nutritional security by increasing production and productivity.
• Input Management
• Generation and transfer of technology
• Promoting investments in agriculture.
• Risk Management.
• Monitoring and evaluation of schemes.

Raitamitra

The Department of Agriculture has been created mainly to provide Agricultural Extension services to farmers and to transfer the latest technical knowledge to the farming community, introduction of high yielding varieties, laying demonstrations, imparting training to farmers to improve skills & knowledge to boost up the agricultural Production and productivity.

Raita Samparka Kendra

The Department of Agriculture established Raitha Samparka Kendras at hobli level with the objective of providing updated crop production related knowhow, arrangement of critical agricultural inputs, primary soil and seed testing facilities and arranging interface with public and private sector technologies.

These Kendras are established with the objectives: • To provide technical information on crop selection, crop production related know-how, market information etc., to farmers. • To provide primary seed and soil testing facilities locally. • To facilitate on site provision of critical inputs like seeds, bio-fertilizers and plant protection chemicals.

Organic Farming Promotional Schemes of the Government

The Government of Karnataka, realising the importance of organic agriculture brought out a State Policy on Organic Farming as early as in 2004 itself and has implemented several schemes and programmes since then to promote organic farming in the State. In accordance with this, the State has witnessed a steady growth in the certified organic area from a mere 2,500 ha during 2004-05 to 93,963 ha as on March 2016. Presently, Karnataka ranks fifth in the country in terms of certified area and third in terms of total certified annual production.

Savayava BhagyaYojane(SBY)

Savayava Bhagya Yojane an ambitious project of the Karnataka government, is being implemented at Hobli level since 2013-14 in coordination with NGOs selected transparently through e-tendering. The selected NGO has been entrusted with the task of adopting 100 hectares of area in each Hobli. Wherein the farmers of each project area are formed into organic farmers associations and registered under society Act. Currently, this project is under implementation in 566 Hoblis of the State in an area of 63,677 hectares involving 53,829 farmers. Each project area of 100 ha is registered for group certification through Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSSOCA).

Assistance are being extended for the establishment of organic manure production units viz., Vermi-compost, Compost, Bio-digester, Azolla, cattle urine collection pits, cement structures for production of liquid-manures/ panchhagavya/ jeevamruta/ beejamruta in each project areas (100 ha). Assistance is also being given for flooring of cattle sheds for collection of urine & dung. In addition to these, organic manures viz., green manure seeds, concentrated manures, oilcakes, bio- fertilizers are being distributed to the farmers at subsidized rates. Further, assistance is also being extended for collection at cluster level, grading, packing, branding and market of organic produce.

The entire area under Savayava Bhagya Yojana has been brought under group certification programme through Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSOCA).

Market Based Specific Crop Organic Cluster Development Programme

This scheme is being implemented from 2017-18 under Savayava BhagyaYojane project areas with a focus on market based specific crops or commodity inorder to provide the required bulk & continous supply to meet the market demand. Further, focussed attention is being provided to develop proper linkages between producers and consumers by strengthening the supply chain mechanism on value chain mode by supporting activities related to production, collection, grading, value addition, processing, packing, brand development, whole sale and retail marketing of organic produce.

Organic Certification

Organic Farming aims at production of quality and safe agricultural produce which contain no chemical residues following eco-friendly production methods and farming systems that restore and maintain soil fertility. Organic Certification is the certification of the farm where in the Organic produce is produced by methods that comply with national and international standards set for organic farming. Organic certification is necessary to market organic produces at local and export level.

The certification guarantees that the organic produce/products are produced in organic farms complying with the stipulated standards. It separates the organic produces from other produces and thus protects the interests of organic farmers. Certified organic produce command better prices in the market.

In Karnataka, group certification of organic farms under Government promotional programmes are undertaken by certified agencies recognized by APEDA, GoI, in coordination with Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency. Around 63,677 hectares and 53,829 farmers covered under Savayava Bhagya have been brought under certification through Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency. The third year certification process (IC2) is currently underway.
For more information on certification visit Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSOCA)

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

The state has also initiated the implementation of the Centrally Sponsored scheme“Paramparagata Krishi Vikasa Yojana(PKVY)” from the year 2015-16. The said programme is being implemented in all the districts & Taluks of Karnataka in project areas of 50 acres (clusters) each. A total of 545 crop-specific organic clusters @ 3 clusters/taluk have been selected throughout the state covering an area of 27,250 acres benefiting 25,968 farmers in the state. The project areas are registered under Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) of certification is adopted in PKVY implementation area.
For more information on PGS visit https://pgsindia-ncof.gov.in/

Karnataka Organic Farming Policy 2017

Karnataka State policy on organic farming 2017 was released during the National Trade fair in 2017. The policy is a revision of the 2004 version, incorporating new objectives and strategies to create more opportunities for the farmers of the state to meet the growing demand for organic/millet food in the market. The new policy apart from promoting sustainable organic production systems focuses on providing proper value chain linkages between producers and consumers through strengthening of the supply chain mechanism. Suitable strategies have been formulated to ensure organised/systematic forward and backward market linkages to the farmers/farmers'groups/marketers of the state inorder to provide quality organic food to consumers while ensuring that the organic farmers do not revert back to conventional farming .

Regional Federations of Organic farmers Associations

To facilitate systematic marketing of organic produce, Govt. of Karnataka has facilitated setting up of regional federations of organic farmers’ associations by federating the hobli/village level organic farmers’ associations throughout the state. 14 regional federations of Organic farmers Associations are established and registered during 2015-16. Market related activities viz., collection, grading, value addition, processing, packing, brand development, whole sale and retail marketing of organic produce are being assisted and taken up through these federations.

Karnataka: Millet capital of India

Karnataka is promoting millets as nutri-cereals that are good to eat and grow and kind on the planet. Millet production and promotional programmes are being taken up by the department of Agriculture. The perception of ragi (finger millets) and jowar (sorghum), the principal millets of the state, as food of the poor is changing mainly among those with lifestyle diseases. Karnataka has developed a brand called “Siri” for millets as they are referred as ‘siridhanya’ or rich grains. Karnataka has started implementing distribution of millets through PDS -where in the grains are sourced and distributed locally.Today, Karnataka is one of the leading producers and consumers of millets in the country. It also stands at the top of the market with a huge demand for millets. The state government is trying to make millets 'The Food of the Future' through various initiatives and ensuring farmers get their due remuneration. It is procuring Ragi& Jowar by giving a bonus of 20-25 percent above the MSP from farmers.

New Scheme of Zero Budget Natural Farming of 2018-19

To grow safe food, to save soil fertility and to protect environment is the need of the hour. Zero Budget Natural farming is low-input, low risk farming practices, a climate-resilient model which is in harmony with nature. It is a complete paradigm shift from external input based green revolution and also from the expensive organic input based agriculture.

Pioneered by Shri. Subhash Palekar, an innovative farmer from Maharashtra, ZBNF has been in vogue on small scale across several farms in the country for over a decade now. ZBNF has resilient features to cushion against rising temperature and shrinking moisture.

In international classification, Z.B.N.F comes under climate change resilient, Agro ecology, more specifically under “Regenerative agriculture”. Farming without chemicals is a profitable possibility and that higher yields could be achieved by reducing external inputs and water.

ZBNF is based on four core principles

• Beejamrutham- coating of seeds with cow urine and dung-based formulations,
• Jeevamrutham- concoction made of dung, urine, jaggery and pulse flour to multiply soil microbes
• Cover crops and Mulching- ground to be kept covered with crops and crop residues
• Waaphasa- Fast build up of soil humus for soil aeration.

In Karnataka Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is being proposed for the first time under the State Scheme. A budget of Rs. 50.00 crores has been earmarked during the year 2018-19. Karnataka State Department of Agriculture is the nodal department for implementation of the said scheme. In the first phase, it is proposed to implement the scheme in pilot basis, in all the 10 Agro-climatic zones of the state through the concerned State Agriculture/ Horticulture Universities as demonstrations in farmers’ fields and in Research Stations of the State Agriculture/Horticulture Universities. This scheme is mainly a KNOWLEDGE INTENSIVE PROGRAMME/SCHEME rather than an input intensive basically comprising of capacity building programmes for the beneficiary farmers on persuasive approach. ZBNF follows a decentralized operational structure at a cluster level.

It is aimed to bring around 5% of the total cultivable area under ZBNF in a period of five years.