Odisha Deploys 964 Agriculture Students Across All 314 Blocks
Rural Development Today | 5 October 2026 | Development Connects
Odisha has expanded its Krushi Unnata Sahayogi programme across all 314 blocks in the state's 30 districts, deploying 964 final-year agriculture and horticulture students during the October–December period. The programme is designed to connect agricultural education with field-level extension.
Approximately two or three students are being placed in each block and will work alongside existing extension personnel. Their tasks include pest and crop-disease surveillance, farmer interaction, crop-cutting experiments, awareness about government programmes and use of digital systems including e-Pest and the National Pest Surveillance System. They will also interact with Farmer Producer Organisations, self-help groups and cooperatives.
The initiative addresses two needs simultaneously. Farmers require accessible technical information during the crop season, while agriculture students require field exposure before entering professional roles. A block-level placement exposes them to diverse farm sizes, soil conditions, pest incidence and farmer decision-making.
Useful indicators include farmers contacted, field visits completed, pest outbreaks detected, advisories issued, recommendations adopted and crop losses avoided. The central test is whether temporary student deployment strengthens the permanent extension system rather than operating only as a short-term parallel activity.
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