KVK Shopian concludes VKSA-2025

Strengthening Farmer-Scientist linkages for sustainable agricultural growth

Jun 17, 2025

SHOPIAN: Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) 2025, a nationwide initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in collaboration with ICAR and the department of Agriculture, concluded successfully in the district.

The campaign, which commenced from 29th May till 14th June, aimed to enhance farmer awareness about advanced practices in agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and fisheries, while promoting government schemes and collecting grassroots feedback for policy formulation.

Coordinated at the district level by Dr Zaffar Afroz Badri, Senior Scientist & Head, KVK Shopian, and Mohammad Rafiq, CAO Shopian, the campaign witnessed robust participation across all 9 blocks of the district, covering every village and engaging over 10,000 farmers through daily outreach by multidisciplinary teams.

The campaign promoted soil health cards, judicious use of fertilizers, package of practices for Kharif crops, and modern orchard management, including high-density apple plantations and scientific spray schedules.

Farmers were educated on natural and organic farming methods, fruit drop management, value addition through branding, and emerging technologies such as drone usage and waste segregation.

Field demonstrations and expert consultations helped address local challenges, while farmer feedback called for inclusion of apples under crop insurance and MSP, subsidies for hail nets and cold storage facilities, real-time weather advisories, and revival of market intervention schemes.

The campaign significantly deepened scientist-farmer relationships, documented field-level innovations, and reinforced the national vision of Viksit Bharat ensuring no farmer is left behind.

VKSA 2025 in Shopian stands as a model of convergence, coordination, and commitment to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.