KVK in collaboration with ICAR-CIARI Regional Station Minicoy and the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, UTLA, successfully organized the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA)-2025 across all 10 inhabited islands of the Union Territory.

The campaign was formally inaugurated at Kavaratti by Shri Buzar Jamhar, Director of Agriculture, UTLA, on 29th May 2025. Over the course of the campaign, which concluded on 12th June 2025, a total of 74 on-ground programmes were conducted by KVK, supplemented by 25 online sessions, effectively reaching and engaging 13,392 farmers across the islands. This unified effort aimed at enhancing awareness on sustainable agricultural practices, promoting government schemes, and ensuring the direct outreach of scientific knowledge to farming communities in even the remotest parts of Lakshadweep.

Activities undertaken

• Promoted modern & sustainable farming techniques.
• Shared detailed information of government schemes like PM-kisan, PKVY and PMMSY etc.
• Awareness related to soil-health practices and other conservation practices.
• Facilitate two-way knowledge flows: scientists advise farmers and collect grassroots feedback for future innovation.
• Distribution of Kharif advisory leaflets to the farmers
• Cover pre Kharif readiness, input management, integrated farming, and allied sectors — including fisheries and livestock.
• Seed kits and other inputs were distributed to the farmers

Key learnings by KVK:

• Low adoptation of primary agriculture practices like seed treatment, soil health management, use of bio fertilizer and bio pesticides.
• Lack of knowledge of farming community on the recent technology which are able to enhance productivity and farmers income.
• Farmers are unaware about micronutrients importance in agriculture, soil testing methodology.
• Lack of availability of agriculture inputs at State Agri, Horti and other departments, regular fluctuations in the market price, need of SOP for organic and natural farming systems.
• Inadequate flow of technical know-how/technology for value addition in cocnut and fish. Identification of appropriate value chain for the present existing marine ornamental fishes

Key Suggestions made by KVK:

• Increased capacity building initiatives for improving technology for value addition in coconut and fish.
• Establishment of small scale hatcheries and other facilities for increasing ornamental fish training
• Tranining on scientific cultivation of crops & Demonstration on new varieties and technologies.
• Need for high yielding pest and disease resistant and climate resilient varieties.
• Required to educate farmers about Govt. beneficiary schemes.

The Whole programme was coordinated by Dr. P. N. Ananth Prnicipal Scientist & Head of KVK-Lakshadweep.