National Academy of Agricultural Research Management,

Hyderabad
1. INTRODUCTION

In mid-sixties, the agricultural research took a center-stage in

visualizing and ushering in what is universally acclaimed as Green
Revolution – envied by most countries but seldom replicated. After
decades of deprivation and negative forecasts, Indian agriculture gained
more confidence in increasing productivity and production which resulted
in other revolutions viz., white (milk), yellow (oil), blue (fish), golden
(horticultural). As a result of research led revolutions, today India has
emerged as the second largest producer of food materials in world after
China. But there are many areas of concerns like feeding more than 1.1
billion people from same cultivable land (and in fact reducing due to its
conversion into real estate etc), requiring agriculture becoming profitable
but also making farmers / growers/ fishermen economically better off
than before etc.
The country has lately been making great strides in economic field and
emerged as one of leading economies of the world. While this looks very
good, the growth rate and contributions to GDP by the agricultural sector
has been going down. Presently, its growth rate is around 2.6 per cent and
contribution to GDP is 17.47 per cent and going down. The spectre of large
pulse and oilseed import(totaling more Rs.25,000 cr per year) is looming
large ,forcing the top planners to once again focus on agriculture. A loan
waiver of Rs.71,000 cr was announced by the Government of India. While
its impact is beingwatched carefully , the next step is to save them from
another debt trap(Swaminathan,2008).

The responsibility of developing and transferring technologies for doubling

food production by 2020 is mainly on agricultural research. The challenge
to our food security has never been severer. Necessary steps need to be
taken before it becomes too late , too little.

Food security is closely related to national security. If there is a huge food

deficit, it cannot be met by import.
National Agricultural Research System(NARS)

The NARS, which had hitherto largely included the ICAR

Institutes and State Agricultural Universities, is itself undergoing a

transformation. And to-day ,the NARS also encompasses private

sector,trade, NGOs, other public/ private funded institutions which

are involved in agricultural research. The private sector is now

investing heavily in agricultural sector and many corporate and

MNCs are in fray(seed, chemical, fertilizers, retailing etc). In this

process of expanding family, paradigms in agriculture are bound

to shift quite fast.

2. PARADIGM SHIFTS IN AGRICULTURE
OLD NEW

1. Input and experience 1. Output per unit input

based based, outcome focused
2. Production by large 2. Mass production by fewer
masses(52 % population) people(25 –30 per cent)
3. Low technology levels 3. Intermediate and high
technology levels
4. No/low concern for quality 4. High concern for quality

5. A way of life, little option 5. Profit making venture,

but to profess agriculture varied options
6. Production of all crops and 6. Demand based
commodities customized production,

7. Low energy, inefficient use 7. Energy intensive,efficient

8. Heavy PH losses,low 8. use
processing and value Reduced PH losses, high
addition, poor market processing and value
support addition, better market
support
3. SCENARIOS IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

3.1 Scenario-I

i) Business as usual : agricultural development mainly

driven by market forces, guided by public policy

ii) Competitive, open and integrated global market as

driving force for change

iii) Market driven growth is generally accompanied by

rising demand for quality food, growing inequalities
between regions, urban-rural divide and increasing
gap between the resource rich and resource poor. It
may also lead to acquiring of land by resource rich
and thus increasing farm size to gain advantage of
scale making small holders in-competitive.
3.2 Scenario – II
• Knowledge and innovation driven transition to sustainable
agricultural development

• It seeks to galvanize rapid agricultural development and

growth with attendant changes in rural livelihood and
environmental sustainability through technological
innovations(evolution,evaluation and adoption)

• It reaches the un-reached directly, without extension

intermediaries, direct scientist- farmer- consumer linkage

• It encourages participation of all stakeholders and the

development is all inclusive, benefits percolating to a large
number, taking care of gender, equity and environment
• It is based on premise of a co-evolution of
technological advancement, structural adjustments
and economic transformation resulting from
application of knowledge in production – post
production activities and social adjustments
• It involves an innovation system where the
generation ,application and transmission of
innovations work in partnership mode(PPP
Partnership)
• It is farmer- centric rather than agriculture- centric
approach, more profit to farmers/growers
• It builds capabilities at individual, organizational and
sectoral levels.
• It requires changes in governance structure that
reflects co-evolutionary dynamics of technology
and institutions(not easy to achieve, though !).
3.3 Changing process of knowledge generation and use

From To

Knowledge elite Knowledge society

Paper used to store and share Digital media and web used to
knowledge store and share knowledge

Research as the key tool to Research and consultation to

generate knowledge generate knowledge

Linear model of research, Interactive model, innovations

knowledge adaptation, use arise from a learning based
of technology process that combines problems’
identification and knowledge
generation
Table - 1 : Key features of the research management and technology promotion
approach, conventional and innovation agricultural research arrangements
Institutional features Conventional agricultural Innovation task networks
research arrangements

Guiding agenda Scientific Developmental

Relationships involved Narrow, hierarchical Diverse, consultative

Partners Scientists from other Scientists, entrepreneurs,

public agencies and development
workers from the public
and private sectors,
NGOs
Selection of partners Predetermined by Coalitions of interest.
institutional roles defined Determined by the nature
by the arrangement of of task, national
the research system institutional context and
skills, and resource
available
Role of partners Fixed. Predetermined by Flexible. Determined by
institutional roles defined the nature of task,
by the arrangement of national institutional
the research system context and skills, and
resource available.
 Institutional features Conventional agricultural
research arrangements
Work plan and activities Fixed at beginning of
project
Mandate for research/ Fixed by institutional
task approach adopted norms of the research
system
Knowledge produced Technical / scientific
Indicators of In scientific terms to other
performance scientists through res.
papers, patents etc.
Responsibility for Other agencies
achieving impact dedicated to extension
and technology
promotion
Capacity building Trained scientists and
research infrastructure
Innovation task networks
Flexible, iterative,course
corrections
Negotiated through
coalitions of interest
Technical / scientific and
institutional
In development terms to
donors. In terms of
fulfilling role in task
network to other partners
NARS Scientists and their
partners in task networks
Collective capacity of
task network, social
capital, partnership skills
 4. NATURE OF INNOVATION AND INNOVATION
PRACTICES IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
• Research is an important component – but not always
central component of innovation. Whole package, not
the part of package should be our concern.
• In the contemporary agriculture sector,
competitiveness depends on collaboration for
innovation.
• Social and environmental sustainability are integral to
economic success and must be reflected in
interventions.
• Market is not sufficient to promote interaction – the
public sector has a role to play. Reaching the un-
reached is largely public sector responsibility
• Interventions are essential for building capacity and fostering
the learning to enable a sector to respond to continuous
competitive challenges both from within and without.
• Organization of rural stakeholders is a central development
concept. It is a common theme in innovation system
development and in numerous agricultural and rural
development efforts.
• Actors that are critical for coordinating innovation systems at
the sector level are either overlooked or missing. Strength of a
chain is equal to the strength of its weakest link. Chains with
weak links break easily.
• A wide set of attitudes and practices must be cultivated to
foster a culture of innovation.
• Enabling environment is a key component of innovation
capacity.
5. CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
Resources & Research Outputs Users Outcomes
Planning Operations Knowledge Farmers Increased
Personnel Research Technology Extension production
Funds Testing / Procedures system Cost reduction
Infrastructure adaptation Publications NGOs Profit
Research Reporting Services Academia Achievement
Strategy, goals Dissemination Consumers of objectives

Operations’ Monitoring & Feedback

Output Assessment & Feedback

Outcome Assessment & Feedback

(Source : Warren Peterson, 1998. Assessing Organizational Performance : Indicators

and Procedures – Agricultural Research Organizations : The Assessment and
Improvement of Performance. Discussion Paper, ISNAR, The Hague, Netherlands,
July)
 If viewed as a production system, agricultural
research organizations have certain basic features. With
differing structures and organizational process, they use
resource as inputs (personnel, funds and infrastructure)
in research operations (research, testing, reporting, and
disseminating results) that generate various types of
outputs (knowledge, technology, procedures and
publications), users' attempt to transform the outputs
into positive outcomes (increased production, cost
reduction and profit) and impact. In this sequence of
events, performance assessment and feedback
mechanisms are required at different levels to ensure
that research organizations use their resources efficiently
and produce relevant and useful/high impact outputs.
Performance of public sector research organizations are
influenced by certain special characteristics, as under:
• As partners in the overall development efforts, these
reflect the national goals and objectives;
• Have multiple social and economic objectives;
• Operate in a dynamic policy and funding environment;
• Due to the mutatis mutandis adoption of finance/
service rules, have very little flexibility either to suitably
reward better performance or to punish non-
performance;
• Difficulty in attributing positive outcomes to
organizational efforts due to the activities of multiple
institutional actors; and
• Have more diverse accountability requirements.
6.RESEARCH MANAGEMENT ISSUES

6.1 What is being looked forward ?

* A learning, forward looking organization

• An inspiring and caring leadership which listens, inspires and guides

• Good working conditions where the management tries to provide and

maintain good facilities and environment for work

• An institution with its goals spelled and in unambiguous terms an

institution having a focused, rigorously debated program of work

• A responsive system in place that seeks to pursue human resource

development as one of its major missions and thereby provides
working environment and career advancement opportunities that
bring out the best from a researcher.
Journey and destination both are important, a journey without destination is a
waste and destination cannot be arrived at with an aimless journey. Both
destination and road map for journey should be selected with due deliberation.
The individual interest should subordinate to that of the institution.
6.2 Available research management options

• Public-private-people(PPP) partnership for generating and sharing

the research benefit and monetary returns.

• Prioritizing researches depending upon resources available. There

is no point in attempting all and succeeding in none. Priorities
based on consultation and analysis.

• Integrated resource management including outsourcing, ensuring

best material and human resource

• From inter-disciplinary to inter-sector research for looking beyond a

sector, breaking man-made barriers. For example, biotechnology
encompassing crops-fish-livestock. The gene flow has no barriers.

• Scientists should be thinkers and planners.Leave routine matters to

technicians. High impact, time bound research
• Focus on largely missing basic and anticipatory research through active
collaboration with reputed public/private institutions within and outside
India.
• A strong and functioning monitoring mechanism with well defined
responsibility and accountability for all.
• Discouraging piece meal / open ended research . Emphasis on output
quality, recognition by peers, quantifiable outcome, wider impact and
encouraging publications only in highly rated journals, not in
proceedings of conferences, symposia etc.
• Increased use of precision farming with use of GIS, GPS and other tools.
• Generation and integration of databases on soil, crop, livestock, fish,
catchments / command areas,socio-economic situations, ITK etc .
• Post-production management for saving scarce resources and timely
operations, improving quality, longer shelf life, value addition, higher
returns.
• Reduction in cost of production and reducing/eliminating losses for
increasing profitability in crop, livestock and fish.
• Value chain management
6.3 Identification of research priorities (indicative)
* Low in external inputs sustainable agriculture(India has 16
percent population,but only 2.4 percent land and 4.3 percent
of water of world)
• Agri- horti- forestry models for degraded /waste lands for crop
and animal husbandry
• Agro-eco region suitable farming system with different suitable
crop varieties and species of livestock and fish
• Integrated farming systems for different agro-eco regions,
efficient use of resources
• Development / selection of suitable varieties for processing,
better storage life, higher quality
• Medicinal and aromatic plant production , processing and
storage
• Precision farming for high sustainable productivity
• Surface covered cultivation
•Integrated weed/pest/disease management with emphasis on bio-chemicals
•Organic farming and processing for high value crops, initially
•Integrated nutrient management with emphasis on bio-fertilizers
•Biotechnology : structural and functional genomics to develop plant/animal/fish with
pest / disease resistance and quality attributes, use of nano-tecnology in agriculture
and information and communication technology for knowledge enhancement and
technology absorption
•Effect of climate change on crops, livestock, fish and microbial productivity,
• carbon trading
•Enhancement in input use efficiency
•Evolution of productive and processable varieties , productive breeds
•Development of management practices suitable for biotic and abiotic stress
conditions
•Intellectual property management including ITK, commercialization of technologies
•Post-harvest processing, value addition and by product utilization in crops and
commodities.
•Disaster prevention, assessment and management.
•Comfortable Structures/ sheds/shelters for livestock, poultry and fish culture ponds
7. EPILOGUE
Agriculture is passing through a critical phase,
probably a losing race against time. It has to grow @ 4
percent to sustain economic growth of 9 percent. The
problems of today cannot be resolved by tools of
yesterday. Research is basically an enabling exercise
taking recourse to different tools to solve the mysteries
and problems on one hand and improving the
efficiencies of present systems/practices on the other.
Public funded agricultural research is saddled with
resource(human, material) crunch, tougher
competition from private sector and global challenge.
Obviously, the strategies are due for a revisit and
review. The agriculture is facing technology deficit, the
ICAR has to remove this deficit most quickly and take it
to users most effectively.
 The NARS will have to take a closer look at the programmes
and projects, deciding whether to take up everything or take up
work selectively which others not willing/being able to take up
through priority setting, closely looking at resources and efficient
monitoring . And these have to be essentially the cutting edge
researches with high impact and futuristic implications. The other
role the NARS will have to play is of knowledge generator and
manager so that the un-reached could be reached quickly. The
suitable strategies should be worked out and implemented so that
food security of the nation is assured. The ICAR-SAUs will have to
sustain their role as Research Leader.

The country never needed the researchers more. Let us

come up to the expectations of the country. This is the best
opportunity India has to emerge as food basket of the world.
 The onus is largely on us
scientists, so be prepared to
play our role well. The country
cannot survive without a
resurgent agriculture. If
agriculture fails, what
succeeds ?
Agriculture should not wait.