VARA PRASAD CHITTEM
PhD Agricultural Extension
ICTs for
Agricultural
Extension
It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself as an
agricultural extension person; I am involved in agricultural
technologies dissemination to the field level special interest towards
Information & Communication Technology (ICT) based technology knowledge dissemination on agricultural practices through farmers education.
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I earned my bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science & Rural Development in 2005 from Loyola Academy Degree & PG College, Secunderabad, which is an autonomous institution under Osmania University, Telangana State, India and my master’s degree in Extension Education in 2009
from Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh, India and doctoral degree in Agricultural Extension in the year 2019 from Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India.
Recent book-
Glimpses of Practical in Extension Education
I am
WHAT
My extension career started as a Research Associate- ICT Enabled Extension in 2009 at Rice Knowledge Management Portal (RKMP), a flagship initiative under National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) with has been envisaged to enable rice farmers and extension workers across the country to create, manage and share scientific, technology-related and market-related information for the benefit of the rice as a sector. In this project, I had an opportunity of playing a key role as an ICT extension person for four and half years in developing various online and offline knowledge management models and capacity building of rice agricultural extension practice. After this project, I also got an opportunity to work at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI-INDIA) in ICRISAT Campus, Hyderabad, India, but because of my personal reasons, I could not stay for along time.
The best part of my career is working as a Lecturer- Agricultural Extension, teaching under graduate student of agriculture science in the same college from where I have graduated. For one semester, I have handled RAWEP- Rural Agricultural Work Experience Programme and industrial internship a part from teaching.
Later I joined as Scientist (SMS), Agricultural Extension in DDS Krishi Vigyan Kendra- a Farm Science Centers which are the Institutional Projects of ICAR- Indian Council of Agricultural Research to demonstrate the application of science and technology input of agricultural research in the farmers' field with the help of a multi-disciplinary team of Scientists. Here I was also the in-charge Head for this institute and took the lead role in monitoring on-farm testing to assess the location specificity of agricultural technologies under various farming systems, conducting frontline demonstrations (FLDS) to establish production potential of technologies on the farmers’ fields. Capacity building of farmers, extension personnel and rural youth to update their knowledge and skills on various advances in agricultural technologies. I had also played a crucial role in developing linkages among the agricultural extension functionaries in the operational district i.e. Sangareddy district (Previously Medak district) of Telangana, India, by bringing more than two hundred grassroots level extension works together through participatory workshops on bio-diversity based organic farming practices during 2015-16.
I feel extremely honored and appreciative for receiving "Ganga Singh Chauhan Memorial Research Scholar Award" from Society of Extension Education, Agra at 8th National Extension Education Congress-2017 held at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad 28-31 Jan 2017.
