ATMA would be supported by Governing Board(GB) and Management Committee(MC). The Governing Board is a policy making body and provide guidance as well as review the progress and functioning of the ATMA. The Management Committee would be responsible for planning and executing the day-to-day activities of ATMA.

1. Review and approve Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) and annual work plans that are prepared and submitted by the participating units.

2. Receive and review annual reports presented by the participating units, providing feedback and direction to them as needed, for various research and extension activities being carried out within the district.

3. Receive and allocate project funds to carry out priority research, extension and related activities within the district.

4. Foster the organization and development of Farmers Interest Groups (FIGs) and Farmers Organizations (Fos) within the district.

5. Facilitate the greater involvement of private sector and firms and organizations in providing inputs, technical support, agro-processing and marketing services to farmers.

6. Encourage agriculture lending institutions to increase the availability of capital to resource poor and marginal farmers, especially SC, ST and women farmers.

7.  

   Encourage each line department, plus the KVK and ZRS, to establish farmer advisory committees to provide feedback and input into their respective R – E programmemes.

8. Enter into contracts and agreements as appropriate to promote and support agricultural development activities within the district.

9. Identify other sources of financial support that would help ensure the financial sustainability of the ATMA and its participating units.

10. Establish revolving funds / accounts for each participating unit, and encourage each unit to make available technical services, such as artificial insemination or soil testing, on a cost recovery basis moving towards full cost recovery in a phased manner.

11.  

    Arrange for the periodic audit of ATMA’s financial accounts; and

12. Adopt and amend the rules and by-laws for the ATMA.

1. Carryout periodic Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRAs) to identify the problems and constraints faced by different socio-economic groups and farmers within the district.

2. Prepare an integrated, strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) for the district that would specify short and medium term adaptive research as well as technology validation and refinement and extension priorities for the district: these priorities should reflect during the PRA.

3. Prepare annual work plans that would be submitted to the ATMA Governing Board for review, possible modification and approval

4. Maintain appropriate project accounts for submission to Technology Dissemination Unit (TDU) for audit purposes

5. Coordinate the execution of these annual work plans through participant line departments, ZRSs, KVKs, NGOs, FIGs /FOs and allied institutions, including private sector firms.

6. Establish coordinating mechanisms at the Block level, such as Farm Information & Advisory Centers (FIACs) that would integrate extension and technology transfer activities at the block and village levels,

7. Provide annual performance reports to the Governing Board outlining the various research extension and related targets that were actually carried out, induding targets achieved.

8. Provide secretariat to governing board and initiate action on policy direction, investment decisions and other guidance received from the Governing Board.

It is proposed to have Governing Board(GB) and Management Committee(MC), ATMA. The governing board constitute of 16 members representing all the stakeholders and farmers representing different enterprises in the district. It is a policy making body and provide guidance as well as review the progress of functioning of the ATMA. It will review and approve the strategic annual action plans that are prepared and submitted by the participating units. It will provide feedback and direction to the participating units, as needed about the various research and extension activities being carried-out in the district. It will facilitate the greater involvement of private sector, NGOs and farmers organizations in providing inputs, technical support, agro-processing and marketing services to farmers. ATMA Governing Board will meet once in two months.

The FIAC team would be responsible for operationalizing the SREP in each block and moving toward a single window extension system. The FIAC team would prepare Block Action Plans (BAPs) that would detail extension activities to be undertaken. This plan should be approved by the FAC before it could be forwarded to the ATMA. The ATMA Management committee (AMC) would ensure that these plans were technically and administratively feasible, and consistent with the SREP, before being forwarded to the ATMA Governing Board (GB) for approval. The district – level line departments and research units would also prepare seasonal or annual WPs to (1) maintain diagnostic and support services (e.g. soil testing laboratories), (2) organize in service training and technical support activities for FIAC and field level extension staff, (3) carry out research programmemes, and (4) periodically up-date the district SREP.

VI. Farmers Organizations (FOs) would be encouraged at village level and village level groups would, inturn, evolve into Commodity Associations (CAs), Marketing Cooperatives and other types of FOs at the block and district level. At village level Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) and Farmer Associations (FAs) will be effectively involved in the preparation of block action plans. These organisations will coordinate in organising demonstrations, on-farm and adaptive trails and give feedback to the extension and research. Their representatives would be directly involved in the block-level FACs and also at Governing Board of ATMA. The GB of ATMA would select and utilise project funds to support one or more NGOs to assist different types of farmers in becoming organised into different types of Fos within the district.

ATMA will have operational flexibility in use of project funding. They will be expected to adapt plan activities at the district level in consultation with the participating entries as necessary in response to unfolding events. The ATMA Management Committee will be authorized to release project funds onwards to the public / private partners in the agreed activities included in the framework of the district extension plan and will maintain separate accounts / sub accounts partner-wise and activity-wise. The accounts (audited by Chartered Accountants) and reimbursement claims will then be routed through the TDU for onward transmission to the PMU.

The break up of the total project cost into the budgetary allocation proposed for ATMA as follows:

Table : 1 (Rs. In lakhs)

** ATMA cost includes:

• Establishment of ATMA Office at District Level

• Agril. Department and other line departments

• Strengthening of SAU, KVK / NGO KVK

• Strengthening of EEU of RRS

• Strengthening of Zonal Research Stations

• Establishment of FIAC at Block Level

Once a block action plans (BAPs) have been approved by the GB, then the ATMA Project Director would forward a check to the OIC in each block to cover the budgeted cost of approved extension programs. The OIC would maintain a bank account and funds would be allocated to each FIAC member in implementing their approved program of extension activities. The OIC and chair of the FAC would sign all disbursement checks. The OIC would be responsible for maintaining complete financial records, including expenditure receipts, for approved extension activities. Also, the OIC would periodically submit detailed financial records to ATMA. The flow of funds to individual blocks would be suspended if financial and performance records are not submitted to ATMA in accordance with agreed upon procedures.

Operational Procedures. All FIAC team members would continue to be employed by their respective line departments, but they would function as a multi-disciplinary technology team or working group that would address the four main programmatic thrusts within the SREP in designing and implementing an integrated extension program. Village extension workers (VEWs) would have prime responsibility for day-to-day program implementation, with FIAC team members assisting with demonstration plots installation, teaching farmer training courses, and conducting farm field days and other group activities. In large districts, agricultural officers (AOs) would supervise the day-to-day work of the VEWs, with technical supervision and support coming from the FIAC team. The goal of this proposed new arrangement is to create an integrated or single window extension system.

To the extent possible, developmental activities financed under central and state government schemes would be utilized to demonstrate and support extension and technology transfer activities within the district and block. In the long-term, the goal would be for more of these central, state, and district funds to be directly transferred to the ATMA in support of SREP and BAPs implementation. In the short run, however, the FIAC, in consultation with the FAC, would determine where these development activities (especially for agriculture and horticulture) could be most effectively utilized in support of on-going block-level extension programs.

The organogram on the preceding page outlines the proposed structure for implementing block and field extension activities under this new arrangement where ATMA would serve as a decentralized mechanism to finance extension activities in the district. The key to effective program implementation would rest with the establishment of a FIAC team that would ground or fine-tune the extension program for specific agro-ecological zones (AEZs) within the block. It is also at the block level that farmer participation can be most effectively mobilized in the development of block action plans. It is also at this level where representatives of Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs), and block-level Farmer Associations (FAs) can be directly involved in the block-level FAC.

To describe in more detail how this proposed organizational structure would be expected to operate, a set of job description and qualifications have been presented below:

Major Responsibilities:

Provide technical coordination and administrative supervision for all block-level extension programs carried out under the auspices of the FIAC and funded by the ATMA.

Prepare and submit block action plans (BAPs) to the ATMA. These BAPs would be compiled from proposals submitted by Block Technology Center team. Then this combined BAPs would be reviewed and approved by a Farmer Advisory Committee (FAC) before it was forwarded to the ATMA for approval and financing.

Maintain a bank account in which ATMA funds would be deposited. These funds would then disbursed to FIAC staff so that they can carry out those extension activities that were approved and funded by the ATMA.

Maintain complete and accurate financial accounts indicating how ATMA funds were spent; these financial records would be submitted periodically to the ATMA.

Establish and maintain an active Farmer Advisory Committee (FAC) to help set extension priorities, to review and approve block action plans, and to evaluate extension programs within the block or mandal. The composition of the FAC should reflect the major groups of stakeholders within the block.

If the OIC were from the DOA, then he/she would be expected to provide administrative supervision over other DOA staff within the block. These DOA staff would include the Agricultural Extension Officers (AEOs), Agricultural Officers (AOs) who supervise Village Extension Workers (VEWs), or in the case of small blocks the OIC may directly supervise the VEWs.

Whenever possible, the OIC should hold a post-graduate degree and have extensive field experience implementing extension programs. In addition, the OIC should demonstrate leadership skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders. Finally, the OIC should receive training in PRA, farmer organizations, and farming systems research and extension methods.

Supervisor:

The OIC would be under the administrative supervision of his/her respective line department head. In addition, the OIC would receive technical and programmatic guidance from the ATMA Project Director and the district Management Committee. In many cases, the OIC would probably be a staff member of the DOA. However, to ensure that a dynamic and effective person is selected for this position, the NATP workshop recommended that the OIC be selected by the District Collector after consulting with the ATMA Governing Board.

Major Responsibilities:

Educational and Training Requirements:

The minimum educational requirement for an AEO position would be a B.Sc. in agriculture or plant protection. Likewise, if there were a HEO assigned to the technology team, then they should have a B.Sc. in horticulture. If there were two or more AEOs within a block, then these team members would need to reflect an appropriate skill mix for the major farming systems within the block or mandal. For example, one might specialize in field crops, another in horticultural crops and possibly another in plant protection, with an emphasis on integrated pest management (IPM). The minimum educational requirement for the LEO would be a B.V. Sex and animal husbandry .

In addition to these basic educational requirements, the FIACmembers would need training in (a) participatory rural appraisal, (b) extension methodology and farmer training procedures, and (c) developing and working with farmer organizations. Finally, the FIAC members should receive periodic short-term technical trainings organized by district-level SMSs, in collaboration with ZRS researchers and KVK trainers. These monthly training sessions would be carried out at the district (or sub-divisional) headquarters, with the content being tailored to reflect the major crops, livestock, and farming systems within the different agro-ecological zones of the district.

Supervisor:

The FIAC members would be under the administrative control of their respective line department heads. However, technical and programmatic supervision would be provided by the OIC for the FIAC.

Major Responsibilities

The educational level of VEWs differs widely across the country. In some states, most VEWs have only secondary level education, with very limited agricultural training. In other states, such as the Punjab, nearly all VEWs are agricultural graduates. To up-grade the extension system, all newly recruited front line extension staff should have a minimum of a B.Sc. degree in some field of agricultural science.

VEWs would work under the administrative control of the block-level AEO or OIC, and under the technical direction of FIAC team. In the case of large blocks, two or three Agricultural Officers (AOs) may be needed to provide adequate supervision of VEWs within the block.

Major Responsibilities:

The Project Director (PD) for the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) will be expected to perform the following duties:

Education and Training:

The PD should have at least a B.Sc. degree in some field of agricultural science, including animal husbandry. In addition he/she needs to have broad knowledge and experience in the areas of agricultural science, technology and development. Also, he/she should have considerable administrative experience, preferably in directing extension programs. Most important, however, the PD should be a dynamic leader who can communicate effectively with the District Collector, the ATMA Governing Board, the Management Committee, and all types of stakeholders within the district. The PD should be trained in or have exposure to participatory management and should participate in exposure visits to other project districts and study tours to other Asian countries that have successfully implemented extension  programs to intensify and diversity their farming systems.

Supervision:

The PD reports directly to the District Collector as the Chairman of the ATMA Governing Board.

At the district or sub-division level, there are a limited number of subject matter specialists (SMSs). For the country as a whole, only about 5 % of the agricultural extension staff are classified as SMS, therefore these numbers are inadequate to provide the necessary technical training and support needed by the field extension staff. In developing countries, about 13-15% of the extension staff are SMSs, while the number in industrially developed countries exceeds 20 %. In addition, some of the other line departments, such as the Departments of Animal Husbandry (DAH) and Horticulture (DOH) have technical specialists assigned at the district level who could provide technical support to the FIAC team. Therefore, much of the technical training and support for the FIAC staff will need to be provided by the KVK trainers and ZRS researchers.

Working in collaboration with the KVK trainers and ZRS research staff, the district and/or division-level subject matter specialists (SMSs) would:

SMSs require a minimum of a M.Sc. degree in their particular area of expertise. SMS categories might include agronomy or crop systems, plant protection (IPM), natural resource management (NRM), including watershed management, horticulture (vegetable crops or fruit) and animal husbandry. In addition, SMSs require training in extension and farmer training methodologies, the use of the mass media in technology dissemination, and they may require additional technical training for their specific area of assignment, such as farming systems or IPM.

Technical specialists would be administratively responsible to the district or sub-division heads of their respective line department. In addition, they would coordinate their technical program activities with ZRS researchers and KVK trainers.