The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) New Delhi after appreciating the work carried out by PIRENS sanctioned KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVK) in the year 1992. This has helped PIRENS to intervene more intensively in the field of agriculture. PIRENS is giving a very strong support to KVK for integrated efforts to work intensively to perform better for the upliftment of rural people particularly the farming community and the unemployed rural youth. Not only the NGO, but the sister concerns of PIRENS i.e. all the institutions of the Pravara Group are also giving strong moral and physical support to the KVs so that the KVK can provide better services for the farming community, rural population particularly women and rural youths.
Pravara Institute of Research and Education in Natural and Social Sciences (PIRENS) is a voluntary organization, established during the year 1985 by Honorable Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Ex. Union Minister of Finance.The aim of the institute is upliftment of rural population and their integral rural development. This NGO has made intervention in various fields of natural resources management such as water storage and its utilization, land utilization, watershed development programmes etc. Similarly for human resource development, institute has conducted many training programmes, organized state as well as national level workshops and seminars on important issues. PIRENS has Management College, Insurance Training and Corporate Agency as well as Institute for Computer Education. For all round development of the rual area, this NGO has given emphasis on agriculture development.
The KVK has carved a niche for itself by providing a new paradigm shift in technology dissemination process for different extension agencies in the country. The group organization efforts of KVK Ahmednagar through Innovative Farmers Club (Prayog Parivar), Farmer Clubs and Women Self Help Groups have highlighted its role in the technological assessment, refinement and dissemination process. Important stakeholders in agriculture i.e. rural youths and women who were hitherto neglected by conventional extension system were involved these Three Tier Model.
The KVK has used Information and Communication Technology as a tool for dissemination of information. The display of information on website, advisory and information services through Video Conferencing, mobile based SMS based information delivery and use of KVK’s FM Community Radio Station have led to a major breakthrough for transcending conventional information delivery channels.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ahmednagar has been providing technology backstopping for the farming community since inception in 1992. It has become a role model for other KVKs and extension agencies in providing new extension models for technology dissemination. The KVK has been providing different extension advisory services coupled with different input supply services like seed, seedlings, grafts, biofertilizers, biopesticides, soluble fertilizers, plant protection inputs, soil and plant tissue analytical services. It has been the emphasis of the KVK Ahmednagar to provide these extension advisory services alongwith the extension of various inputs for increasing the adoption of various technological packages of National Agricultural Research System.