OILSEED KISAAN MITRA

Abstract

Oilseed crops are vital to Indian agriculture and its economy, yet farmers often encounter productivity issues stemming from climate change, pest disease attack, variation in market prices and most importantly lack of proper and scientific expertise and guidance. To bridge this gap between research and field- level application, ICAR- IIOR has developed a digital extension platform, ‘The Oilseed Kisaan Mitra’. It is a mobile decision- support system delivering personalized and timely expert advisory across India. The platform operates for all the major edible and non- edible oilseed crop growing in India, providing recommendations in regional language directly to smallholder farmers. Operating on the most used digital platform, WhatsApp, the Oilseed Kisaan Mitra accelerates technology transfer, optimizes input efficiency and lowers cultivation costs all while improving productivity and production, ultimately enhancing farmer livelihoods and propelling India towards Atmanirbharata in oilseed production.