Agriculture has now become a multi objective based occupation and the objectives are changed as per our needs, requirements to make our life more comfortable.The farmers are sometimes not listening the extension workers because they don't understand their real problems and are not addressing and solving their problems on spot.
IPM and farmers requirements and problems are different. IPM is a way of plant protection with due care o
f community health,environment,ecosystem ,nature and society.Our most of the extension workers don't considers the problems associated with society and nature.If we do plant protection without carering nature and society then it is not IPM.
Many Govt policies are not farmers friendly.The farmers are exploited by the Govt and it's policies.The farmers are not given due importance by the Govt.Some of the such farmers problems are given below.
The farmers are not allowed to fix
The minimum Support price of their agricultural produce.Their livelihood status is also not considered at par with Got servants and people of corporate sectors.Farmers are not being paid CCA,HRA,annual increment,Medical allowance,washing allowance,etc .Are they not require these needs .Farmers needs are not considered by the Govt while fixing the minimum support price.Then why the farmer will listen to the extension workers.The farmers are being exploited by the Govt and it's policies.
The farmers need ready to use solutions for their crops .We the extension people are not able to provide the answers of their real problems .We don't go with the farmers with the solutions of their problems as they want the solution of their problems on spot.We must go to the farmers with full preparedness.We are going to them with half hearted and half preparedness.Lets go to the farmers with full confidence and full preparedness.We are also not going to the farmers with full confidence .Lack of confidence indicate that we have not done the work ourselves .I PM is a field subject which can only be learn in the field .
Self awareness,self motivation,self participation and involvement create self confidence among extension workers to implement the technology in proper way.If any extension worker has not involved himself in doing the practical demonstration of a technology or IPM technology in a particular crop in particular area with a particular objective then he will always be shaky and lack of confidence for the implementation of IPM demonstration and he can not create the confidence among the farmers as he himself is not full of confidence to obtain or to get desired results .Hence Extension worker must have experience of doing or conducting IPM demonstration in a particular crop or in any crop.
Timely planning and Timely availability of quality IPM inputs to the farmers at their doorsteps is a pre requisites for doing IPM Farmers Field Schools or for conducting IPM demonstrations among the farmers but oftenly It is observed that the availability of IPM inputs is not ensured before the commencement of the IPM demonstrations or IPM Farmers Field Schools or training as the financial sanctions are not received in time i. e . before sowing the crops .In such cases all the pre sowing practices or operations are left or not done .Hence the planning for conducting IPM demonstrations or I PM Farmers field schools must be done before the crops of the previous season is harvested .Similerly the IPM inputs must also be made available before the sowing of the crop in which the IPM demonstrations are to be conducted .Hence timely planning and timely preparedness is a prerequisite for conducting IPM Farmers Field Schools.It is absolutely essential to establish parallel Industries for the production of IPM inputs at par with the production of chemical pesticides to ensure supply of IPM inputs at the door steps of the farmers.
For implementation of IPM technology among the farmers in a particular crop an extension worker must become or behave like a farmer to make the farmer as a scientist. Let's realize the farmers that IPM is not done only for their benefits but it is also done for the benefit of the Environment, biodiversity, nature ,ecosystem and society.
In view of today's social,ecological,Environmental, Economical,climatic,seasonal,scenarios and context the concept of crop production and protection or IPM must be safe,sustainable,profitable ,income , business , trade oriented and harmonious with the nature and society and also able to improve the livelihood of the farmers and also be able to make their life easy and more comfortable as IPM is not dealing only the plant protection but also deals other aspects of life.
Livelyhood of the farmers is not insured and assured .Even the Agricultural Scientists are not being given due importance and due respects as other scientists are considered in our country though food crops are cultivated by the farmers to provide and ensure the availability of food to all humanbeing found in our country.It is experienced that even humanbeing and natural resources, are not being given due importance though they are responsible to sustainour life on earth.IPM is not a symbolic activity but it is a practical concept.
