Participatory Agricultural Planning

Despite the high rates of urbanisation, most developing countries, including India, has a large portion of the population still dependent on agriculture. Thus it becomes important than the method of integrated planning be made available to this primary sector.

The objectives of participatory agricultural planning are to:

1. Ensure participation of all stakeholders
2. Gain a better reflection of local priorities
3. Reduce yield gaps in important crops
4. Maximize returns to farmers

It becomes mandatory that the needs and demands of the farmers be met. This implies a collection of data from the farmers themselves, in order to assess the situation faced by them, as well as solutions to the same. The input from farmers is extremely important, as they possess local knowledge of the soil, water, weather, cropping patterns, climate changes etc. and the impact on production and their lives.

It should be made obligatory that local bodies, as well as other levels of the government allocate resources to meet up with the demands of the farmer community. Based on district visions that have been prepared in a participatory manner, it is essential to prepare a step by step plan to fulfill the enlisted goals.