The document summarizes a master's seminar presentation on attracting youth back to agriculture through the ARYA (Attracting Rural Youth in Agriculture) program. The presentation discusses factors causing rural youth to leave agriculture, outlines the objectives and operational mechanism of the ARYA program, and reviews the status and achievements of projects under the program so far, including the establishment of over 900 enterprise units benefiting thousands of rural youth. It also presents a SWOT analysis of rural youth and challenges to empowering and retaining them in agriculture. The conclusion emphasizes the need for strategic policy efforts to make agriculture a more attractive profession for youth.

2. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola (Ms)
Seminar Incharge
Dr. V. S. Tekale
Head
Department of Extension Education
PGI, Dr. PDKV, Akola.
Master seminar
On
ARYA- Luring Youth Back To Agriculture
Presented by
Sunil Kumar Meena
M.Sc (Agri) 4th Sem
Reg. No. PG17-EXT1950
Chairman
Dr. P.K. Wakle
Professor (CAS)
Section of Extension Education,
COA, Dr. PDKV, Akola

3. Content:-
• Introduction
• Factor which adversely the engagement of youth in agriculture
• What is ARYA
• Objective of ARYA
• Need
• Views to Attract Youth toward Agriculture
• Why ARYA Programme
• Operatinal Mechanism
• ARYA Project proceeding
• Status & Achievement
• SWOT Analysis of Yotuh
• Challenge to empower and retain youth in agriculture
• Conclusion

4. Combination of Innovation, Creativity and
Energy is power of youth

5.  The Share of agriculture in India’s economy is significant, albeit in decline.
 Youth plays vital role in meaningfully transforming Agriculture in India.
 Although the sector accounted the share of GDP next to industry and services, it
remains the leading industry for employing close to two thirds of the country’s working
population.
 However, India is losing more than 2,000 farmers every single day and that since 1991,
the overall number of farmers has dropped by 15 million till 2013.(Anonymous, 2016)
 At the beginning of independence there was a belief for the selection of livelihood that,
Excellent farming, Average business , Worst service ’’ , now-a-days it is totally
opposite.
INTRODUCTION

6.  This has several implications for the future of Indian agriculture and India’s food
security.
 Experts felt that there is need to attract youths towards agriculture because they can
play an important role in ensuring food security if they are encouraged to involve in
farming and the challenges they face are addressed.
 Because more than half of the country’s population is youth and according to the UN
International Labour Organization (ILO) young people are more susceptible to be
unemployed than adults.
Source : National Youth convention - 2016

7. 01
02
03
04
05 06
07
08
09
Factors which affect adversely the engagement of youth in agriculture
PERSONAL
FACTORS
SOCIAL
FACTORS
ECONOMIC
FACTORS
PSYOCOLOGICAL
FACTORS
SITUATIONAL
FACTORS
MARKET RELATED
FACTORS
LABOUR
RELATED
FACTORS
NEXT
GENERATION
RELATED
FACTORS
FAMILY
PLANNING
01
02
03
04 06
07
08
SOCIAL
FACTORS
ECONOMIC
FACTORS
PSYOCOLOGICAL
FACTORS
SITUATIONAL
FACTORS
MARKET RELATED
FACTORS
LABOUR
RELATED
FACTORS
NEXT
GENERATION
RELATED
FACTORS
FAMILY
PLANNING
01
02
03
04 06
07
08
SOCIAL
FACTORS
ECONOMIC
FACTORS
PSYOCOLOGICAL
FACTORS
SITUATIONAL
FACTORS
MARKET RELATED
FACTORS
LABOUR
RELATED
FACTORS
NEXT
GENERATION
RELATED
FACTORS
Chauhan and Patel(2014)

8. Not ready to quit
farming despite
good city job
26.0
0 %
Ready to quit
farming for a good
job in the city
62.0
0 %
C a nno t sa y
13.00
%
Fig 1 : Would you quit farming if you get employed in the city ?
Source:- counterview.org2015
n=5350
8

9. A
R
Y
A
ATTRACTING
YOUTH
RETAINING
AGRICULTURE

10. • Realizing the importance of rural youth in agricultural development especially from the
point of view of food security of the country, ICAR has initiated a program on “Attracting
and Retaining Youth in Agriculture” on 16th July 2015.
• Under this scheme, special efforts will be taken to attract the rural youth under the age of
35 years in agriculture so that the increase in the migration of rural youth towards cities is
controlled.
What is ARYA?

11. 1. To attract and empower the youth in rural areas to take up various agriculture,
allied and service sector enterprises for sustainable income and gainful
employment in selected districts.
2. To enable the farm youth to establish net work groups to take up resource and
capital intensive activities like processing, value addition and marketing.
3. To demonstrate functional linkage with different institutions and stakeholders
for convergence of opportunities available under various schemes/ program
for sustainable development of youth.
Objective of ARYA

12. • It is a matter of worry that in a farming economy like India, rural youth are looking down at
agriculture with disdain and moving to towns, cities and urban centers in search of better
jobs.
• Rural youth, apparently, are disillusioned with the country’s agriculture. Be it a marginal
farmer or small farmer but even those operating medium and large farms are not spared
either.
• What is really worrying is the fact even the educated rural youth, including agricultural
graduates, are almost totally not interested in taking up farming as a profession.
• Even the majority of farmers do not want their next generation to do this thankless job, their
traditional profession. They want them to settle down in towns and cities so that they can
pursue more decent and lucrative jobs in urban metros.
Need of Attracting and Retaining Youth towards
Agriculture ( ARYA )
Source: Krishi jagran 2015

13. Views To Attract Youth Towards Agriculture
• The need for a strategy to keep youth grounded in agriculture was
first voiced by the National Commission on Farmers, headed by
noted scientist and father of India’s green revolution, M. S.
Swaminathan, in its fifth and final report in 2006. "The youth can
be attracted to and retained in farming only if it becomes
economically rewarding and intellectually satisfying", He had
called for changes in the curriculam of agricultural universities to
prepare and train the youth for taking up agriculture on scientific
lines or engaging in agriculture-related income-generating ventures.
Every scholar should be a potential entrepreneur.

14. • At the policy level, the commission had consoled integration of on-farm and non-farm
rural employment strategies.
• It had also stressed the need for providing essential facilities such as power, roads,
education and health care, among others, in rural areas.
• Radha Mohan Singh also stated that, Agriculture has become unprofitable enterprise
for small and marginal farmers. This sector not only needs integrated approach but
certain structural reforms to deal with farm crises.
• Our country so heavily depends on agriculture cannot develop without making
agriculture profitable.

15. • In order to make agriculture remunerative enterprise, production and productivity
both have to be increased, challenges of markets have to be addressed and the
process of reforms needs to be carried out in the agriculture system.
• Ministry of Agriculture has taken several steps such as soil health cards scheme
in mission mode, establishment of new KVKs, new Central Agriculture
Universities and launching of ICAR scheme of “Attracting and Retaining youth
in agriculture’’.
Source : National Youth convention - 2016

16. Why ARYA Programme?
Youth find agriculture activities a
burden some are willing to settle
abroad.
The productivity of primary sector depends on
skills and new technology, but share in GDP is
only 13.7%. (Economic survey report:- 2016-
17)
The income of rural youth would
become sustainable and meaningful.
Primary sector need skilled youth with
business skills to boost agriculture and allied
sector.
New scheme would help develop
service sector in rural area by building
entrepreneurial skills .

17. The project
should be
implemented
in 25 districts
(one district
from each
state) Through
the KVKs of
those districts
With technical
partners from
Institutes of
the Indian
Council of
Agricultural
Research
(ICAR), the
Agricultural
Universities
and others.
One or two
entrepreneurial
development
units should be
established at
the KVK itself
so that it
serve(s) as
entrepreneurial
training unit(s)
for the farm
youth.
The KVKs
should also
facilitate youth
for establishing
various
entrepreneurial
units at the farm
of the youths or
group of youth.
Operational Mechanism
6

18. ARYA Project Proceedings
Source:- http://atarijodhpur.res.in/research-projects-arya.html

19. • Under ARYA 930 different enterprise units related to mushroom production, processing
and value-addition of Non Timber Forest Produce, processing and value-addition of lac,
backyard poultry management, vermi-compost production, bee keeping, piggery, large
cardamom production, fisheries, offseason vegetable production under walk-in tunnel,
cardamom cultivation under protected condition, pineapple production, Integrated
farming systems, production of vegetable and fruit nursery, herbal jaggery making unit,
commercial goat farming etc. Were established during the year benefiting 2,467 rural
youth in the selected districts.
• Skill training was given to 3,879 rural youth through 92 various training programs
pertaining to the enterprise units allotted to each ARYA centre. Eight exposure visits
were arranged to 327 youth to different enterprise units being managed successfully as
training and confidence building measure.
Status of ARYA project

20. • ARYA scheme has implemented in KVK Nagpur (ICAR-CICR).
That much participant are involved of this scheme.
Clientele No. of Courses Male female Total participant
Farmers & farm women 114 6500 3080 9580
Rural Youth 62 3428 992 4420
Extension Functionaries 16 650 312 962
Sponsored Training 1 10 30 40
Vocational Training 1 68 294 362
Total 194 10656 4708 15364
Sources:-ANNUAL REPORT of KVK (ICAR-CICR) , Nagpur

21. • ICAR-CIBA sighed a MoU with Sri Sathvika Aqua Agro Industries Private Limited and
developed cost effective and quality feed shrimp using indigenous feed ingredients for
vannamei farming, and the feed is promoted as the ‘Vannami plus’, under ARYA programme.
• Under ICAR-ATARI, Umaim 5 KVKs namely; Senapati in Manipur, Karbi Anglong in Assam,
workha in Nagaland, Lunglei in Mizoram and North Sikkim in Sikkim are implementing the
ARYA project for the benefit of rural youth in their respective districts. A brief achievement
made by the implementing KVKs during 2016-17
• In Karbi Anglong (Assam) total 111 rural youth benefitted from different enterprises like
poultry, piggery, pineapple and mushroom.
• In senapati (Manipur) 120 rural youth got training about mushroom cultivation, piggery, poultry,
fisheries, large cardamom.
Achievements of ARYA project

22. • In Lunglei (Mizoram) 145 rural youth benefited with various enterprises such as
piggery, poultry, mushroom and bee keeping.
• In workha (Nagaland) 90 rural youth succeed in attaining several enterprises
like mushroom, poultry, piggery and cut flowers.
• In north Sikkim 90 rural youth gained diverse enterprises like cardamom
cultivation in protected cultivation, piglet cultivation, off season vegetable
production under walk in tunnel.
Source:icarzcu3.gov.in/projects/
arya.html

23. SWOT analysis of rural youth
1. Strengths
• They possess good energy.
• They have capacity & ability to produce more.
• Due to their exposure to media, they are capable of accepting new ideas in farming.
2. Weakness
• Elderly farmers in the family takes the decision in farming.
• They lack training in improved methods & skills.
• Non- remunerative prices to agricultural produce.
• Agriculture is not perceived as lucrative vocation.

24. • Opportunities
• Increased market for agricultural produce & secondary agricultural commodities, which ensures
good income to young farmers.
• Training opportunities through KVKs & other training institutions.
• Farmer friendly policies, incentives & schemes of the Government in the field of agriculture
Threats .
• Increased migration to urban areas.
• Less respect for agriculture profession.
• Poverty & unemployment in rural areas.
• Lack of education.

25. 01
Education
02
Access to
knowledge
and
agricultural
information
03
Limited
access to
land
04
Financial
investment
05
Limited
knowledge
and
information
of marketing
strategies
06
Lack of
national
youth
policies
07
Limited role
of youth in
policy
making
Challengesto empowerandretainyouthsinagriculture
Source : National
Youth convention -
2016

26. CONCLUSION
 There is a need of attracting and retaining rural youth in agriculture in India. For this urgent need
is realized to develop attractive strategy and policy by Government for attracting rural youths
towards agriculture.
 The availability of low cost input, technical assistance, training, availability of drudgery reducing
machinery, arrangement of maintenance of machinery, capacity building, provision of farmers'
friendly market linkage, value addition procedure, tie up with local institutions, encouragement to
the export of agro products and practical oriented agricultural higher education system are
important areas to focus to attract youths towards agriculture.
 ICAR has initiated ARYA programme, however more critical efforts are expected to attract youths
towards agriculture as profession not only to feed stomachs of second largest population of world
but also for the sustainable development of rural India.

27. Thank you