By: Dr Sanjay Parva
(Feedback at [email protected])
There is a yawning chasm between the man who tills the soil and the man who drafts his fate. The farmer rises before the sun, gambling with rain, soil, pests, and markets. Some babus, meanwhile, wake up to files, forms, and outdated policies designed without ever touching the soil. This is not a gap – it is an agricultural abyss.
Agriculture in Kashmir today is run by bureaucrats some of those who have neither farmed a field nor spoken to ten farmers in ten days. Policy is parachuted from above, sprinkled with bureaucratic jargon and acronyms – PMKSY, MIDH, NFSM – but none of these reach the mazdoor in Pampore, the orchardist in Shopian, or the paddy farmer in Beerwah.
The schemes are mostly top-heavy, disconnected, and riddled with red tape. Field demonstrations are rare, feedback loops are absent, and grievance redressal is slower than seed delivery to remote belts. While the farmer struggles to find market linkages and soil support, the agriculture office is busy with inauguration events, product fairs, and file-forwarding rituals.
Even block-level officers behave like visiting dignitaries. In a recent survey, over 70% of farmers reported “no interaction at all” with their local agriculture officer in the past year. In what world does the driver not know the road?
SIX WAYS TO BRIDGE THIS GAP
Based on field experience in Kashmir, where I extensively travel, I believe there arw six ways to bridge this gap:
1. Farmer Representation in Policy-Making
Mandate farmer representatives – small, marginal, women, and orchardists – in all district and UT-level agricultural policy discussions. Then create a “Kisan Parliament” in J&K with quarterly sessions to discuss grievances and ideas.
2. Mandatory Field Days for Bureaucrats
Every AEO, SDAO, DAO, and Director must spend 2 days/month in the field – talking, listening, documenting farmer voices. Attendance must be digitally tracked and evaluated. This should also include people who carry stiff necks in the offices. Let them come down a bit and begin thinking beyond a neckache. Annual appraisals should include farmer satisfaction scores, not just file completion rates.
3. Farmer Helplines with Resolution Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Launch a dedicated Agri Helpline (on WhatsApp and IVRS) with a 72-hour redressal rule. Assign grievance managers at district level who must publish monthly disposal reports.
4. Decentralised Planning via Panchayat-Level Crop Councils
Empower Gram Panchayat-based Crop Councils to plan agri calendars, demand inputs, and monitor delivery. Some of them are really capable people but usually seen lazing out in the afternoon sun. Budget allocations must reflect panchayat needs, not department whim.
5. Transparent Dashboard of Schemes and Subsidies
Launch a public-facing dashboard listing:
1. Scheme names,
2. Eligibility,
3. Applications received,
4. Beneficiaries selected,
5. Funds released.
6. Real-Time Farmer Database (FRDS)
Build a Farmer Registry Database System (FRDS) with crop pattern, land size, irrigation mode, and yield history. Use this database to design location-specific interventions rather than blanket schemes. In Kashmir, we usually follow two things – herd mentality and one size fits all.
For too long, agriculture in Kashmir has been an exercise in distance – not just geographical, but emotional. The babu must learn to speak the language of soil, not spreadsheets. Until then, no scheme will sow change.
An author, a communications strategist, Dr Sanjay Parva was a debut contestant in 2024 Assembly elections. Views expressed are personal, and may not necessarily reflect Ziraat Times’ editorial policy.
