Impact of Dr. PDKV interventions in model village Chelka

Introduction

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and provides livelihood to a large proportion of the rural population. Increasing agricultural productivity and improving the socio-economic condition of farmers require the effective dissemination of scientific technologies and sustainable farming practices. Agricultural universities play a vital role in developing and transferring improved technologies to farmers through research, extension, and field demonstrations. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola has undertaken several agricultural interventions aimed at improving agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. As part of this initiative, the concept of the Model Village was introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness of scientific agricultural technologies under farmers' field conditions. Under this programme, one village from each district of Vidarbha region was selected for holistic rural development through the implementation of need-based and location-specific interventions. Chelka village of Barshitakli taluka in Akola district was selected as the Model Village. A Participatory www.extensionjournal.com Rural Appraisal (PRA) was conducted to identify the major constraints and developmental needs of the village. Based on the findings, Dr. PDKV implemented several technological interventions related to crop production, value addition, and allied agricultural enterprises. According to the Census of India (2011) [1] , Chelka village has a geographical area of 212.15 ha, comprising 84 households with a total population of 327, including 169 males and 158 females, and an overall literacy rate of 79.87 per cent. Outoff the total geographical area, 200.86 ha (94.67%) is cultivable land, which also constitutes the net sown area, while 6.94 ha (3.27%) is barren and uncultivable land and 4.35 ha (2.06%) is under permanent pasture and grazing land. Agriculture is the principal occupation of the village, making it suitable for the implementation and assessment of scientific agricultural interventions. These interventions were expected to improve farmers' knowledge, increase agricultural productivity, diversify cropping systems, enhance crop yield and production, and improve farm income. Assessing the impact of such interventions is essential to understand their effectiveness and to formulate future agricultural strategies. Although the Model Village approach provides an integrated framework for transferring scientific agricultural technologies and addressing location-specific farming needs, there is a need to assess the impact of these interventions at the village level. Changes in farmers' knowledge, annual income, crop yield, and crop production provide important indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the interventions implemented under the programme. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to analyze the impact of Dr.PDKV Akola interventions in Model Village Chelka with special reference to changes in farmers' knowledge, annual income, crop yield, and crop production.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in Chelka village of Barshitakli taluka of Akola district, Maharashtra, which was adopted as a Model Village by Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola for implementing location-specific agricultural interventions. An ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study, as the interventions had already been implemented and their impact was assessed after implementation. Chelka village in akola district was selected purposively because it was the adopted Model Village under the Dr. PDKV programme in Akola district. The village consists of 84 households, and all the households were included in the study. The head of each household was considered as the respondent, resulting in a total sample size of 84 respondents.

Change in Knowledge

Table 1. presents that distribution of respondents according to their overall level of knowledge before and after the intervention. Most of the respondents belonged to the medium level of knowledge, which increased from 53.57 per cent before the intervention to 67.86 per cent after the intervention, while the mean knowledge score increased from 39.93 to 86.25, representing an overall increase of (116.00%). This substantial improvement in knowledge may be attributed to the combined effect of training programmes, demonstrations and personal contact with university scientists under the Model Village programme. These findings are in line with the results of [4,5]

Change in Income

Table 2 presents the distribution of respondents according to their annual family income before and after the intervention. Before the intervention, (55.95%) of the respondents had an annual family income of up to Rs.1, 99, 000, whereas after the intervention, the largest proportion (41.67%) had an annual family income of up to Rs.3, 88, 000. The observed shift in the distribution of respondents towards higher income categories indicates an improvement in their annual family income. The mean annual family income increased from Rs 1, 98, 841 before the intervention to Rs 5, 41, 633 after the intervention, representing an overall increase of 172.39 per cent. This increase in income was accompanied by improvements in crop yield and production. Similar. Table . 3 presents the season-wise changes in the yield of major crops cultivated in the village before and after the intervention. Among the Kharif crops, pigeon pea recorded the highest increase in yield (57.89%), followed by soybean (46.67%) and cotton (17.65%). Black grams were discontinued after the intervention. Among the Rabi crops, wheat recorded the highest increase in yield (60.00%), followed by chickpea (19.05%) and onion (1.69%). During the Summer season, green gram recorded the highest increase in yield (100.00%), followed by groundnut (59.09%). In addition, five new crops, namely HDPS cotton, turmeric, seed onion, chia and sesamum, were introduced after the intervention. The introduction of these crops indicates a shift towards crop diversification in the village, which may be attributed to the interventions implemented under the Model Village programme. These findings are in line with the results of [2,3,4,5] .

Change in Crops Yield

Change in Crops Production

Table .4. presents the season-wise changes in agricultural production of major crops cultivated in the village before and after the intervention. Among the Kharif crops, pigeon pea recorded the highest increase in production (121.00%), followed by soybean (69.48%). Cotton production decreased from 1, 530 to 1, 380 qt; however, with the introduction of HDPS cotton, total cotton (cotton + HDPs cotton) production increased from 1, 530 to 1, 653.90 qt (8.10%). Turmeric was also introduced after the intervention with a production of 124 qt, while black gram, with a production of 30 qt before the intervention, was discontinued after the intervention. Among the Rabi crops, wheat recorded an increase in production from 1, 000 to 1, 280 qt (28.00%), followed by onion, which increased from 3, 541.65 to 3, 600 qt (1.65%).

In contrast, chickpea production decreased from 1, 428 to 1, 300 qt (-8.96%). During the Summer season, green gram recorded the highest increase in production (263.64%), increasing from 27.5 to 100 qt, while groundnut production increased from 704 to 770 qt (9.38%). The increase in production of several crops and the introduction of new crops indicate improved agricultural production and crop diversification in the village, which may be attributed to the interventions implemented under the Model Village programme. These findings are in line with the results of [2] . The introduction of HDPS cotton, turmeric, seed onion, chia and sesamum, along with improvements in the productivity of existing crops, indicates a shift towards crop diversification and improved agricultural productivity in the village. These findings revealed that the scientific and location-specific interventions implemented under the Model Village programme contributed to measurable improvements in the overall socio-economic and agricultural conditions of the farmers.

Based on the findings, the Model Village approach may be considered an effective strategy for promoting improved agricultural technologies and enhancing farm productivity at the village level. It is recommended that the approach may be replicated in other districts and talukas through coordinated efforts of Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other developmental agencies.

References

1. Census of India. Village census data, Chelka, Barshitakli Taluka, Akola District. New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Government of India; 2011.
2. Darshan ME, Govinda Gowda V, Shivappa Nayaka HB, Satisha HS. Impact assessment of village adoption programme (VAP) interventions on production, income, and livelihood security. International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development. 2025;8(7):112-117.
3. Dhore AM, Thakre BR, Charjan SU. Yield enhancement in cotton through NFSM-CC demonstration Akola district, Maharashtra. PKV Research Journal. 2018;42(1):62-67.
4. Ghosal A, Ghosh S, Kundu P. Impact of some agricultural technology intervention in Moutala village of West Bengal towards doubling farmers' income. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 2021;57(1):154159. doi:10.5958/2454552X.2021.00001.3.
5. Kolhe SS, Nahatkar SB. Yield impact of PDKV soybean package of practices through frontline demonstrations in Vidarbha. Soybean Research. 2017;15(1):44-51.
6. Pawar S, Channaveer RM. Impact of community education interventions on adopting sustainable agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Vaijapur Village, Karnataka, India. Discover Global Society. 2025;3:162. doi:10.1007/s44282-025-00287-1.
7. Solkar MK, Koshti NR, Shambharkar YB, Lahariya KT, Bhopale AA, Chatare PD, et al. Demographic survey and SWOT analysis of PDKV adopted village Chelka in Akola district. International Journal of Statistics and Applied Mathematics. 2024;9(Special Issue 6):17-19.