Readers may recall the column ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ written on the weekend close to October 2 last year (2009) to pay a tribute to the farmers and soldiers who have made this nation secure on both the domestic and external fronts . The more AgriMatters thinks about it, the more it is convinced that there is a symbiotic relationship between the two : not only are soldiers drawn from the peasantry, but post retirement they go back to their villages and start the second innings, usually in the agriculture and allied sectors. However, the irony of the situation is that after handling modern equipment for defence and warfare, he goes back to conventional agricultural practices, many of which are amenable to change – both on grounds of equity and ecology.
Let us now look at the profile of the Indian soldier. He joins the army while still a strapping teenager, and is demobilized after fifteen to twenty years – usually between the ages of thirty five and forty, and still has anther two to three decades of active life ahead. He is financially secure on account of his pension benefits and assurance about medical facilities for self and spouse. He looks forward to doing something creative, meaningful and productive with his life, but twenty years of regimented life make if difficult for him to make the transition to the civilian world. He is willing to take up a challenge, but requires some assistance and guidance in at the initial stage. He has abundant energy, but the clear direction on what to do is not clearly in sight. Sometimes the Left Wing Extremists and /or groups agitating for statehood or autonomy on the basis of linguistic, ethnic or regional basis ‘poach’ on them because they provide leadership and training to the ‘rebels’. Given their training and expertise in weapons training , counter insurgency and their ability to work in a team, they are a ‘catch prize’ . If many of them come from a particular region or area, the Army establishment gets worried because it can also affect the morale of the troops while they are still in uniform. After all, we still have units and regiments based on regional , ethnic and sub-nationality criteria.
Therefore prior to his superannuation why not give him a six month in service training on hi-tech horticulture, drip irrigation, seed selection, soil testing, post harvest management , price discovery and in-situ ‘preservation and value addition’. Not only will this rejuvenate his interest in agriculture, his stay in the village becomes more likely, and his resettlement there adds to the quality of civic life in the village. In addition, he should also get his Special Kisan Credit Card so that he brings in fresh energy and zeal to the village when he returns. Rather than be a guard at an ATM or twirl his moustache as a gateman at a Five Star resort, he should be the leader in agriculture, and all the necessary training for this can be given to him as a joint programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Director General of Resettlement of the Army. In addition to funds from ATMA, RKVY and the NHM, the Defence Ministry may also be able to spare funds to organize a special six month course, immediately after their superannuation at the designated training areas of the Army. Some among them can also be appointed as para professionals by the state departments of agriculture , horticulture , animal husbandry etc or as field consultants under the NHM or State Seed corporations to galvanize the extension machinery which has now become moribund in several states in the country. Strengthening the extension machinery at the grassroots level is very important, because all process -driven changes, whether in organic agriculture , water management and /or crop diversification calls for regular and sustained interaction. Not only will the designated tasks be done, the problem that departments are now facing with temporary field consultants wanting to leave their designated villages at the first instance of a job offer in a town will be minimized, for many of them have returned home after seeing the world!
The faculty for this training can be drawn from the KVKs, State departments of Agriculture , Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fisheries, Co-operation, Command Area Development Authorities and agribusiness professionals. Input suppliers – ranging from tractors to fertilizers , seeds to weather based insurance products would be more than happy to take sessions in this special training programme. They will also be the natural choice for the organization of Demonstration Plots under different governemtn programmes when they have resettled. Among them, many may volunteer to become ‘business associates’ of agribusiness firms, or establish seed farms, nurseries, soil testing labs. These new entrepreneurs can be given advanced technical training, and financial assistance form banks and co-operatives. This in turn can create a virtuous cycle in the rural areas of the country so that the transformation of Indian agriculture takes a positive turn. They should visit the Agriculture universities, see the Baramati experiment, visit the milk sheds around Amul, understand the working of a co-operative society and see for themselves how farmers have transformed their lives, and their surroundings.
This is a win-win situation for all concerned. In fact it looks so good that AgriMatters wonders why it was never thought of before. Perhaps it was felt that farming is not a skilled profession, and that anyone and everyone can get into it. But it is no longer about broadcasting of seed and waiting for the weather gods to shower their blessings! It is therefore in this context that we have to train our jawans as hi-tech kisans .
The only caveat is that unlike everything else in the Army, this training will be given only to those who are willing !