SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), through its Directorate of Extension in collaboration with KVK Ganderbal, on Thursday organised a one-day capacity-building workshop on Kisan Sarathi 2.0 to strengthen digital agricultural extension and enhance technology-driven advisory services for farmers.
Around 60 extension professionals, including Programme Coordinators, Subject Matter Specialists, faculty members and representatives from all ten Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Kashmir, were trained in creating, disseminating and managing digital advisory content through the Kisan Sarathi 2.0 portal.
Director Extension and Dean, Faculty of Horticulture, Prof. Raihana Habib Kanth, called for greater adoption of digital tools in agricultural extension and urged scientists to contribute high-quality technical content to the portal for wider dissemination of scientific recommendations among farmers.
Addressing the valedictory session, Dr. Parvender Sheron, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, said digital platforms such as Kisan Sarathi 2.0 can significantly strengthen last-mile delivery of scientific advisories by providing authentic, location-specific and farmer-centric information, thereby bridging the gap between research and farming communities.
The technical session was led by Dr. Ashish Santosh Murai, Senior Scientist and Nodal Officer, Kisan Sarathi 2.0, who demonstrated the portal’s features, including content creation, multimedia dissemination, farmer query management and expert advisory services. He encouraged participants to actively use the platform to enhance farmer-scientist interaction and improve digital extension services across the region.
The workshop concluded with interactive discussions on digital communication strategies and preparation of quality extension content, with participants expressing confidence that the training would strengthen digital advisory delivery across Kashmir.