Background of KVK: The second education commission (1964-66) under the chairmanship of Dr D S Kothari, recommended for the establishment of agricultural poly technique to provide vocational education in agriculture to scool drop outs and other rural youths. Afetr careful deliberation by the ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and the planning commission and as a follow up of the recommendation, the Indian Council f Agricultural Research(ICAR) appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Dr mohan Singh Mehta of Seva Mandir , Udaipur in 1973 for formulating the institutional design of Krishi Vigyan Kedras (KVK) for providing vocational training in agriculture.

The basic principle enunciated by the Mehta committee (1973) include:

1. The Kendra will impart learning through work experience and hence will be concerned with echnical literacy, the acquisition of which does not necessarily require the ability to read and write.

2. The Kendra will impart training only to those extensionworker who are employed and to the practicing farmers and fishermen. In other words, the Kendra will cater ot he needs of those who are already employed or those who wish to be self employed.

3. There wil be no uniform syllabus for the kendras. The syllabus and programme of each Kendra will be flexible in nature and tailored according to the felt needs, natural resources and potential for agricultural growth in that particular area.

With the gradual increase in literacy rate and adoption of agriculture and allied enterprises as a career by literate people, agriculture vocation become challenging and dynamic in recent years. KVK, as an innovative science based institutin play the pivotal role in imparting knowledge of modern complex agriculture farm operation fpr adoption by th e progressive farmers. Addition of activities like FLD, OFT on major agricultural technologies make the training of farmers location specific and need based.

The training programmes were designed to impart the latest knowledge to the farmers through work experience by applying the principles of 'teaching by doing' and learning by doing'. The prime goal of KVK is to impart training as per needs and requirement in agriculture and allied enterprises to all farmers, farm women and farm youth including school drop outs in the rural areas. While designing the courses, the concept of farming system as well as farming situations are taken into accounts to ensure that the enterprises in which they are trained are commercially and ecologically viable, sustainable and profitable. Such vocational trainings help them to sustain themselves through self employment and to make them self reliant economically and thus discourages them to migrate to the urban areas.

KVKs provide training not only in agriculture and allied vocations but also in other income generating activities that may supplement the income of farm families. The method employed in training could be formal and non-formal or a combination of both, depending upon the need but emphasis remains to be on work experience, as suggested by Mohan Singh Mehta committee report that " the programme should be operated s a pla of continuing education both in the technical and general sense".

KVK Karbi Anglong

Krishi Vigyan Kendra in the district of Karbi Anglong received its administrative approval from the ICAR in the year 1999 as a remandated KVK and started functioning from the year 2000. Later in the year 2004 the same was given the status of a full fledged KVK to cater to the needs of the farming community for training and skill development in carrying out the farming activities in a befitting manner. The KVK is headed by a Programme Coordinator and he is assisted by a group of Extension scientists and other supporting staff as per ICAR requirement.