Good Practice Note 2 : Capacity Development of Agricultural Input Dealers in India through the DAESI Programme: Nimisha Mittal, Rasheed Sulaiman V and N Balasubramani

In 2003, in order to strengthen the technical competency (agriculture) of input dealers and to facilitate their role as para-extension professionals, the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), launched a self-financed ‘One-year Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) Programme’. Realizing the importance of the program, the Government of India (GoI) has made DAESI a Central Sector Plan Scheme (under the XIIth Plan). Since October 2015, MoA&FW, GoI, has started implementing this programme for input dealers in all the states of India. In this policy brief authors aim to  bring it to your notice that how did this program helped to transform input dealers  into para-extension professionals and thereby strengthening the agricultural extension system.