Training for sudden changes in technologies

Irrigated agriculture is important in semi arid regions of India, including the state of Maharashtra. However at the same time as the water is a scarce commodity in this region, its efficient utilisation is important. Conventionally surface irrigation methods are adopted for irrigating the crops. However the irrigation requirements of these methods is high due to unavoidable losses in the process of conveyance and application. Hence the farmers in the region have begun to shift towards more water efficient methods such as drip irrigation method. But the adoption of drip irrigation methods needs a high level of technical knowledge compared to conventional surface irrigation methods. The extension (training) service of State Departments was not equipped to train the farmers and hence initially the adoption of drip irrigation system proved to be difficult and instances of reverting back to surface irrigation system from drip irrigation system were reported. Under such situations, it was necessary to develop and adopt the training strategies that are effective in the circumstances of rapidly changing technologies. This paper compares the conventional surface irrigation and drip irrigation methods; narrates the causes behind shifting from surface to drip irrigation methods and presents the training strategies that were devised and adopted during this shift.