JAMMU: With smartphone penetration among farmers in Jammu and Kashmir crossing 70 per cent in 2023, the Union Territory has successfully tapped into this digital shift through Daksh Kisan, a dedicated Learning Management System (LMS) designed to upgrade farmers’ knowledge and skills.
The trend of rising smartphone usage among farmers emerged during a survey conducted under the Kisan Sampark Abhiyan. While the digital presence was evident, its potential remained largely underutilised. Recognising this gap, the J&K Administration took a forward-looking step to transform smartphones from mere communication tools into powerful instruments of learning for the farming community.
This vision led to the launch of Daksh Kisan, which today stands as the first initiative of its kind in India, and possibly Asia, focused exclusively on digital capacity building of farmers. Introduced with cautious expectations, the platform has, within two years, emerged as one of the most successful farmer-oriented digital learning initiatives in the country.
Unlike conventional extension models, Daksh Kisan integrates structured and measurable learning into a farmer-centric digital ecosystem. Developed by the Agriculture Production Department (APD) in collaboration with SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir, the platform was designed with usability, low-bandwidth access, language diversity and local relevance at its core.
A key strength of the platform is its agro-climatic customisation. Courses are curated according to specific agro-climatic zones, ensuring that content is tailored to local crops, soil conditions and weather patterns, from temperate orchard systems to subtropical agricultural plains.
To ensure inclusivity, Daksh Kisan offers multilingual content in four local languages—Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi and Urdu. Officials say this approach has significantly boosted participation, particularly among first-time digital learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
At present, the platform hosts 171 structured courses across agriculture and allied sectors, including 97 courses in agriculture, 28 in horticulture and 46 in the livestock sector. It also offers cross-sectoral courses on integrated pest management, post-harvest practices, value addition, agribusiness development and farm economics.
Each course follows a modular format, combining expert video lectures, practical demonstration videos and short assessments to evaluate learning outcomes. Farmers can also interact digitally with faculty members for clarifications, effectively extending expert mentorship beyond physical classrooms.
An important component of Daksh Kisan is its built-in business and financial planning modules, which encourage farmers to move from subsistence farming towards enterprise-driven agriculture, fostering entrepreneurship and economic sustainability.
Despite initial scepticism regarding digital literacy and participation, official data indicates a strong response from the farming community. More than 3.47 lakh farmers have registered on the platform, with around 2.59 lakh enrolling in courses. The total course enrolments have crossed 4.15 lakh, reflecting a growing tendency among farmers to pursue multiple courses.
Completion rates have also been encouraging, with nearly 2.98 lakh courses completed and over 2.11 lakh farmers successfully clearing assessments, pointing to sustained engagement and meaningful learning outcomes.
The platform’s impact has extended beyond Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said random verification calls revealed enrolments from faculty members in Lucknow and Kerala, as well as agri-preneurs and farmers from Rajasthan, an unusual validation for a region-specific government initiative.
This cross-regional participation highlights the scalability, academic credibility and national relevance of Daksh Kisan. Rather than replacing traditional extension services, the platform complements them by offering round-the-clock, on-demand learning that reinforces field-level interventions.
At a time when agriculture faces challenges from climate change, market volatility and rising input costs, Daksh Kisan is equipping farmers with scientific knowledge, economic understanding and greater decision-making confidence.
Officials associated with the initiative say the platform is only at its initial stage, with new courses and advanced modules in the pipeline. With growing interest from across the country, Daksh Kisan is steadily emerging as a national reference model for digital agricultural education.
