The ATMA scheme has achieved significant scale, reaching approximately 1.27 Crore farmers between 2021 and early 2025. This decentralised model ensures the latest agricultural technologies and good practices are widely disseminated across different thematic areas.

According to a comprehensive review released by the government’s Public Information Bureau (PIB) on last week, a vast network of national and sector-specific programs has provided extensive training and capacity building, directly benefiting crores of farmers and rural youth across the country.

According to the PIB press statement, the Indian government has successfully transitioned its agricultural policy focus from mere subsidies and credit access to holistic skill development, transforming millions of farmers into innovators and agri-business leaders.

The data put out by PIB confirms that farmer empowerment, aimed at building a resilient and self-reliant agricultural sector, has become a core element of India’s strategy for inclusive growth. Recognising that modern farming challenges include adapting to climate change, managing soil health scientifically, and navigating complex markets, the government has established robust institutional platforms to deliver vocational skills and technological exposure directly to the ground level, the PIB release says.

The Institutional Backbone: KVKs and ATMA

The government’s publicity office says that at the forefront of this capacity building drive are the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), established by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). These frontline extension centres, which bridge the gap between research and practical application through hands-on training and demonstrations, have shown remarkable outreach.

Between 2021 and 2024, KVKs successfully trained an impressive 58.02 lakh farmers. The consistent growth in participation underscores the efficacy of KVKs in translating scientific knowledge into field-level improvements, with training focusing on crop management, animal husbandry, and soil health, all tailored to local agro-climatic realities.

Complementing this effort is the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme focused on revitalising state extension systems and promoting decentralised, farmer-friendly approaches. Through interventions like farmer training, demonstrations, and Kisan Melas, the ATMA scheme has achieved significant scale, reaching approximately 1.27 Crore farmers between 2021 and early 2025. This decentralised model ensures the latest agricultural technologies and good practices are widely disseminated across different thematic areas.

Skilling the Next Generation and Mechanisation Push

Special attention has been directed towards equipping the younger generation to capitalise on emerging opportunities in agriculture. The Skill Training of Rural Youth (STRY) programme, now integrated under the ATMA framework, offers short-term, skill-based vocational training across allied sectors like horticulture, dairy, and fisheries. Designed to promote wage and self-employment among rural youth aged 18 and above, STRY has trained over 43,000 youth between 2021 and 2024, creating a vital pool of skilled manpower ready to strengthen rural economies.

Concurrently, the government has focused heavily on reducing the cost and labour intensity of farming through the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM). This scheme aims to expand the reach of farm mechanisation, particularly among small and marginal farmers, by promoting Custom Hiring Services. In the four-year period from 2021 to 2025, SMAM successfully trained a total of 57,139 farmers in the use, maintenance, and operation of modern farm equipment, along with quality assurance practices.

Focus on Sustainability and Value Chains

Sustainability has been a key theme, with the Soil Health Card Scheme proving critical in guiding farmers towards informed decisions regarding crop planning and balanced nutrient management. As of July 24, 2025, the scheme reported distributing over 25.17 crore soil health cards nationwide, supported by more than 93,000 farmer trainings and 6.8 lakh demonstrations, leading to demonstrably improved soil health and productivity.

The strengthening of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) is also fostering collective capacity. With 10,000 FPOs registered, farmers are now receiving regular training in critical areas such as agri-business management, market linkages, and accessing digital platforms like e-NAM and GeM, effectively turning collective action into commercial success.

Integrating Skills into National Missions

Skill development has been deeply embedded within India’s broader national skilling framework. The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 4.0), which runs from 2022–2026, has adopted agriculture as a priority sector. Since the PMKVY’s inception in 2015, over 1.64 Crore people have been trained and more than 1.29 Crore certified across various trades, demonstrating the massive national scope of vocational training, including specialised agriculture courses.

Sector-specific schemes have further ensured targeted capacity building:

The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) trained 9.73 lakh farmers between 2014-15 and 2023-24.

The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) has trained and equipped 38,736 Multi-purpose Artificial Insemination Technicians in Rural India (MAITRIs) to deliver doorstep livestock services.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), which focuses on developing modern food processing infrastructure, has seen 1,133 projects completed as of June 30, 2025, directly benefiting more than 34 lakh farmers by creating sector-specific skilled workforces.

How Many Have Been Reached?

The cumulative figure of those trained is actually in the tens of millions, based on the specific programmes detailed in the PIB release:

• The Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) alone has reached approximately 12.7 million farmers (1.27 Crore).
• The Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) trained over 5.8 million farmers (58.02 lakh).
• The broader Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) has trained over 16.4 million people (1.64 Crore) since its inception, including those in the agriculture sector.

Cumulatively, the three largest direct training programs mentioned account for over 34.9 million people trained or reached.

The PIB release also notes that the Soil Health Card Scheme has had an even wider reach, distributing over 251.7 million cards (25.17 crore) nationwide, showing the massive scale of the overall farmer empowerment initiative.

These concerted efforts spanning training, mechanisation, soil science, and value chain integration are setting the stage for a digitally enabled, entrepreneurial, and resilient farming community, firmly aligning the agricultural sector’s growth trajectory with the national vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’.