JAMMU, JANUARY 24: In 2023, smartphone penetration among farmers in Jammu & Kashmir crossed more than 70 per cent, as was learned during a survey conducted under the dedicated farmer outreach campaign Kisan Sampark Abhiyan. While the digital shift was clearly visible, its potential remained largely untapped.
Recognising this opportunity, the J&K Administration took a forward-looking decision to reposition the smartphone from being merely a communication device to a powerful instrument of learning for the farming community. This vision culminated in the creation of Daksh Kisan, a Learning Management System (LMS) that today stands as the first initiative of its kind in India, and possibly in Asia, dedicated to the knowledge upgradation of farmers.
Launched amid cautious expectations, Daksh Kisan has, within just two years, emerged as one of the most successful digital capacity-building platforms for farmers in the country. The initiative marked a significant departure from conventional extension approaches by embedding structured, measurable learning into a digital ecosystem tailored specifically for farmers.
The conceptual foundation of Daksh Kisan rested on a simple yet powerful insight that if farmers are already digitally connected, learning must follow the same path. With smartphones becoming commonplace even in remote villages, the Agriculture Production Department, in collaboration with the two agricultural universities—SKUAST-Jammu and SKUAST-Kashmir—designed an LMS keeping usability, low-bandwidth access, language diversity and local relevance at its core.
A defining feature of the platform is its agro-climatic customisation. Courses are curated according to specific agro-climatic zones, ensuring that knowledge disseminated is not generic but tailored to local crops, soil conditions and weather patterns, ranging from temperate orchard systems to subtropical agricultural plains.
Recognising that effective learning happens best in one’s own language, Daksh Kisan offers multi-lingual course content in four local languages—Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi and Urdu. This emphasis on inclusivity has enabled farmers from diverse linguistic backgrounds to participate with confidence and has played a decisive role in the platform’s widespread adoption, particularly among first-time digital learners.
At present, Daksh Kisan hosts 171 structured courses across the agriculture and allied sectors, including 97 courses in agriculture, 28 courses in horticulture, and 46 courses in the livestock sector. In addition, the platform offers cross-sectoral courses covering integrated pest control, post-harvest practices, value addition, agribusiness development and farm economics.
Each course follows a modular structure combining expert video lectures, practical demonstration videos and short questionnaires designed to assess learning outcomes. Farmers also have the option to interact digitally with concerned faculty members to seek clarifications, effectively extending mentorship and expert guidance into the digital space.
A notable feature of Daksh Kisan is the inclusion of inbuilt business and financial planning modules, which encourage farmers to transition from subsistence-oriented practices towards enterprise-driven agriculture, fostering entrepreneurship and economic sustainability at the farm level.
Like most pioneering initiatives, Daksh Kisan initially faced scepticism, particularly around issues of digital literacy, participation and retention. However, within two years, the response from the farming community has decisively addressed these concerns. Official data indicates that over 3.47 lakh farmers have registered on the platform, with 2.59 lakh farmers enrolling in courses.
The platform has recorded more than 4.15 lakh course enrolments, reflecting a strong tendency among farmers to pursue multiple courses to diversify their skills. Completion levels have also been encouraging, with nearly 2.98 lakh courses completed and over 2.11 lakh farmers successfully passing course assessments, signalling sustained engagement and meaningful learning outcomes.
The impact of Daksh Kisan has extended beyond the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. According to officers from APD, randomised verification calls conducted through call centres associated with the portal revealed that faculty members from Lucknow and Kerala, along with agri-preneurs and farmers from Rajasthan, have enrolled in and completed courses on the platform, an uncommon validation for a region-specific government initiative.
This cross-regional participation underscores the academic credibility, scalability and national relevance of Daksh Kisan as a digital learning model. Rather than replacing traditional agricultural extension mechanisms, the platform complements them by offering round-the-clock, on-demand learning that reinforces field-based interventions with structured digital education.
At a time when agriculture faces mounting challenges from climate change, market volatility and rising input costs, Daksh Kisan equips farmers not only with improved techniques but also with enhanced decision-making confidence grounded in scientific knowledge and economic understanding.
Officials associated with the initiative describe Daksh Kisan as only the beginning. With new courses under development, advanced modules being planned and growing interest from outside the region, the platform is steadily positioning itself as a national reference point for digital agricultural education.
In a sector where adaptability defines survival, Daksh Kisan demonstrates how technology, when aligned with trust, inclusivity and local relevance, can truly take root in the field and reshape the future of farm learning in India.
