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ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
(ATMA)
Composition
S. No.
1. District Magistrate / Collector Chairman
2. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chief Development Officer (CDO) Vice-Chairman
3. Joint Director / Deputy Director (Agri.) Member
4. A representative from ZRS/ Krishi Vigyan Kendra
Member
5. One Farmer representative Member
6. One Livestock Producer Member
7. One Horticulture Farmer Member
8. Representative of Women Farmers Interest Group Member
9. One SC / ST farmer representative Member
10. A representative of NGO
11. Lead Bank Officer of the District Member
12. A representative of District Industrial Center Member
13. Representative of Agriculture Marketing Board Member
14. Representative of input supplying Associations Member
15. One Fisheries / Sericulture representative Member
16. Project Director ATMA Member-Secretary-cum- Treasurer
(Ex-officio)
Appointment / Nomination / Term of Members:
Non-official members of GB will be appointed for a period of 2 years
by APC on the recommendation of the Chairman of GB.
Some initial appointments would be staggered to ensure that about two-thirds
of the members would be carry over for an additional year on the GB.
Thirty per cent of the farmer representatives on the GB would be reserved
for women farmers to ensure their interests are fully represented.
The key functions of ATMA Governing Board would be to:
1. Review and approve Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP) and
annual action plans that are prepared and submitted by the participating
units.
2. Receive and review annual reports presented by the participating units,
providing feedback and direction to them as needed, for various research
and extension activities being carried out within the district.
3. Receive and allocate project funds to carry out priority research,
extension and related activities within the district.
4. Foster the organization and development of Farmers Interest Groups
(FIGs) and Farmers Organizations (FOs) within the district.
5. Facilitate the greater involvement of private sector and firms and
organizations in providing inputs, technical support, agro-processing
and marketing services to farmers.
6. Encourage agriculture lending institutions to increase the availability
of capital to resource poor and marginal farmers, especially SC, ST and
women farmers.
7. Encourage each line department, plus the KVK and ZRS, to establish
farmer advisory committees to provide feedback and input into their respective
R-E Programmes.
8. Enter into contracts and agreements as appropriate to promote and
support agricultural development activities within the district.
9. Identify other sources of financial support that would help ensure
the financial sustainability of the ATMA and its participating units.
10. Establish revolving funds / accounts for each participating unit,
and encourage each unit to make available technical services, such as
artificial insemination or soil testing, on a cost recovery basis moving
towards full cost recovery in a phased manner.
11. Arrange for the periodic audit of ATMAs financial accounts; and
12. Adopt and amend the rules and by-laws for the ATMA.
Annexure – II
ATMA MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (MC)
The Management Committee would be responsible for planning and executing
the day-to-day activities of ATMA.
Composition:
1. Project Director of Agriculture Technology Management Agency Chairman
2. District Head of Dept., Agri. Member
3. District Head of Dept., Horticulture Member
4. District Head of Dept., Animal HusbandryDistrict Head of Dept., Animal
Husbandry Member
5. District Head of dept. Fisheries Member
6. District Head of Dept. Sericulture Member
7. District Head of other appropriate line deptt.
Member
8. Head, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Member
9. Head, Zonal Research Station Member
10. One representative of NGO in-charge of Farmers’ Organization
11. Two representatives of Farmer’s Organizations (one year rotation
basis) Member
Key functions of Management Committee (MC)
The functions and tasks to be carried out by the ATMA Management Committee
would include the following:
1. Carryout periodic Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to identify
the problems and constraints faced by different socio-economic groups
and farmers within the district.
2. Prepare an integrated, Strategic Research and Extension Plan (SREP)
for the district that would specify short and medium term adaptive research
as well as technology validation and refinement and extension priorities
for the district: these priorities should reflect during the PRA.
3. Prepare annual action plans that would be submitted to the ATMA Governing
Board for review, possible modification and approval.
4. Maintain appropriate project accounts for submission to Technology
Dissemination Unit (TDU) for audit purposes.
5. Coordinate the execution of these annual action plans through participant
line departments, ZRSs, KVKs, NGOs, FIGs / FOs and allied institutions,
including private sector firms.
6. Establish coordinating mechanisms at the Block level, such as Farm
Information & Advisory Centres (FIACs) that would integrate extension
and technology transfer activities at the block and village levels.
7. Provide annual performance reports to the Governing Board outlining
the various research extension and related targets that were actually
carried out.
8. Provide secretariat to Governing Board and initiate action on policy
direction, investment decisions and other guidance received from the
Governing Board.
Annexure – III
FARM INFORMATION AND ADVISORY CENTRE (FIAC)
AT BLOCK LEVEL
Under each ATMA FIACs are created at the block level. It consists of
two bodies namely Farmer Advisory Committee (FAC) and Block Technology
Team (BTT). The FAC is a body of farmer representatives (11-15 members
representing various Enterprises and socio economic strata). The BTT
on the other hand is a group of technical advisors operating at block
level representing agriculture and allied sectors. FAC and BTT, taken
together, act as planning and operational arm of ATMA.
BLOCK TECHNOLOGY TEAM (BTT)
It is an Inter Departmental Team of Agriculture and Line Departments
operating at block level. An indicative composition of BTT is given below,
however, the composition would change from place to place depending on
the critical areas pertaining to different states.
Composition
Block level officers of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry,
Fisheries, Plant Protection, Veterinary Science, Soil Conservation, Extension,
Sericulture, Corporative, Marketing etc.
The senior most officials irrespective of the participating departments
head the Block Technology Team as BTT convenor.
Key functions of Block Technology Team (BTT)
The key functions of Block Technology Team would be to :-
• Operationalize the SREP in each block and move towards single
window extension system.
• Help district core team in up gradation of SREP.
• Prepare Block Action Plan detailing extension activities to be
undertaken.
• Coordinate the implementation of extension programmes detailed
in the Block Action Plan.
• Facilitate formation of FIGs/ FOs at the block level and below.
FARMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE (FAC)
The Farmer Advisory Committee consists of 11-15 members covering different
categories of farmers covering under the given block, with due representation
to women farmers and weaker sections of the society. Composition given
below with respect to one of the blocks under ATMA-Shimla, other districts
may suitably modified in composition as per their agro-ecological situation.
Composition:
S. No. Member Occupation
1. Farmer Agriculture
2. Farm Women Agriculture (SC)
3. Farmer Horticulture
4. Farm Women Horticulture
5. Farmer Live Stock Producer
6. Farm Women Live Stock Producer (SC)
7. Farm Women Mahila Mandal
8. Farmer Yuvak Mandal
9. Farmer Input Dealer
10. Farmer Farmer Group
11. Farmer BDC Member
(Block Development Council)
Chairman shall be elected out of the above members on rotation basis.
BTT Convenor also acts as Member Secretary to FAC.
Key functions of FACs
• Act as an agency for providing farmer feedback mechanism.
• Help set block extension priorities and recommend resource
allocation across programme areas.
• Recommend Block Action Plan for approval of ATMA GB.
• Review and provide advise to each implementation unit
at block level.
• FAC shall meet once in a month during the season and
quarterly in lean season.
• Help in formation of Farmer Interest Groups at block
level and below.