Genesis of KVK

The Education Commission (1964-66) recommended that a vigorous effort be made to establish specialized institutions to provide vocational education in agriculture and allied fields at the pre and post matriculate levels to cater the training needs of a large number of boys and girls coming from rural areas. The Commission, further, suggested that such institutions be named as ‘Agricultural Polytechnics’. The recommendation of the Commission was thoroughly discussed: during 1966-72 by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Planning Commission, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other allied institutions. Finally, the ICAR mooted the idea of establishing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agricultural Science Centres) as innovative institutions for imparting vocational training to the practicing farmers, school dropouts and field level extension functionaries.The ICAR Standing Committee on Agricultural Education, in its meeting held in August, 1973, observed that since the establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) was of national importance which would help in accelerating the agricultural production as also in improving the socio-economic conditions of the farming community, the assistance of all related institutions should be taken in implementing this scheme. The ICAR, therefore, constituted a committee in 1973 headed by Dr. Mohan Singh Mehta of Seva Mandir, Udaipur (Rajasthan), for working out a detailed plan for implementing this scheme. The Committee submitted its report in 1974. The first KVK, on a pilot basis, was established in 1974 at Puducherry (Pondicherry) under the administrative control of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dakshina Kannada  is a district level resource and knowledge centre established by the Indian Council of Agriculture (ICAR), New Delhi in the year 2004 at Agriculture Research Station, Kankanady, Mangalore, Karnataka State, under the then  University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore  and has become part of Karnataka Veterinary Animal &  Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar since  01-09-2011. The operational area of this KVK comes under coastal Zone (Zone 10), comprising of seven talukas viz; Mangalore, Puttur, Bantwal, Sullya, Belthangady, Kadaba and Moodabidri. The KVK started with a mission to disseminate the appropriate technologies to the farming community for enhancing the farm productivity to achieve sustainable income.

The average annual rainfall ranges from 4127.54m.m. With peak rainfall during June & July months. The main food crops is Paddy and pulses like Greengram, Blackgram and Horsegram are grown in small pockets in paddy fallows under residual soil moisture conditions. Horticulture crops like Arecanut, Coconut, Pepper, Cashew, Banana, Vegetables, and Flower crops like Jasmine are grown in large scale and sustained the economy of the District. Subsidiary enterprises like Dairy, Poultry, Piggery, Goat farming, and inland fisheries are practiced by the farmers to enhance their existing income.