Strategy-Driven Institutional Convergence: A Policy Vista for Integrated Agriculture Development

Abstract

In the quest to usher in the second revolution in Indian agriculture, several options are being explored along the value chain of agricultural development. In this context, it is imperative to recognise the need to align the development strategy in agriculture with institutional support structures. While there is much talk and much has been written about programme and project-level convergence for facilitating the synergistic growth of agriculture and rural development, hardly any attention has been devoted in either academic or policy literature to the need to develop convergent institutional structures driven by a coherent strategy which follows the principle of primacy of strategy over structure. This chapter seeks to signal a policy perspective that stimulates a rethink of traditional institutional systems and the need for greater integration across the sectoral value chain, including non-arable farming activities. Based on the author’s involvement in developing guidelines for converging schemes of the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Government of India, the chapter proposes the constitution of a State Agricultural Development Agency (SADA) as a way forward for strategy-driven institutional integration to ensure desired outcomes from agricultural development programmes. The integrative approach to institutional convergence suggested here has the potential to ease access for farming communities to extension and public services.