Rajasthan Input Dealer Turns His Shop Into a Farm Advisory Centre

An agricultural input dealer in Rajasthan has changed the role of his village shop from simply selling seeds and farm inputs to providing farmers with technical advice. Through the Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers, or DAESI, he gained formal training in crop management and began helping farmers make better decisions.

The model is important because input dealers are often among the first people farmers approach when they face problems with crops. Farmers visit them for seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, but they may also ask about diseases, pests and crop management.

The DAESI programme is designed to give agricultural input dealers basic knowledge of agricultural extension and crop production.

Instead of relying only on product information, trained dealers can understand the problems farmers describe and guide them towards suitable solutions.

This can be useful in villages where access to agricultural experts is limited.

The ICAR success-story programme highlights DAESI as a way of turning input dealers into trusted agricultural knowledge centres.

Farmers Get Advice Along With Inputs

A farmer may visit an input shop looking for a pesticide after noticing insects or disease symptoms.

Without proper diagnosis, choosing a product can lead to unnecessary spending or ineffective treatment.

A trained dealer can first understand the crop, symptoms and stage of growth before advising the farmer on the next step.

This can help farmers avoid using inputs simply because a product is available.

The approach also encourages farmers to think about crop management rather than treating every farm problem as an input problem.

Agricultural recommendations can vary according to soil, weather, crop variety and local pest conditions. Farmers therefore need advice that makes sense for their own fields.

Input dealers already have regular contact with farming communities. Giving them agricultural training can turn this existing relationship into another channel for scientific information.

This can be especially useful during the crop season, when farmers need quick answers.

DAESI Creates a Link Between Farmers and Experts

The programme can also connect trained input dealers with agricultural universities, extension workers and research institutions.

This creates a two-way flow of information.

Farmers can receive technical advice locally, while dealers can pass field-level problems back to agricultural experts.

The ICAR success-story list describes the DAESI model as a way of transforming input dealers into trusted agricultural knowledge centres.

Beyond Selling Seeds and Fertilisers

The success of this model depends on changing the role of the input dealer.

A shop can become more than a place where farmers purchase agricultural products. It can become a point where farmers receive information about crop varieties, nutrient management, pest control and other farm practices.

For farmers, this means easier access to agricultural knowledge within the village.

For dealers, training provides an opportunity to build trust by giving advice based on scientific information rather than focusing only on product sales.

The DAESI experience shows how an existing rural business can become part of the agricultural extension system. By combining input access with trained advice, local dealers can help farmers make better farm decisions while creating a stronger connection between agricultural research and villages.