Receiving Award from President of India

I am Dr. Anirban Mukherjee, a Senior Scientist in Agricultural Extension, currently working at ICAR-RCER, Patna. I come from a humble town in West Bengal, and my curiosity in agriculture took me from village fields to the corridors of IARI, New Delhi, where I completed my M.Sc. and Ph.D. with distinction.

From ranking first in national-level entrance exams in India to receiving the Jawaharlal Nehru Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, my academic journey has been driven by purpose: to make research useful for people who need it most—the farmers, the extension agents, and the rural youth.

Over the past decade, I’ve:

• Led major ICAR, DBT, DST, and NASF projects

• Developed tools, models, and scales (like PRAYAS and FPO assessment instruments)

• Authored 50+ research papers, 20+ book chapters, and 5 edited books

• Delivered lectures to UG, PG, and Ph.D. students and trained thousands of farmers and field staffs

• Been honored with more than 12 national awards, including NABARD Researcher of the Year 2023, multiple Young Scientist Awards, Best Extension Professional Awards and Conference awards

My research interests are Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), participatory rural appraisal (PRA), livelihood impact assessment, climate-smart models, and ICT in extension.

 🎓 Education & Training

• Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension
  Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
  
  M.Sc. in Agricultural Extension
  IARI, New Delhi
  
  B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture
  Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar
  
  

• Qualified ICAR-ARS, ICAR-NET, and UGC-NET in Agricultural Extension and Adult Education.
  
  

• Participated in several capacity building trainings including ICRISAT-ICAR Impact Assessment, NCAP, NPTEL-IIT Madras, AgMOOCs (IIT-Kanpur), and 98th FOCARS (NAARM), Capacity building programme on methodologies in agriculture extension research from  International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and many others
  
  

🏆 Career Milestones

• ICAR Scientist (2013–present)
  Currently posted at ICAR-RCER, Patna with research, extension, and training responsibilities.
  
  

• Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI of multiple flagship projects:
  
  

  • NASF-funded FPO model for technology delivery

  • ICAR project on food and nutritional security

  • DBT-Biotech KISAN Hub for aspirational districts

  • NAFCC & DST-supported climate smart agriculture interventions
    
    

• Developed and validated innovative tools:
  
  

  • 1 Extension Index

  • 2 Knowledge Test Batteries

  • 2 Standardized Scales (e.g., for FPO perception and knowledge)

• Recipient of 10+ national awards for research, extension professionalism, and scientific communication.

• Editorial and reviewer roles in reputed journals including Current Science, Indian Reserach Journal of Extension Education and Indian Journal of Extension Education.
  
  

🌐 Areas of Specialization

• 🧩 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

• 🌱 Climate Change Adaptation & Risk Assessment

• 🔬 Extension Research Methodologies & Convergence Models

• 🧠 Social Impact Assessment

• 📲 ICT in Agriculture & Decision Support Tools

• 🧪 Scale Development, Knowledge Tests, and Evaluation Instruments
  
  

🌟 My Vision

"To elevate Agricultural Extension research to a global standard by creating innovative, scalable, and people-centric solutions—while nurturing the next generation of scholars, scientists, and changemakers who will redefine how science serves society."

💬 Personal Mission

“To bridge the gap between agricultural research and rural realities through evidence-based extension, participatory innovation, and inclusive development models.”

I believe in the transformative power of farmer-led institutions, integrated knowledge systems, and collaborative partnerships to address the complex challenges of Indian agriculture, especially in the eastern region.