Dr. Saravanan Raj is a Director (Agricultural Extension), National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, Hyderabad.

Capacity Development of Agricultural Developmental Professionals
Since 2016, 316 national and international training programs, workshops, conferences and 384 webinars were organised and 90,022 participated in the offline and online programs on Agricultural innovation systems, new agricultural extension approaches and innovations, Navigating ICTs, digital and social media for Agricultural extension, Value chain based extension, Agro-tourism, Agri-Starups and Agripreneusrship (https://www.manage.gov.in/managecaeira/).

Leading Innovation and Incubation Center
CEO for the MANAGE-Centre for Innovations and Agripreneurship and supporting 630+ early stage startups from across India. Leading a team as Knowledge Partner and Centre of Excellence in Agri-Business Incubation to support partner Agri-Business Incubation centres and Agri-Startups under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India (https://www.manage.gov.in/managecia/).

Leading Fisheries Innovation and Startup Ecosystem
CEO of MANAGE–Fisheries Innovation and Startup Hub (MANAGE–FISHub), a national-level incubation and innovation hub established with the support of the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD), Government of India, to transform the fisheries and aquaculture sector through innovative technology, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem development. Responsible for the implementing of key initiatives, including the MANAGE–FISHub Incubation Programme, Aqua Reach, Aqua Yuva for students, Aqua Udyami for aspiring aquapreneurs, the National Policy Workshop on Startups and Entrepreneurship in Fisheries, Fisheries Startup and Aquapreneurship Stakeholders Meet, Aqua-Eureka, and online programmes such as F3 Webinars, Pre-Incubation Mentoring Programme, and FISHTech Webinars, contributing to innovation, skill development, and entrepreneurship in the fisheries sector (https://www.manage.gov.in/managefishub/).

International Triangular Cooperation

  • Leading a team for establishing an Agribusiness Incubator model in Malawi ‘AmayiHub’ under India-Germany- Malawi Triangular Cooperation for Women Empowerment in Agriculture and Food Systems. MANAGE, India, GIZ and Access Livelihoods Partnering with SMEDI, Malawi to support and mentoring of rural women entrepreneurs and Startups in Malawi (Since 2022- Ongoing).
  • Earlier, he was Director for the Feed the Future India Triangular Training program for the capacity development of 11 African countries and six Asian countries (April- August 2018).

Consultancy Projects
Worked on Consultancy project on Rural Women Entrepreneurs Program (WEP) for knowledge assessment and certification (2018-2023).
Assessment and certification of the women Community Resource Persons (CRPs) of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, GoI (2018-20)

Co-ordinating MANAGE-Agricultural University Alliance

  • Co-ordinator for the MANAGE-University alliance for advancing agricultural extension and advisory services with the focus on policy relevant research and market demand based curriculum.
  • Program Director for the MANAGE’s flagship initiative on National Young Professional Development Program (NYPDP) since 2024.. The program is designed to cultivate next-generation competencies, explore emerging career pathways, and identify research priorities in agricultural extension.
  • Pogramme Director for MANAGE Internships programme (2017-2020) and the MANAGE Young Agricultural Extensionist Programme, a community of practice for developing future ready young extensionists in rural India (2017-2018).
  • He conducted series of Research scholars’ training program on Extension Research Methods, Research priories (2017-2019), future opportunities in Agricultural extension (2020-22) and MANAGE Agricultural Extension webinar Series on “Evening4Learning Webinars” during 2022.
  • Director, Centre for Agripreneurship Development and Scheme in-charge for the implementation of Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (AC & ABC) across India, a flagship programme of the Ministry of the Agriculture and farmers Welfare, GoI to train for self-employment establishing agricultural consultancy and agri-business ventures among agricultural graduates during 2016-2019.

University Teaching, Research and Extension in North-East India

  • Before joining to MANAGE, he worked as Head/ Chairman (i/c), School of Social Sciences and Senior faculty of Agricultural Extension at Central Agricultural University (CAU-Imphal), Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh & Barapani (Umiam), Meghalaya, India for almost one and half decade in the Central Agricultural University (CAU- Imphal), Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh States of North-East India.
  • Having experience of Teaching extension education and communication, Rural Sociology and Forest Tribology related courses for the B.Sc (Horticulture)/ Agriculture/ Forestry students and also a co-ordinated Rural Horticultural Work Experience Program (2002-2009 and 2014-2015).
  • Taught course on advanced extension education, diffusion of innovations, research design, communication and e-Extension related courses for the M.Sc and Ph.D in agricultural extension scholars (2009- 2014).
  • Guided four M.Sc (Agril.) in Agricultural Extension students for their thesis research as Chairman and also guided two MBA in Agri-Business Management Students for their MBA Project work.
  • Implemented four innovative research projects on e-Agriculture, e-Arik, e-Village, e-AgriKiosk and m4agriNEI projects in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya during 2007-2016.
  • Facilitated for agricultural advisory services to the 3000 registered marginal and small land holding tribal farmers of 105 villages in four districts of Meghalaya state in North-East India (2012- 2013) through m4agriNEI project. Combination of advanced ICT tools (Smart phone, web portal, IVRS etc.) and conventional extension methods (face-face meetings, awareness meetings, Group discussions, demonstrations, expert field visit, exhibitions etc.) were used.
  • Implemented ICT based agricultural advisory services project to support 2500 marginal and small land holding tribal farmers of 143 villages through e-Village and e-AgriKiosk projects (2008-12) and 500 registered marginal and small land holding tribal farmers of 12 villages through e-Arik project (2007-09) in Arunachal Pradesh State of North-East India.

World Bank Mission
Participated as an “ICT and Agricultural Extension Specialist” for the World Bank mission on Ghana Solution Assessment for Managing Agricultural Risks during January to February, 2014 to provide solution assessment report and recommendation for improving farmer’s access to agricultural extension using modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and traditional extension systems in Ghana.

Awards and Fellowship

  • Received Netherlands Government Fellowship (NFP/TP-Fellowship) (2006) and participated in the Advanced course on “Facilitating Multi-Stakeholder Processes and Social learning: – Advanced Course in Up-scaling Participatory Approaches”, during September, 2006 at Wageningen International, the Netherlands.
  • PG and Ph.D research presentations among the SAARC Research Scholars as participants adjudged best research paper presentation awards in PGIA Annual Agricultural Congress, Peradeniya University, Sri Lanka in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
  • Received Young Scientist Award (2001) for his research work on Farm communication in the Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India.
  • Recipient of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) during 1997-99, for the M.Sc (Agril.) in Agricultural Extension.

Publication of Books
Authored and edited four books on “Agricultural Extension: Worldwide Innovations” (2008) and “ICTs for Agricultural Extension: Global Experiments, Innovations and Experiences” (2010), ICT for Agriculture and Rural Development (2011), Mobile Phone for Agricultural Extension: Worldwide mAgri Innovations and Promise for Future (2014) and co-edited “What works in Rural Advisory Services? Global Good Practice Notes (2018).

Research, Review Articles, Discussion and Working Papers
Contributed 74 research and review papers, 21 book chapters, 27 discussion and working papers.

International Visits
As part of the professional assignments and programs, visited Australia, Argentina, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Rwanda, Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and USA.

Specialisation
Specialized in the area of public-private extension, privatisation of agricultural extension, institutional pluralism and innovations in agricultural extension, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), digital/social media for agricultural extension, agripreneurship, agri-startups and related policy issues.

Connect me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saravanan-raj-a9a20928/     (LinkedIn: Saravanan Raj)