About Dr. Shaik N Meera.pdf - Rice Knowledge Management Portal

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraAboutDr. Shaik N. Meera1. Overview of research and extension contributions of Dr. Shaik N.MeeraDr Shaik N Meera is a Senior Scientist (Agricultural Extension) with a cafeteria of skill sets and achievementsin Agricultural Research & Development. He is one of the earliest extension scientists who contributed to thedevelopment of ICT enabled extension in India.As Consortium Principal Investigator, he is spearheading a flagship project on“Development and Maintenance of Rice Knowledge Management Portal (RKMP)”. This is thefirst extension centric information portal in India, providing the most comprehensiveagricultural knowledge directly from the scientific community. Rice Knowledge ManagementPortal was launched in the presence of Honorable Prime Minister of India on 16th July 2011.As a Principal Investigator of DBT Sponsored project on “Improving the Livelihoodsof SC/ST Farmers through Rice Technology Interventions”, he is instrumental in uplifting 120tribal farm families directly. Intensive extension efforts were tried in 12 tribal hamlets over aperiod of 3 years to achieve this.As National Coordinator of Frontline Demonstrations on Rice, in last 5 years, about5322 FLDs of 1 hectare each have been conducted benefitting 13,755 rice farmers directly.About 2064 tonnes of seed of HYV, Hybrids is distributed to farmers through thisprogramme. An innovative attempt has been made to document all the demonstration effortsusing the latest ICT tools and compiled as a database. This database is included in the riceknowledge management portal (www.fld.rkmp.co.in) for effective use by the extensionworkers.As Coordinator of training programmes, in last five years, totally 19 trainingprograms on various aspects of rice production technologies were organized including IPMin rice, Quality control on basmati rice, Marker assisted selection in rice, Hybrid ricebreeding, Hybrid rice production technology, System of Rice Intensification and Hybrid riceseed production technology. In total 417 participants from state department of agriculture,state agricultural universities, ICAR institutes and executives from public and private sectorswere trained.As a young scientist he carried out the research on various aspects of harnessing ICTsin agricultural development with special reference to the ICTs enabled agricultural extension.His work on Applications of E-Learning in Agriculture: Designing an ODL ContentManagement System for Rice Technologies is perhaps the only empirical study conducted onassessing the e-readiness parameters in extension systems.As Principal Investigator of several extension research projects, involved indeveloping and using innovative approaches for transfer of technology and extensioneducation processes. Some of the innovations include1

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera• use of Information and Communication Technologies for speedy transfer ofknowledge & technologies• Harnessing Knowledge Management strategies for strengthening the informationflow in rice sector• Village Level Studies on Climate change: Vulnerability, Adaptations and SustainableLivelihoods in Rice Farming• Developing e-learning courses for online and offline delivery to extension officers• Participatory varietal selection and Farmers’ First Approach• Video and Audio files for transferring ‘do how’ technologies• Capturing the innovative spirit of rice farmers by organizing ‘Innovative RiceFarmers Meet’Skill SetsAs author of several research articles, books, extension bulletins and manuals,contributed to enrichment of the extension discipline. His book “ICTs in Extension- Tacticalto Practical” is recognized as Reference book by ICAR for the Discipline of AgriculturalExtension (M.Sc/ Ph.D syllabus).As field researcher, he has done extensive surveys on “Critical Analysis ofInformation Communication Technology in Agricultural Development” during the pastten years. His Agriculture Research Extension Network (AgREN) paper of Department Fundfor International Development (DFID) of UK is high quality evidence and is in the top 200ICT4D resources online.With exemplary academics, he was the topper of the National level AgriculturalResearch Service for the Recruitment of Scientists, conducted by Indian Council ofAgricultural Research (ICAR), during the year 2001. He is the recipient of VN Gold Medal,Young Scientist Awards for his doctoral work, Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) of ICAR forPh.D. programme (1999-2002), Junior Research fellowship (JRF) of ICAR for M.Scprogramme (1997-99), Telugu Vigyana Paarithoshikam, a merit scholarship of Governmentof Andhra Pradesh, India for 1990.He has visited United States of America, Philippines and Sri LankaIn depth know-how and do-how of applications of advance extension methodologiesProven abilities in planning and executing ICT mediated KM projects in agricultureDeveloping and maintaining semantic agricultural portals (especially in rice farming)Effectively harnessing innovative extension approaches with visible impactsDeveloping Knowledge Systems for effective Knowledge Encapsulation and Service Integrationfor web and mobile appsTechnology refinement, commercialization and targeting strategiesPlanning and executing large scale extension programmesInnovative applications of Knowledge Management strategies in agricultureHandling consortia with extension centric methodologiesWell versed with web 2.0 and web 3.0 toolsExpertise in Village Level Studies on Climate change: Vulnerability, Adaptations and SustainableLivelihoods in Rice Farming2

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera2. General Profile1. Name and designation Shaik N. MeeraSenior Scientist (Agricultural Extension)2. Date and place of birth 8 April 1974Nandigama (Andhra Pradesh -India)3. Marital status Married4. Postal and telecommunicationaddressTransfer of Technology and Training SectionDirectorate of Rice ResearchRajendranagarHyderabad 500 030. India5. Telephone, email, Fax, etc. Tel (O): 040-24591295Fax (O): 040-24591217Mobile: +91-9000680909E-mail: shaiknmeera@gmail.comshaikmeera@drricar.org3. Educational qualifications beginning with the first-degree or EquivalentS.No.Degree Institution Year Subject (s) withmajor field1. B. Sc Acharya N.G. Ranga 1996 Agricultural(Agriculture) Agricultural University,and alliedHyderabad, Andhra sciencesPradesh2. M. ScIndian Agricultural 1999 Agricultural(Agricultural Research InstituteExtensionExtension) (IARI), New Delhi3. Ph. DIndian Agricultural 2003 Agricultural(Agricultural Research InstituteExtensionExtension) (IARI), New Delhi(ICT enabledExtension)RemarksGrade Points7.91/10.00Awarded ICAR JuniorResearch Fellowship (JRF)3.77/4.00ICAR Senior ResearchFellowship (SRF)3.75/4.00Won Vasantrao Naik GoldMedal4. Employment recordS. Position heldNo.1 Senior Scientist-AgriculturalExtension2 Scientist (SeniorScale)-AgriculturalEmployerPlace of workIndian Council ofAgricultural ResearchDirectorate of RiceResearchHyderabad - IndiaIndian Council ofAgricultural ResearchDurationSeptember2008 to TilldateApril 2007toNature of workAgricultural Extension Research,Extensionactivities,Coordinating FrontlineDemonstrations of Macromanagementscheme, Trainingand capacity building andleading externally aidedprojects.ConsortiumPrincipalInvestigator for Rice KnowledgeManagement Portal, first of itskind in Indian extensionAgricultural Extension Research,Extensionactivities,3

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraExtension Directorate of RiceResearchHyderabad - India3 Scientist -AgriculturalExtension4 Scientist -AgriculturalExtension4 Scientist -AgriculturalExtensionFOCARS trainingIndian Council ofAgricultural ResearchDirectorate of RiceResearchHyderabad - IndiaIndian Council ofAgricultural ResearchCentral Rice ResearchInstituteCuttack, IndiaIndian Council ofAgricultural ResearchNational Academy ofAgricultural ResearchManagementHyderabad - India5. In service awards/ Peer recognitionSeptember2008August 2006 toApril 2007August 2003 toAugust 2006April 2003 toAugust 2003Coordinating FrontlineDemonstrations of Macromanagementscheme, Trainingand capacity building andleading externally aidedprojects.Agricultural Extension Research,Extensionactivities,Coordinating FrontlineDemonstrations of Macromanagementscheme, Trainingand capacity building andleading externally aidedprojects.Agricultural Extension Research,Extension activities, Trainingand capacity building, In-chargeARIS cellFoundation CourseSecured ‘A’ gradeName of theAward/Prize/Recognition/ReviewerYoung Scientist awardYoung Scientist awardVasant Rao Naik GoldMedalReviewerAwarding Organization(place/country)Indian Society of ExtensionEducationIARI, New DelhiKerala State Council for ScienceMitraniketan KVKInternational Extension ForumNational Seminar on “RespondingTo Changes And Challenges: NewRoles Of Agricultural Extension”NagpurJournal of Agricultural Educationand ExtensionYear National/International,Institutional /ProfessionalSociety2008 NationalProfessional Society2004 National/International,InstitutionalSociety/Professional2003 Maharashtra Society ofExtension Education,Vasantarao Naik SmrutiPratisthan andInternational Extension Forum2007 Wageningen University, TheNetherlandsReferee(Project proposal onICTs)International Foundation forScience, Stockholm, SwedenInvited speaker International Rice ResearchInstitute2007 International Society2011 Workshop on ICTs and MobileApps for Small Farmers6. Publications4

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraFollowing publications of him are testimonials of the extensive work done by him, in a short span of lessthan eight years.• International Refereed Research Network (Policy) Paper -1• International Refereed Journal Research Papers - 6• International Book Chapters (Springer)-1• National Refereed Journal Research Papers – 6• Books Published (Authored) – 6• Books Published (Edited) - 6• Book Chapters – 11• Training Manuals – 7• Important Conference papers/popular articles – 12References of few best publications:1. Shaik N. Meera, GAK Kumar, PS Pandey, S Arun Kumar and BC Viraktamath (2012). EmpoweringFarmers through Rice Knowledge Management Portal in India. Agricultural Information and Knowledgefor All: Success Stories on ICT/ICM in the Asia-Pacific Region. Asia-Pacific Association of AgriculturalResearch Institutions (APAARI). FAO Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific. Bangkok2. Meera Shaik N, Balaji V, Muthuraman P, Sailaja B and Sreenath Dixit (2011). Changing Roles ofAgricultural Extension: Harnessing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Adapting toStresses Envisaged Under Climate Change. In: B. Venkateshwarulu et al. (eds.), Crop Stress and itsManagement: Perspectives and Strategies, Springer Science+Business Media. 583-6033. Meera Shaik N, Mangal Sain, Muthuraman.P, Arun Kumar S, Sailaja B. , Jyothi SSP and Viraktamath BC,(2010). Critical Analysis of E-learning opportunities and E-readiness in the Public Extension System:Empirical evidence from Tamil Nadu. Journal of Global Communication, Global Communication ResearchAssociation, Sydney. 3(2): 11-18.4. Meera Shaik N, Arun Kumar S , Amtul Waris, Vara Prasad C, Muthuraman P, Mangal Sain andViraktamath BC (2010). E-Learning in Extension Systems: Empirical Study in Agricultural Extension inIndia. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 46 (3&4): 94-101.5. Meera Shaik N, Arun Kumar S, Muthuraman.P, Chiranjivi. K, Rajender Reddy and Mangal Sain (2010).Socio-economic Assessment and Sustainable Livelihood Analysis in Rice Farming System. Journal of RiceResearch, Society for Advancement of Rice Research, Hyderabad. 3(2): 60-67.6. Shaik N. Meera, S. Arun Kumar, P. Muthuraman, K. Chiranjivi, V. Rajender Reddy and Mangal Sain(2011). Rice Farming Systems in Backward Regions: Socio-economic assessment and sustainableLivelihoods. Journal of Agricultural Extension Management. 12 (1): 77-97.7. Shaik N. Meera (2008). Transforming Extension through ICTs: Issues and Strategies for DevelopingWorld. Journal of Global Communication, Global Communication Research Association, Sydney. 1 (1): 68-75.8. Balaji, V, Shaik N.Meera and S. Dixit (2007). ICT-enabled Knowledge Sharing in Support of Extension:Addressing the Agrarian Challenges of the Developing World Threatened by Climate Change, with aCase Study from India. http://www.icrisat.org/Journal/SpecialProject/sp9.pdf. E-Journal of Semi AridTropics (SAT) Agricultural Research.4 (1).9. Meera, N. Shaik and Anita Jhamtani (2005) Future Projections of use of Information Technology inAgricultural Development in India. Indian Journal of Extension Education. 40(1&2): 1-75

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera10. Meera, Shaik. N., Jhamtani, Anita and Rao, D.U.M. (2004). Information and Communication Technologyin Agricultural Development: A Comparative Analysis of three projects from India. Agricultural Researchand Extension Network (AgREN) Paper 135 (Sponsored by DFID, UK). Over Seas Development Institute,London, UK. pp 20. http://www.odi.org.uk/agren/papers/agrenpaper_135.pdf11. N. Meera, Shaik and D.U.M. Rao (2003). Evaluation of Information and Communication TechnologyProjects in Developing World; Formulating a Prospective Methodology. Manage Extension ResearchReview. IV (2); p 138-150.12. N.C.Rath and N. Meera, Shaik (2005). Rural Radio in Agricultural and Rural Development. ManageExtension Research Review. VI (1); p 75-85.13. Meera, Shaik. N., Jhamtani, Anita and Rao, D.U.M. (2003). An Analysis of Agricultural InformationCommunication Technology Projects in India: Implications to the Agricultural Extension System.Tropical Agricultural Research. Sri Lanka 15: 51-59Other publications14. Meera Shaik N (2010). ICT enabled Extension Approaches in India: Tactical Synthesis to PracticalFramework. Technical Souvenir of Global Meet. University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. P 110-117.15. Shaik N. Meera, Vara Prasad, Mangal Sain, S. Arun Kumar and BC Viraktamath (2011). In vogueExtension Tools (Offline CD). Rice Knowledge Management Portal, Directorate of Rice Research,Hyderabad16. Shaik N. Meera, P. Muthuraman, Mangal Sain, S. Arun Kumar and BC Viraktamath (2011).Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Rice Farming (Offline CD). Rice Knowledge Management Portal,Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad17. Shaik N.Meera, Brajendra, S. Mangrautia , Elias Khan and Mangal Sain (2011). Rice Vocs(Compendium of rice related terms). Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad Pp. 15318. Shaik N.Meera (2010). E-COURSES for Rice Workers. (16) in number. www.rkmp.co.in19. Meera, Shaik N. (2008). Biotechnology and Extension. Unit12 of Block-3 of Course -01. Ph.D.Programme in Agricultural Extension. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi20. Shaik N.Meera, S. Arun Kumar, P.K. Saha and B.C. Viraktamath (2011). A Brief Report on FrontlineDemonstrations on Rice. Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 6721. Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2010). A Bulletin on Frontline Demonstrations on Rice.Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 64.22. Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2009). A Bulletin on Frontline Demonstrations on Rice.Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 56.23. Ilyas Ahmed, Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2008). Popularization of Hybrid Rice – FLDs andBeyond. Technical Bulletin No.28/2008. Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 45.24. Ilyas Ahmed, Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2008). A Bulletin on Frontline Demonstrationson Rice. Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 72.25. Ilyas Ahmed, Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2007). Seeing is Believing. Encouraging Adoptionthrough Frontline Demonstrations. Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp.93.6

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera26. Ilyas Ahmed, Shaik N.Meera and B.C. Viraktamath (2006). A Bulletin on Frontline Demonstrationson Rice. Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Pp. 41.Books27. Shaik N.Meera (2008). ICTs in Extension: Tactical to Practical. Ganga- Kaveri Publishers. Varanasi.Pp.248.28. Dipak De, Basavaprabhu Jirli and Shaik N. Meera (2011). ICTs: Digital Opportunities in AgriculturalExtension. Agrobios (India) Jodhpur. Pp 516.Offline CDs29. Shaik N. Meera, P. Muthuraman, Mangal Sain, S. Arun Kumar and BC Viraktamath (2011).Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Rice Farming (Offline CD). Rice Knowledge Management Portal,Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad30. Shaik N. Meera, Vara Prasad, Mangal Sain, S. Arun Kumar and BC Viraktamath (2011). In vogueExtension Tools (Offline CD). Rice Knowledge Management Portal, Directorate of Rice Research,Hyderabad7. Any other relevant experience/training7.1 International trainingDeputation to International Rice Research Institute, Philippines (18 November – 09 December 2009)I had undertaken a visit under the ICAR-IRRI collaborative workplan 1.18 “Improving the impact of riceresearch through improved knowledge management to support extension community”.The visit helped me to get an in-depth understanding of the following.• Developing insights for knowledge management with a special reference to Rice Knowledge Bank ofIRRI and Open Academy of Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA) of Phil Rice.• Developing strategies to synergize the efforts of IRRI (with CSISA &STRASA) and DRR/ICAR (withRKMP).• Content from IRRIs e-learning material is planned to be used for our project on RKMP.First hand information on operational issues in handling Knowledge Banks help in strengthening ongoingRKMP project. Learning material developed during the visit (like e-extension courses) will be hostedthrough RKMP. Working on Rice Doctor of IRRI gave an opportunity for developing similar products forRKMP. Collaborative work plan proposed will help us sustaining the RKMP even after the project period.The visit undertaken for a period of 21 days was very useful for me to get a firsthand experience about theRice Knowledge Bank of IRRI and other KM initiatives. This has helped in learning how such projects shouldbe meticulously planned and executed. The visit and interactions also gave a good perspective of managingrice knowledge management initiatives in India with special reference to RKMP. The resources and contentfrom RKB of IRRI can be best utilized after due customization.Deputation to Iowa State University, Ames, USA (October 7 to October 28, 2010)7

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraI had undertaken a 22 days training & study visit on “Information and Communication Technology (ICT)mediated Agricultural Knowledge Management” at Iowa State University (United States of America).Knowledge Management in agriculture is relatively a new concept. The mammoth task of driving theknowledge sharing process in rice requires lot of capacity building exercises. Training on KnowledgeManagement strategies, exposure to knowledge management initiatives in agriculture worldwide, acquiringthe first hand information and managerial skills for sustaining the RKMP etc., helped me immensely. Thishelps strengthening and sustaining the RKMP in all future endeavors. Further this may also help planningfuture KM Portals of ICAR.Other learnings from the deputation include field level exposure on:• ICT mediated knowledge management processes along with ICT tools• Training on select ICT tools for decision making. Develop insights on e-knowledgetransformation• Quick data analysis and case studies related to with a focus on KM initiatives• To develop insights that would be helpful for effectively implementing KM/ICT enabledagricultural projects in IndiaThe learning experiences gained and insights developed during the study visit are given below;The expertise developed is useful in refining the innovative concepts of KM in Indian Agricultural extensionsystem. Training cum study visit helped in planning strategies that strengthen and sustain the RKM Projecteven after the project period.Deputation to International Rice Research Institute, Philippines (December 5 – 10, 2011)The workshop helped me identifying the state of knowledge, concepts, and a way forward on ICT and mobileapplications for rice sector. My participation in the workshop helped develop insights for operationalizingsuch mobile apps using RKMP/RKB content.A presentation was made on “Opportunities for Formulating Knowledge into Mobile and Web messagingpersonalized”.Low sustainability of most of the mobile apps is due to lack of credible, contextualized Information that ispushed through them. Hence credible and validated information and hence the knowledge repositories arenot sufficient, but essential component for Mobile apps. We need to identify what time critical/ missioncritical information will be provided using mobile apps. The question is that whether repositories cater tothese requirements? If yes, how to use Knowledge Repositories for Mobile Apps?RKB, RKMP - Full sites/ Portals Designed for desktop computers. For Mobile apps these may not best suitedin the present form. Hence there is a need to transform e-content into m-content. According to me - Mobileapps tasks (user side) can be categories into following Tasks• Highly specific tasks (Diagnostics, Nutrient Manager)• Directed, but less specific (Varieties, alerts, contingency plans, Expert Answers)• Open-ended Tasks (GAP, Weed Management, Govt. Schemes)• Web-wide Tasks (General searches)7.2 Long term training courses in India8

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraRefresher Course on “GIS Based Decision Support Systems for Agriculture” 21 days (2-23 July, 2006) atNational Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, India.Refresher Course on “Information technology in Agricultural Development” 21 days (3 – 23 Feb, 2005)at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, India.7.3 Short term training courses in IndiaTraining and workshop on “Use of ICT Tools for Improving Access to Agricultural Information at GrassrootsLevel” (5 days , October 30- November 3, 2006) at National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management,Hyderabad.Attended a training cum workshop on “Leadership for Innovation in Agriculture” (5 days, 8-12 June 2009)at National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) MANAGE, Hyderabad.Attended a two day workshop on ‘Crop Knowledge Models’ (2 days, 12-13 January 2009) organized by theNAIP Consortium led by ICRISAT at NASC Complex, New DelhiGlimpses of Important Books Authored:9

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera10

About Dr. Shaik N.MeeraSome of the training manuals published11

About Dr. Shaik N.Meera8. Rice Knowledge Management Portal (RKMP) – A testimonial for effective planning andexecuting nation level projectsAs a first step towards harnessing ICT enabled Knowledge Management strategies, an exclusive portal onrice viz., Rice Knowledge Management Portal (RKMP) is being developed by Dr. Shaik N. Meera. The timetaken for implementing a project of this scale is about 30 months.The RKMP has several global firsts in terms of comprehensiveness and utility. Built on web 2.0 standards,this portal caters to location specific information needs of many stakeholders (policy makers, farmers,extension professionals, researchers, traders, NGOs etc.,) on 24X7 basis. IP based customization helpsindividuals to browse through location specific content.Providing content in local language is another striking feature of this portal. The Extension and Farmersdomain has about 4000 pages of high quality information in ready to use form. About 55 video clips and5000 minutes of audio clips are hosted in this portal for those who wish to listen and see the content. ExpertAnswers on Rice (EAR) aims at answering the farmers queries in English and local languages. For this 152rice scientists are registered as experts. Contingency plans for rice cultivation may also be disseminatedthrough SMS/ mobile phones. Online fertilizer recommendation system (Fertimeter) will help extensionworkers to recommend appropriate fertilizer dosages. Various support platforms such as weedmanagement, frontline demonstrations, extension methods, ITKs are provided that will help extensionworkers. Completely image based diagnostic tool for rice pests/ diseases/abiotic stresses is one the mostinnovative application of the portal. Farmers’ innovations find a place in this domain.In research domain of RKMP, various services are provided such as AICRIP Intranet, archives of AICRIP data(of last 45 years), communities of practice (CoP), bio-informatics suite, approach papers, India Rice ResearchRepository (i3R), status papers on rice for different states etc.,The portal operates two e-learning platforms providing learning opportunity to scientists and extensionworkers. This helps the officials of state departments of agriculture in refreshing their knowledge on regularbasis. This portal also maintains the trade information system catering to information needs of exportersand farmers. Indexing of mandi prices of paddy from regulated market yards (from Agmarknet) is anotherkey feature of the portal.Using this portal policy makers can directly access area, production, productivity trends (of last fourdecades) upto district level. Regular rice related news, rice is life, rice end products, virtual rice resources,interesting facts about rice etc., are also hosted on this site.This portal is an example of harnessing the enormous potential of ICT/KM strategies into existing structuralcomponents of organizations12