On-station generated promising technologies are further verified in farmers' field with their active participation which is called outreach research. This station has identified outreach research sites in six districts based on agro-ecological zones of ETR (Annex 1.1).
Most of the activities in outreach research program are related to rice and wheat crops. However, technology verification on horticultural crops (fruits and vegetables), livestock (pig and poultry) and fishery is also done side by side. Farmers' reactions are noted and project is designed or modified accordingly. Researchable problems are identified through village level planning and review workshop in each site in joint participation of farmers, researchers, extension staff and other stakeholders. Recommendations made during RATWG and NATWG are also considered for program planning. Activities on pig, poultry, forage, vegetables and potato are also designed and implemented based on farmers' needs and perception. Rice-Fish farming has encouraged farmers to produce fish in rice field and farmers get benefit from fish as well as paddy production simultaneously. Similarly, Pig-Fish integration has benefited farmers by obtaining production of 10 double commodities of pig and fish. Pig is farmed on the dike of pond in a shed and its excreta become the ration for fishes.
Increased costs of cultivation and labor scarcity havebecome the burden for farmers during peak agricultural activities. It has led researchers to develop and disseminate Resource Conservation Technology (RCT). This station has initiated to disseminate RCT in rice and wheat cultivation and farmers are well benefited by using seed cum fertilizer zero till seed drill machine. The major benefits from this machine is that it reduces the cost of field preparation, help timely seeding of wheat, apply both seed and fertilizers efficiently, conserve soil moisture due to direct seeding, saves time and quantity of irrigation water and ultimately results comparatively more production with reducing cultivation costs. Since this technology requires the availability of machines, farmers if provided with subsidy in buying it will benefit large, medium and small farmers as well who can at least hire this machine in wheat season.