Transfer of fodder production technologies through crop cafeteria among farming communities of Gorakhpur District, Uttar Pradesh

Crop Cafeteria serves as an effective facilitator in the process of technology transfer among farming communities by providing hands-on learning opportunities based on the principle of “seeing is believing” and by enabling direct, face-to-face interactions with KVK technocrats for the dissemination of technical know-how to farmers, rural youth, and extension functionaries. To address the issue of low adoption of improved fodder technologies, cafeteria plot demonstrations were conducted to evaluate the performance of improved fodder crop varieties under farmers’ field conditions. The present study was carried out in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, which falls under the North Eastern Plain Zone, during the rabi and kharif seasons from 2017–18 to 2020–21. Cafeteria plots on berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and multi-cut sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) were implemented by Mahayogi Gorakhnath Krishi Vigyan Kendra (MGKVK), Gorakhpur, with the objective of identifying high-yielding and adaptable fodder crop varieties. The results revealed a consistent improvement in average green fodder yield of berseem from 681.25 q ha⁻¹ in 2017–18 to 755.00 q ha⁻¹ in 2019–20, indicating an overall increase of 10.83%. Varieties BL-42 and BL-43 recorded superior and stable performance across the years. Similarly, the average green fodder yield of multi-cut sorghum increased from 630.0 q ha⁻¹ in 2018–19 to 733.0 q ha⁻¹ in 2020–21, showing an overall improvement of 16.35%, with CSV 24 MF, Jumbo Gold, and CSH-20 MF emerging as high-performing varieties. The progressive yield enhancement observed in both fodder crops highlights the effectiveness of the cafeteria approach in promoting improved varieties and better crop management practices. The study concludes that cafeteria plot demonstrations are a practical and effective extension strategy for improving green fodder availability and supporting sustainable livestock production systems in the North Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh.