What is the ARYA programme and when was it launched?

ARYA (Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture) is a programme of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched in 2015-16 to engage rural youth — typically in the 18-35 age bracket — in commercially viable, science-backed agri-enterprises so that they see farming and the allied sectors as a first-choice livelihood rather than a fallback. It is anchored at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and coordinated through the seven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs). Phase 1 covered about twenty-five KVKs — one per participating state — with each KVK selecting a cohort of rural youth around one identified commodity value chain in one district; phase 2 (from around 2018-19 onward) expanded coverage to over a hundred KVKs.

Who is eligible to join an ARYA cohort?

Rural youth resident in the KVK's operational district, typically 18-35 years old, willing to take up an identified commodity-based enterprise. Selection is done by the host KVK in consultation with the district agriculture / animal husbandry / fisheries officers and the parent State Agricultural University. Preference is given to youth with prior interest or family background in the chosen enterprise (dairy, mushroom, apiary, poultry, sericulture, floriculture, small-ruminant rearing, seed production, protected cultivation, post-harvest and processing), and to those willing to complete both the classroom modules and the on-farm demonstration phase.

How does a KVK pick the commodity or value chain for its ARYA project?

The commodity is chosen by the host KVK based on the district's agro-climatic profile, existing farmer skill base, market pull and infrastructure. The ATARI reviews and endorses the proposal so that ARYA cohorts across a zone cover complementary enterprises. Typical value chains chosen by KVKs under ARYA have included dairy, backyard and commercial poultry, small-ruminant rearing (goat, sheep), mushroom cultivation, apiary and apiculture, sericulture, floriculture, protected cultivation (polyhouses, shade nets), fisheries and inland aquaculture, seed and planting-material production and post-harvest processing / value addition.

What training and handholding does an ARYA youth entrepreneur get?

The host KVK delivers a structured skill package on the chosen enterprise, combining classroom modules, on-farm demonstrations, exposure visits and, where relevant, tie-ups with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, and the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur, for agribusiness and marketing modules. ICAR's Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) for the zone provides technology backstopping and monitors physical and financial progress. Post-training handholding covers business-plan preparation, bank tie-up, statutory registrations and market linkage, with cohorts continuing to receive advisory from the KVK for at least the first production cycles.

What financial support is available under ARYA?

ARYA itself funds the KVK-level training package, demonstration units, exposure visits and cohort-level infrastructure needed to make the enterprise bankable. Individual capital investment by youth entrepreneurs is expected to be met through credit-linked routes — the Kisan Credit Card for allied activities, NABARD-refinanced term loans, and layered subsidies from convergent schemes such as the National Livestock Mission for small ruminants and poultry, the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission for apiary, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for fisheries, MIDH for horticulture and protected cultivation, and PMFME for micro food-processing units.

How many KVKs and states does ARYA cover?

Phase 1 (from 2015-16) covered about twenty-five KVKs — one identified KVK per participating state — with each KVK selecting a rural-youth cohort (as reported in ICAR communications, in the range of 200-300 youth per KVK) around one commodity value chain. From around 2018-19 onward, phase 2 expanded coverage to over a hundred KVKs across the seven ATARI zones so that most agro-climatic regions have at least one operational ARYA project. Current district-wise coverage is published on the ICAR ATARI dashboards and on the individual KVK websites in the ICAR KVK portal.

How does ARYA relate to ACABC, RKVY-RAFTAAR and Startup India?

ARYA is designed to sit alongside the wider agri-entrepreneurship stack, not to replace it. An ARYA-trained youth who is also a graduate or diploma holder in agriculture or an allied subject can layer the MANAGE-led ACABC training and the NABARD-refinanced credit-linked subsidy on top of the KVK cohort. Non-degree ARYA youth with a scalable business model can pursue the RKVY-RAFTAAR (now under PM-RKVY) Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme through an R-ABI for idea-stage and seed-stage grants. Registered ventures can additionally seek Startup India recognition and the associated tax and procurement benefits.

How can a rural youth apply to join an ARYA project?

Applications are not accepted centrally. The route is to approach the nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra (see the district-wise KVK directory) and ask whether the KVK is running an ARYA cohort in the current year and on which commodity value chain. If it is, the KVK's Senior Scientist and Head or the ARYA Nodal Officer will share the selection criteria and the cohort schedule. If the KVK is not on the ARYA roster, the aspirant can still access KVK training on the same enterprise and pursue credit and subsidy through convergent schemes.

ARYA — Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture: ICAR's KVK-Anchored Rural Agripreneur Programme (2015-16 launch)

ARYA — Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture is a programme of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), launched in 2015-16 to engage rural youth in the 18-35 age bracket in commercially viable, science-backed agri-enterprises so that agriculture and the allied sectors become a first-choice livelihood in rural India. It is anchored at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), coordinated through the eleven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs), and converges with the wider agri-entrepreneurship stack — MANAGE Hyderabad, NIAM Jaipur, NABARD-refinanced credit, ACABC and RKVY-RAFTAAR / PM-RKVY. This guide covers the programme's rationale, the ATARI-zone architecture, the commodity value chains actually chosen by KVKs, eligibility and selection, training and handholding, financial and post-training linkages, coverage across phase 1 and phase 2, and how a rural youth can apply.

At a glance

Programme type: ICAR programme delivered through the KVK network; not a stand-alone budget line for individual grants — it funds KVK-level cohorts, demonstration units and handholding, with individual capital drawn from credit and layered subsidies from convergent schemes.
Launched: 2015-16 by ICAR under the umbrella of the KVK network.
Implementing agency: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), through the seven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs) and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) network.
Target group: rural youth, typically 18-35 years, resident in the operational district of a host KVK.
Phase 1 (from 2015-16): about twenty-five KVKs — one per participating state — each identifying one district and one commodity value chain, and (as reported in ICAR communications) selecting a cohort in the range of 200-300 rural youth.
Phase 2 (from around 2018-19): expanded to over a hundred KVKs across the seven ATARI zones, so that most agro-climatic regions have at least one operational ARYA project.
Portals: icar.org.in (ICAR), kvk.icar.gov.in (KVK portal), agriwelfare.gov.in (DA&FW).

Why the ARYA programme was created

Two problems set the context for ARYA. First, rural youth in India were leaving agriculture faster than agriculture could modernise — absentee land holdings, ageing cultivators and outward migration were becoming the norm. Second, the KVK network — ICAR's district-level farm-science extension arm — was reaching farmers with technology and demonstrations, but did not have a structured programme for rural youth in the 18-35 bracket who were looking for a viable post-education livelihood in their own villages. ARYA was designed to fill both gaps at once: use the KVK as the anchor and its parent State Agricultural University and ICAR institute as the technology backstop, and package the training around a single commercially viable commodity value chain so that a cohort of rural youth can actually build enterprises together — with a shared demonstration unit, shared exposure visits, shared bank linkage and shared market access.

Component structure and value chains

Each participating KVK runs its ARYA project around one identified commodity value chain. The commodity is chosen by the KVK based on the district's agro-climatic profile, existing farmer skill base, market pull and infrastructure, and endorsed by the ATARI so that ARYA cohorts across a zone cover complementary enterprises. Commodity value chains actually taken up across KVKs under ARYA have included:

Dairy: commercial cattle and buffalo units, milk chilling and household-level value addition — often converging with the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and the National Programme for Dairy Development.
Fisheries and inland aquaculture: composite fish culture, ornamental fisheries, hatchery and nursery units, with credit and subsidy from the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
Apiary and apiculture: Apis mellifera colony multiplication, honey extraction and bottling, with linkage to the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.
Sericulture: mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, cocoon production and small reeling units.
Mushroom cultivation: button, oyster and milky mushroom production, spawn units and simple drying and packaging.
Poultry: backyard poultry, low-input coloured broiler and layer units, and integrated poultry-cum-fish or poultry-cum-crop systems.
Small-ruminant rearing: goat and sheep units with an emphasis on scientific housing, deworming and vaccination — converging with the National Livestock Mission.
Floriculture: loose-flower and cut-flower production, particularly in peri-urban districts with a mandi pull.
Protected cultivation: polyhouses, shade nets and low-tunnel vegetable production — supported under MIDH.
Seed and planting-material production: quality seed multiplication, nursery raising and grafted planting material.
Post-harvest and processing: primary processing, grading, packaging and small value-add units — often layered with PMFME for the food-processing arm.

Eligibility and how KVKs select youth entrepreneurs

A candidate for an ARYA cohort must be a rural youth resident in the KVK's operational district, typically in the 18-35 age bracket, and willing to take up the KVK-identified commodity-based enterprise. Selection is a KVK-led process:

The KVK, in consultation with the district agriculture / animal husbandry / fisheries officers and the parent State Agricultural University, drafts the cohort profile and the target enterprise for the year.
The KVK announces the cohort at Farmer Field Schools, Kisan Melas and through the block-level Farm Information Advisory Committee (see our ATMA extension guide).
Preference is extended to youth with prior interest or family background in the chosen enterprise — dairy, mushroom, apiary, poultry, sericulture, floriculture, small-ruminant rearing, seed production, protected cultivation, post-harvest and processing — and to those willing to commit to both the classroom and on-farm phases.
The ATARI for the zone reviews and endorses the cohort profile and monitors physical and financial progress against the ARYA project targets.

Training and handholding architecture

The host KVK delivers a structured skill package on the chosen enterprise. The package combines classroom modules, on-farm demonstrations, exposure visits and, where relevant, tie-ups with specialised institutions:

KVK subject-matter specialists deliver the core technical modules on the chosen enterprise, backed by the parent State Agricultural University and the relevant ICAR institute.
MANAGE Hyderabad and NIAM Jaipur provide agribusiness, marketing and market-linkage modules where the cohort size and enterprise complexity warrant it.
Exposure visits to successful commercial units in the enterprise are arranged by the KVK with support from the ATARI and, where appropriate, from ICAR's subject-matter institutes.
Shared demonstration units — a mushroom production unit, an apiary, a hatchery, a small polyhouse or a processing pilot — are set up at the KVK so that the cohort learns on functional infrastructure before setting up individual units.
Post-training handholding from the KVK covers business-plan preparation, bank tie-up, statutory registrations, technology upgrades and continued advisory through at least the first production cycles.

Financial support and post-training linkages

ARYA itself funds the KVK-level training package, the shared demonstration units, the exposure visits and the cohort-level infrastructure that makes the enterprise bankable. Individual capital investment by youth entrepreneurs is expected to be met through credit-linked routes and layered subsidies from convergent schemes:

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for working-capital needs of allied activities such as dairy, poultry and fisheries — see our KCC guide.
NABARD-refinanced term loans through scheduled commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks and cooperative banks for capital expenditure on units.
Sectoral missions — the National Livestock Mission for small ruminants and poultry, the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission for apiary, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for fisheries, MIDH for horticulture and protected cultivation.
PMFME for the food-processing arm of an enterprise — mushroom drying, honey bottling, dairy value-add, primary processing — with the 35% credit-linked capital subsidy up to ₹10 lakh.
ACABC linkage: an ARYA-trained youth who is also a graduate or diploma holder in agriculture or an allied subject can layer the MANAGE-led 45-day residential ACABC training and the NABARD-refinanced credit-linked subsidy of 36% (general) or 44% (women, SC / ST and NE / hilly candidates) on projects up to ₹20 lakh individual or ₹1 crore group. See our ACABC deep-dive.
RKVY-RAFTAAR / PM-RKVY: ARYA youth with a scalable business model can additionally pursue the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme through an R-ABI or Knowledge Partner — idea-stage grants up to ₹5 lakh and seed-stage grants up to ₹25 lakh per startup. See our RKVY / PM-RKVY guide.
FPO route: a group of ARYA youth around the same commodity can be organised into a Farmer Producer Organisation under the 10,000 FPO scheme for aggregation, primary processing and market linkage — see our 10,000 FPO scheme guide.
Skill India / ASCI: where the enterprise falls within a National Skills Qualifications Framework job role, additional recognition and skill vouchers can be layered through the Agriculture Skill Council of India.

Coverage and geographic footprint — seven ATARI zones

ARYA is coordinated across ICAR's seven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs). Each ATARI backstops the KVKs in its zone for programme design, technology support and monitoring, and endorses the ARYA cohort proposals from its KVKs. The seven zones are:

Zone I — Ludhiana (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh).
Zone II — Kolkata (West Bengal, Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Jharkhand).
Zone III — Umiam (the eight North-Eastern states).
Zone IV — Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
Zone V — Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep) — earlier grouping; the current split places Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry and Lakshadweep under a separate southern zone with a Bengaluru-linked ATARI.
Zone VI — Guwahati and Zone VII — Jabalpur together cover the balance of central and eastern regions; ATARI jurisdictions are periodically reviewed by ICAR.

Phase 1 (from 2015-16) began with about twenty-five KVKs — one per participating state — each identifying one district and one commodity value chain, and (as reported in ICAR communications) selecting a cohort of rural youth broadly in the range of 200-300 per KVK. Phase 2 (from around 2018-19) expanded coverage to over a hundred KVKs across the seven ATARI zones, so that most agro-climatic regions have at least one operational ARYA project. Current district-wise coverage is published on the ICAR ATARI dashboards and on the individual KVK websites within the ICAR KVK portal — browse the district-wise directory in our Krishi Vigyan Kendras reference.

How rural youth can apply

Applications are not accepted centrally. The route is bottom-up through the host KVK:

Identify the nearest KVK using the district-wise directory in our Krishi Vigyan Kendras reference or the ICAR KVK portal at kvk.icar.gov.in.
Approach the KVK's Senior Scientist and Head or the ARYA Nodal Officer and ask whether the KVK is running an ARYA cohort in the current year and on which commodity value chain.
If the KVK is on the ARYA roster, submit the cohort application, complete the classroom modules and the on-farm demonstration phase, and enter post-training handholding.
Prepare a bankable business plan with the KVK's support, approach a scheduled commercial bank, RRB or cooperative bank for a term loan, and layer credit-linked subsidies from convergent sectoral missions — NLM, NBHM, PMMSY, MIDH, PMFME — as applicable to the enterprise.
If the KVK is not on the ARYA roster in the current year, the aspirant can still access KVK training on the same enterprise and pursue credit and subsidy through convergent schemes independently.

Related programmes and cross-references

ARYA is one node in a wider agri-entrepreneurship and rural-youth livelihood stack. The KVK network that anchors ARYA is the same extension arm covered in our Krishi Vigyan Kendras reference. For graduates and diploma holders, the natural next step is the MANAGE-led Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (ACABC) scheme with its NABARD-refinanced 36% / 44% credit-linked subsidy. For scalable, technology-forward ventures, the RKVY-RAFTAAR / PM-RKVY Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme routes idea-stage and seed-stage grants through R-ABIs and Knowledge Partners. Cohorts organised around a common commodity can incorporate as a Farmer Producer Organisation under the 10,000 FPO scheme. On the sustainable-agriculture side, ARYA converges with the National Mission on Natural Farming when the chosen enterprise is a natural-farming cluster, and with Soil Health Card sampling for input-planning by the youth cohort. Digital advisory reaches the cohort through the tools covered in our Digital Agriculture Mission guide. For the broader landscape of public-sector agri support, see our India government schemes for farmers hub, and browse the sourced advisory content in our knowledge base.

References

icar.org.in — Indian Council of Agricultural Research: ARYA programme documents, ATARI zonal reviews and cohort-level technical backstopping.
kvk.icar.gov.in — ICAR KVK portal: district-wise KVK directory, ARYA nodal officers and cohort schedules.
agriwelfare.gov.in — Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: convergent scheme guidelines (NLM, NBHM, PMMSY, MIDH, PMFME, PM-RKVY, Krishonnati Yojana).
manage.gov.in — National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, Hyderabad: agribusiness and ACABC training modules that ARYA cohorts often layer on.
niam.gov.in — National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur: marketing and market-linkage modules for ARYA cohorts.
nabard.org — National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development: refinance for term loans to ARYA youth enterprises and the ACABC subsidy channel.
startupindia.gov.in — Startup India: recognition, tax and procurement benefits for registered ventures.
asci-india.com — Agriculture Skill Council of India: NSQF-aligned job roles and skill vouchers for the enterprise.
pib.gov.in — Press Information Bureau: ARYA launch and periodic review press releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ARYA programme and when was it launched?: ARYA (Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture) is a programme of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched in 2015-16 to engage rural youth — typically in the 18-35 age bracket — in commercially viable, science-backed agri-enterprises so that they see farming and the allied sectors as a first-choice livelihood rather than a fallback. It is anchored at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and coordinated through the seven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes (ATARIs). Phase 1 covered about twenty-five KVKs — one per participating state — with each KVK selecting a cohort of rural youth around one identified commodity value chain in one district; phase 2 (from around 2018-19 onward) expanded coverage to over a hundred KVKs.
Who is eligible to join an ARYA cohort?: Rural youth resident in the KVK's operational district, typically 18-35 years old, willing to take up an identified commodity-based enterprise. Selection is done by the host KVK in consultation with the district agriculture / animal husbandry / fisheries officers and the parent State Agricultural University. Preference is given to youth with prior interest or family background in the chosen enterprise (dairy, mushroom, apiary, poultry, sericulture, floriculture, small-ruminant rearing, seed production, protected cultivation, post-harvest and processing), and to those willing to complete both the classroom modules and the on-farm demonstration phase.
How does a KVK pick the commodity or value chain for its ARYA project?: The commodity is chosen by the host KVK based on the district's agro-climatic profile, existing farmer skill base, market pull and infrastructure. The ATARI reviews and endorses the proposal so that ARYA cohorts across a zone cover complementary enterprises. Typical value chains chosen by KVKs under ARYA have included dairy, backyard and commercial poultry, small-ruminant rearing (goat, sheep), mushroom cultivation, apiary and apiculture, sericulture, floriculture, protected cultivation (polyhouses, shade nets), fisheries and inland aquaculture, seed and planting-material production and post-harvest processing / value addition.
What training and handholding does an ARYA youth entrepreneur get?: The host KVK delivers a structured skill package on the chosen enterprise, combining classroom modules, on-farm demonstrations, exposure visits and, where relevant, tie-ups with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, and the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), Jaipur, for agribusiness and marketing modules. ICAR's Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) for the zone provides technology backstopping and monitors physical and financial progress. Post-training handholding covers business-plan preparation, bank tie-up, statutory registrations and market linkage, with cohorts continuing to receive advisory from the KVK for at least the first production cycles.
What financial support is available under ARYA?: ARYA itself funds the KVK-level training package, demonstration units, exposure visits and cohort-level infrastructure needed to make the enterprise bankable. Individual capital investment by youth entrepreneurs is expected to be met through credit-linked routes — the Kisan Credit Card for allied activities, NABARD-refinanced term loans, and layered subsidies from convergent schemes such as the National Livestock Mission for small ruminants and poultry, the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission for apiary, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for fisheries, MIDH for horticulture and protected cultivation, and PMFME for micro food-processing units.
How many KVKs and states does ARYA cover?: Phase 1 (from 2015-16) covered about twenty-five KVKs — one identified KVK per participating state — with each KVK selecting a rural-youth cohort (as reported in ICAR communications, in the range of 200-300 youth per KVK) around one commodity value chain. From around 2018-19 onward, phase 2 expanded coverage to over a hundred KVKs across the seven ATARI zones so that most agro-climatic regions have at least one operational ARYA project. Current district-wise coverage is published on the ICAR ATARI dashboards and on the individual KVK websites in the ICAR KVK portal.
How does ARYA relate to ACABC, RKVY-RAFTAAR and Startup India?: ARYA is designed to sit alongside the wider agri-entrepreneurship stack, not to replace it. An ARYA-trained youth who is also a graduate or diploma holder in agriculture or an allied subject can layer the MANAGE-led ACABC training and the NABARD-refinanced credit-linked subsidy on top of the KVK cohort. Non-degree ARYA youth with a scalable business model can pursue the RKVY-RAFTAAR (now under PM-RKVY) Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development Programme through an R-ABI for idea-stage and seed-stage grants. Registered ventures can additionally seek Startup India recognition and the associated tax and procurement benefits.
How can a rural youth apply to join an ARYA project?: Applications are not accepted centrally. The route is to approach the nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra (see the district-wise KVK directory) and ask whether the KVK is running an ARYA cohort in the current year and on which commodity value chain. If it is, the KVK's Senior Scientist and Head or the ARYA Nodal Officer will share the selection criteria and the cohort schedule. If the KVK is not on the ARYA roster, the aspirant can still access KVK training on the same enterprise and pursue credit and subsidy through convergent schemes.

Programme launch year, target age bracket, ATARI-zone architecture, commodity value chains, and phase-1 / phase-2 KVK footprint above summarise publicly available material from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and press releases carried by the Press Information Bureau. Cohort-wise numbers — youth selected per KVK, unit-level financial outlays and specific commodity choices — are set at the KVK and ATARI level and are revised periodically; interested rural youth should always verify current terms with the host KVK's Senior Scientist and Head or the ARYA Nodal Officer before acting.