Dr. Purnima Saikia is a distinguished academic and researcher in Agricultural Extension Education, with a strong record of contributions to rural development, climate-resilient agriculture, and farmer empowerment. She earned her B.Sc. in Agriculture, M.Sc. in Extension Education (First Class with Distinction) and Ph.D. in Extension Education (First Class with Distinction) from Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat. Her doctoral research, “Adoption of Tea Cultivation Practices by Trained and Untrained Small Tea Growers—An Evaluative Study in Upper Brahmaputra Valley Zone of Assam”, advanced understanding of adoption behaviour and extension strategies among smallholder tea growers.
With more than six years of professional experience, Dr. Saikia has served in pivotal roles including Field Investigator under PMAGY project of National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Senior Research Fellow at ICAR-ATARI, Guwahati, and Project Scientist under the Assam Agricultural University–World Food Programme collaborative project ENACT-Assam. She has actively contributed to national initiatives such as Cluster Frontline Demonstrations on Oilseeds, Farmer FIRST, Skill Training for Rural Youth (STRY) and Scientific Beekeeping Training reflecting her commitment to farmer-centric innovation and knowledge dissemination.
Her scholarly contributions include numerous research papers in reputed national and international journals, alongside books, book chapters, bulletins, popular articles, abstracts and success stories documenting agricultural interventions. She has co-authored volumes such as Agriculture Extension Vistas: Advances in Agriculture Extension, Exploring Districts: From the Window of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Media snapshot: Inked Memories, 2023 has written extensively for agricultural magazines to bridge research with practice. She had also participated in numerous national and international level conferences, workshops and training programmes. She also holds lifetime membership of Society of Extension Education Agra, U.P., Green Planet Agrotech Foundation and Agri-Articles (E-Magazine for Agricultural and Allied Sectors)
Dr. Saikia’s excellence has been recognized through prestigious honours, including the Best Thesis Award (2021), Young Scientist Award (2024) and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award (2025), Best Article Award on Natural Farming: Anchoring a Sustainable Way of Farming (2024) and Young Researcher Award (2024). A landmark achievement in her career is her role as co-patentee of the “Depth Adjustable Soil Tiller Machine” (Design No. 465299-001, registered on 10 July 2025), underscoring her dedication to developing farmer-friendly technologies that enhance productivity and sustainability.
Fluent in English, Hindi, and Assamese, Dr. Saikia combines technical expertise with strong organizational and mentoring skills including proactive mentoring of KVK agricultural system. Her academic interests encompass agricultural extension methodologies, climate-smart agriculture and gender-transformative approaches to rural development. As an Assistant Professor, she remains deeply committed to advancing sustainable farming systems, fostering innovation, and empowering farming communities through education and research.
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