Strengthening pluralistic agricultural information delivery systems in India (original) (raw)
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JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, 2018
The development of agriculture plays a prominent role in a nation's economy, more so in the case of developing countries of the world. In India, agriculture is considered the backbone of the economy. Given the diversity of agro-ecological conditions across the country and the wide range of producers (small, and medium, large), the Indian agricultural enterprise is inevitably faced with a great diversity of needs, opportunities and prospects. With information being identified as a crucial component of the agricultural value chain, there is an urgent need to devise strategies which will enable improved access to such information as well as facilitate the exchange of information between stakeholders. Many impact evaluation studies reveal that the public-sector extension services despite using a variety of extension programs have not seen much success because they lack technological integration. Studies show that agricultural productivity is considerably influenced by human capital consisting of agricultural and rural extension programs. Thus there needs to be increased emphasis on involving all the stakeholders such as policy makers, educators, scientists, extension personnel in research, development and technology transfer activities and regular training of educators/researchers/extension personnel in SAUs and officers of the agricultural development departments in the use of ICTs. In this regard there is a need to probe into the factors that influence the current usage pattern of ICT among the educators and scientists involved in extension. This research paper makes an attempt to study the same. This study is concentrated in the Northeastern region (NER) of India as the region reportedly lags behind in technology implementation and adoption by farmers.
Agriculture, 2019
The rural farmers in western Rajasthan State are uneducated and most of the applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are demonstrated and run in the English Language. The majority of these rural farmers who are illiterates with a very low level of understanding of the English Language find it difficult to take advantage of the availability of ICT to facilitate their access to information for their farm businesses. This study examined the role of ICT in enhancing the farmers' access to production and marketing information in western Rajasthan State in India. Primary data was collected from 133 farmers consisting of 71 ICT users and 62 Non-ICT users through questionnaire administration. The results of the Analysis of Variance test regarding the farmers' access to different types of production and marketing information revealed that the user type (i.e., ICT versus Non-ICT user) significantly explains the differences in farmers' access to the different types of marketing and production information. These results are consistent with the empirical results of the student's t-test that farmers' access to different types of production and marketing information from ICT sources is significantly higher than from Non-ICT sources. Consistently, the empirical results of the multiple regressions revealed that the percentage of production and marketing information obtained from ICT sources had positive significant influence on the farmers' access to marketing and production information; and that the percentage of marketing and production information obtained from Non-ICT sources had negative significant influence on the farmers' access to marketing and production information. These results suggest that ICT sources of marketing and production information play a crucial role in the farmers' access to this information for their business operations. The implication is that proper education and training of farmers (especially the female farmers) about the utilization of ICT sources to accelerate access to information is crucial.
Review of agricultural extension in India: Are farmers' information needs being met?
2010
Despite a wide range of reform initiatives in agricultural extension in India in the past decades, the coverage of, access to, and quality of information provided to marginalized and poor farmers is uneven. This paper aims to ascertain why farmers are not accessing information and where information gaps exist, despite the variety of extension approaches in India. Using information provision and access as the basis for analysis, the paper reviews some of the major agricultural extension programs in India by considering their ability to provide information and facilitate information sharing and use in farming communities. The review gives a broad overview of the current extension scene in India while providing a synthesis of recent debates and the observations of various authors as well as working groups in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Planning Commission. The paper examines the challenges and constraints of each agricultural extension approach as it attempts to provide farmers...
The 21 st century has witnessed tremendous advancements in technology which has led to far-reaching developments in the administrative system. Many researches reveal that the integration of ICT helps to reduce the complexity and enhance the overall administration works.With the developing world still depending on agriculture to a great extent and rural people depending on it for their livelihood, it comes as no surprise that family farms have been the focus of development in recent times. Family farms have been legacy for most of the farmers and along with it being principal livelihood option for many, the increasing need of agricultural extension services for these farms become more important. But at the same time, the huge gap between the number of famers or farm households and the extension personnel is a reality. And to bridge this gap, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can play a significant role. ICTs like web portals, mobile phones and social media are the most popular and most widely used and can enhance the interaction among researchers, extension personnel and farmers.ICTs can prove to be a great catalyst in engaging agricultural community in family farms making agriculture attractive and sustainable again. The present study was conducted in west district of Sikkim to find out extent of use of Information Communication Technology portals by the development officials in disseminating various agricultural information. A sample of 120 development officials from rural sector were selected randomly. Data were collected by personal interview method. For analysis of the data, frequency distribution and percentage was followed. The study reveals that as per the disease or pest early warnings system and management services, a majority of the respondents (45%) were disseminating information to the rural people or farmer most often followed by general agricultural news information service, (38.33%) and Information on rural and Development programme / subsidies (40%) respectively. It is also observed that a majority of the respondents (56.67%) were using market information services sometimes in disseminating information to the rural people or farmer etc.
Journal of agricultural research
A study was conducted during the year 2009 to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of various information delivery methods used by the extension field staff (EFS) of private sector in the Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional research design was used for the study. A sample of 408 farmers was drawn by using Fitzgibbon table. Only 260 respondents (who were able to rate the strengths and weaknesses of extension methods) reported that they got extension services from private sector. The data were collected through personal interviews with the help of pre-tested and validated interview schedule. The data were analyzed by using computer software (SPSS). About 98.5 percent of the respondents reported that group discussion was a commonly used method followed by TV channels (62.7%) and telephone calls (52.3%). Regarding effectiveness of communication, overall mean value (2.11) depicts that it was considered a weakness of the private extension system by the end users. The study concludes t...
Access and use of information sources is a first step toward better targeting of extension programs and advisory services that facilitate information sharing. Even in the era of modern information revolution strong linkage of contact for family member, neighbour and progressive farmers as information sources is prevalent and farmers generally are reported to be less aware of ICT tools. In order to appropriately target extension programs and advisory services, it is therefore important to understand the access and use of information by the farmers. The present study conducted in Hathin Tehsil of Palwal district, showed that At field level, presence of governmental development bodies was found to be minimal, that too in advocacy and one way information supplier kind of linkage . The findings shows that still the personal sources dominate the agricultural information system in the technologically and developmentally backward district, the dearth of extension personnel and their poor linkages with farmers and amongst themselves have enough indication for the development planners to think plan and implement accordingly so the farming can be retained as a source of livelihood .
Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2016
The benefits of the green revolution greatly improved agricultural productivity. However, there is a demonstrable need for a new revolution that will bring lower prices for consumers (through reduced waste and more-efficient supply chain management), contribute to agriculture, and incentivize farmers (for example, through higher income) to increase their production. ICT is one of these solutions, and has recently unleashed incredible potential to improve agriculture in developing countries like India. Information and communication have always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. Thus the important contribution made by ICT provides the necessary basis and justification for the present research study on "Use of Information and Communication Technology by farmers to
Agricultural Information Needs of Rainfed Farmers: A Study from Telangana
JOURNAL OF EXTENSION EDUCATION, 2019
A paradigm shift in rainfed agriculture can be obtained mainly through technological interventions. In this context, the role of extension and advisory services that are saddled with this responsibility should focus on novel approaches. Application of relevant information in agriculture sector brings positive impacts on farm productivity. Timely access to information on weather aspects, best farming practices, market information etc. help farmers to make correct decisions about what crops to plant, when to plant and where to sell their products. The best way to satisfy the rainfed farmers is to understand and consider their specific needs, constraints and capabilities properly, which helps to serve them in an efficient manner. A study has been undertaken to understand the different agricultural information needs of rainfed farmers in the Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state India. It is observed that farmers need various types of information related to agricultural activities and the major agricultural information needs of the farmers were found to be related to farm implements and machinery, water management, seed varieties, seed treatment, alternate crops and pest and disease management. In order to address these information needs, farmers were accessing a number of sources. It is important to enhance the information search capacity of the rainfed farmers to improve the farm productivity and income leading to enhanced livelihoods.