ICTs for Agricultural Extension
A study in the Indian Himalayan Region
V.L.V.Kameswari
INDIA
Introduction
• Increase in agricultural production is
constrained by limited land and water
availability.
• Further growth can be achieved only
through increase in yield.
• Serious gaps exist in transfer of
technology.
• This gap can be bridged by an effective
extension system.
Extension system in India
Public extension system
Mass media
Interpersonal contact
Limitations of extension system
• Decreasing fund allocation.
• Limited capacities of extension staff.
• Large number of farm families.
• Poor reach to marginal and small farmers.
• Low literacy rate among farming
community.
E-extension
Use of ICTs has been put forth for:
• Bridging the knowledge deficit among
farmers
• Enhancing the capabilities of extension
personnel, and
• Strengthening the research-extensionfarmer linkages.
Objective
To examine their relevance to the farming
community and explore ways of
integrating ICTs with the existing public
extension service to overcome these
challenges.
Study area
• Study was conducted in the state of
Uttarakhand
• Falls in the Indian Himalayan region.
• Eight villages from four hill districts were
selected for the study.
Study area
Study Area
Study Area
Study Area
Methodology
• Pilot study: Finalize the tool.
• Phase I: Villages were selected randomly
in Garhwal division.
• Phase II: Only those villages which were
agriculturally “productive” were chosen.
Additional criteria (distance from market
and availability of transportation) were
taken into consideration.
Findings- Landholding pattern
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Landless
Marginal
Small
Medium
Large
Findings- Occupational pattern
90
82
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
18
10
Agriculture
Ag.+ other
0
Agriculture
Ag.+ other
Findings-Media Ownership
90
Mobile phone
80
Television
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Internet
0
Radio
Newspaper
Fixed
phone
Findings-Media Ownership
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
Radio
Television
Newspaper
Internet
Landline
Mobile phones
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Findings-Source of agricultural information
Rank
Source
I
Middlemen/ input dealers
II
Government agencies
III
Interpersonal networks
Findings-Source credibility
Rank
Source
I
Government agencies
II
Interpersonal networks
III
Middlemen/ input dealers
Findings-Media usage for farm information
60
Mobile phone
50
40
Television
30
20
10
Internet
0
Radio
Newspaper
Landline
Findings
Conclusions
• Information deficit does not necessarily
lead to information seeking behaviour.
• It depends on the value information can
add to that enterprise.
• In the absence of other factors, farmers are
not able to leverage new/ additional
information and transform it into tangible
benefits (increased income or enhanced
productivity).
Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
To document the communication behaviour of the
farming community with specific reference to ICTs in
the study area.
To enlist the constraints surrounding the use of ICTs
for agriculture by farming community.
To study the relationship between economic and sociocultural characteristics of farmers and constraints
faced in the use of ICTs for agriculture.
To study the relationship between different types of
ICTs and constraints faced by the farmers.
To develop an ICT based integrated Agricultural
Knowledge Information System for the study area.