Development of Farming with the Help of ICT

Abstract

The role of ICT in the research institutions is becoming increasingly prominent because of the potential value of such technologies. ICTs can be used to increase effectiveness and efficiency of extension system. So, in this era of information revolution, the agricultural extension Scientists should be encouraged to use ICTs for extension education. The rapid growth in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by governments, businesses, private institutions, and civil society has led to key socio-economic developments globally. This widespread diffusion of ICT has enabled more efficient local and global linkages between governments, businesses, and ordinary citizens. It has also led to a significant transformation of people’s livelihoods and the development of “information societies” and “knowledge societies”. As the modern ICT and related traditional technologies converge, both the effectiveness and efficiency in public service delivery, business performance, global communications, and citizen participation in governance and policy development issues have increased tremendously in the newly emerging information and knowledge societies. It could be very well said that agriculture, though losing its sheen, still occupies predominant position in rural hinterlands. Any amount of growth is not possible in rural lands and populace alike with the links to agriculture getting severed. It could very well be hypothesized that rural India could develop if agriculture could touch some higher notches. This paper was intended to find how ICT tools could be better utilized to deliver farmers and thereby farming better. An attempt has been made to find out how far the farmers use and utilize ICT tools for the agricultural activities. Moreover attempt has also been made to bring out the difficulties of farmers in accessing ICT tools to better their prospects from agriculture. Since marketing has become the major driving force in mapping and sequencing a cropping activity, this paper also tries to bring out the scope of ICT tools in bettering the remuneration of farming community. In short, the paper tries to pinpoint that only when farming becomes a viable proposition rural development would be possible and sustainable.