Harnessing Benefits of Communication Technology through Phone-In Programme: A case Study
Krishna Murari Singh, M. S. Meena · SSRN Electronic Journal · 2016
Senior Scientist (Agril. Extension) Division of Socio-Economics, Extension and Training ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna (Bihar) - 800 014 (India) The agricultural sector is confronted with the major challenge of increasing production to feed a growing and increasingly prosperous population. Factors of particular concern are water shortage, declining soil fertility, effects of climate change and rapid decrease of fertile agricultural lands due to urbanization. However, the growing demand, including for higher quality products, also offer opportunities for improving the livelihood of rural communities. Therefore, new approaches and technical innovations are required to cope up with these challenges and to enhance the livelihood of the rural population. Simply transferring and dissemination of appropriate agricultural innovations would not be sufficient for the empowerment of farming community. Extension agencies, services and workers need to exercise a more proactive and participatory role for dissemination of agricultural innovations to farming community. The role of ICT to enhance the food security and support rural livelihoods is increasingly recognized. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a crucial role in addressing the agricultural problems and offers numerous opportunities to sustain and uplifting the livelihood of rural poor. ICTs contribute greatly to Indian agriculture by making information accessible to needy farmers. Benefits in utilization of ICTs for agricultural extension and training purposes are well documented (Hafkin & Odame, 2002; Richardson, 2005). ICT can be used to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of extension work and also help the farmers to utilize such information in solving their pressing problems (Klink in Leeuwis, 2004). Technological innovations lead to changes in the ways we acquire, transmit and use the information and thence to behavioral changes in individuals (Meadow, 1979). Thus, this challenge can be best dealt by adopting better communication technologies that transcend distance and mobility constraints. Creating better opportunities for farmers in Indian context is viewed as an effort towards improving information seeking behavior.