Contains information about use of different ICT tools in Indian agriculture. Also contains information about challenges in application of ICT in Agriculture sector and way forward to resolve the issues

1. Prepared by Jayanta Kr. Dutta
Asst. Prof.
Dept. of Extn. Edn., FA, AAU, Jorhat, Assam

2. What are ICTs?
ICT refers to a set of communication systems
through which information is procured,
processed and disseminated to end users.
It is a very broad concept which comprises of
all devices and technologies ranging from a
simple cell phone to advanced geographic
information systems through which information
flows from one person to another.

3. INTRODUCTION
• World population would increase from 8.1 billion to 9.5
billion by 2050.
• To feed the increased population and future
requirements we need an eminent technology which can
improve the yield with limited resource.
3

4. 4

5. • Extension - becoming more
diversified, more technology
intensive & more demand driven
• Use of IT- can help extension
workers be more effective to meet
farmers’ information needs
including marketing of their
produce.

6. • India’s Public Extension System, which
is one of the biggest downward
network systems in the world, caters
to the information needs of over 120
million farm families.

7. Extension system in India
Public extension system
Mass media Interpersonal contact

8. • The state of Assam has become a surplus
producer in case of rice-besides bagging
national awards of best performing state in
growth of some other sectors.
• But this level of achievement in comparison to
potentiality of each individual sectors of
agriculture is not encouraging

9. Case Study of a farmer
Name: Balram Kumar
Occupation: Farmer, crops dependent on monsoon
Lives in: Arunachal Pradesh
Problem : Inaccessible terrain , excessive slope
susceptibility to land slides
Change: Came to know about e – arik-got
information about- "climate smart agriculture" climate
change, improved cultivation & day-to-day market
information
Result
Able to made changes in practices and the timing of sowing seeds .
Helped in to be less affected by irregular patterns of monsoon Happy &
satisfied from the results-enhanced crop productivity & profit

10. Need of ICT Application in Agriculture
information
 No free access is available to any source of appropriate
agricultural technologies.
 Wide ratio of farmers to extension professional.
 Right information, at the right time, to the right person, at
right place with cost effectiveness is key for decision making.
 Information gap among the Researcher - Extension
professionals – farmers/ entrepreneurs.
 ICTs ensure gender equality and empower women for decision
making process.
 ICTs have potential to get fast and accurate feedback about
the programe, activity, technology applied or
provided.

11.  Connect farmers /entrepreneurs to the marketing channels.
(AAU is also running one mega project on market intelligence)
 Application of ICTs in agriculture sector can provide 24 hr X 7
days access to the demand driven technologies.
 ICT can provide need based, personalized and customized
technology at the door step of the farmers/entrepreneurs.
 ICTs provide cost effective information delivery system.
Need of ICT Application in Agriculture

12. ICT in Agriculture Education
⚫Effective Teaching aid
⚫Smart classrooms with multi-media
⚫Paper saving Technology
⚫Implementation of Lab to land
programme

13. ICT in Agricultural Research
⚫Machinedesign (CAD & CAM)
⚫Experiments design (Statistical tools)
⚫Forecasting (IMD Pune)
⚫Remotesensing & GIS
⚫Grading and shorting of agricultural produce
⚫ARIS (Agricultural Research Information System)
Cell

14. GIS Application in Agriculture
•Irrigation management
•Biodiversity management
•Yield forecasting
•Natural resources management
•Precision farming
•Land use planning
•Watershed management
•Pestand disease management

15. Decision Support System
A DSS is an interactive computer-based
system intended to help decision makers
use communication technologies, data,
documents, knowledge and / or models to
identify and solve problems, complete
decision process.

16. 1.
Which choice
is best?
2.
Which choice
is income
generating?
3.
Which choice
requires less
labour?
4.
Which choice
requires less
land area ?
5.
Which choice
requires less
input?
6.
Which choice
is most
profitable?
Animal
Production
Spice
processing
Ready to
Eat food
Grain
processing
Fishery
Vegetable
Production
Fruits
Production
Milk
Production
Decision Support system for Agriculture

17. Precision Farming
The philosophy behind precision farming is that
production inputs (seeds, fertilizers, chemicals etc.)
should be applied only as needed and where needed
for the most economic and environmental
sustainability of crop production.

18. Precisionfarmingconcept

19. Precision Farming Technologies with DSS
⚫HerbicideApplications
⚫Irrigationscheduling
⚫Seeds/FertilizerApplications

20. A Laser Sensor and Micro‐controller based Herbicide
Applicator

21. Micro-processor controlled seed and fertilizer
applicator

22. Expert System
⚫An expert system is software
that attempts to provide an
answer to a problem, or clarify
uncertainties where normally
one or more human experts
need to be consulted.

23. An “Expert System” is an intelligent computer programme that uses knowledge and
inference procedures to solve problems that are difficult enough and require human
expertise for their solution.
What is Expert System ?
Knowledge
Base
Expert
Engineer
Knowledge, Concepts, Solutions
Data, Problems, Question
Domain Knowledge
Structured
Knowledge
KnowledgeAcquisition Module
Technical &
Extension
bulletins
Textbooks
Facts
2
3
Research Findings
Conceptual Design

24. Expert systems in agriculture
 Rice-Crop Doctor
 Rapeseed-Mustard Expert System
 EXOWHEM, wheat expert system
 Maize Expert System
 Expert System on Mushroom
 Weed control systems
 Expert System for Sugarcane
 Banana Expert system
 Expert system for cattle and buffalo,
 Expert system on Sheep and Goat,
 Expert system on poultry
 IGFRI Expert system
 Disorder remediation expert system

25. Rice Doctor, Assam
• Rice doctor is a mobile app that has been
developed by Assam Agricultural University
(AAU) with technical support from (IRRI) and
developed under the (APART) project,

27. How to use?
• Rice Doctor can be downloaded free on
Google Play store
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?i
d=com.lucidcentral.mobile.ricedoctor&hl=en_
IN&gl=US) and can be used offline to diagnose
the problems.

28. Rice Doctor supports agricultural extension
advisors and farmers by providing:
• Instant diagnosis of nearly 80 crop problems
including insect pests, diseases, nutrient
deficiencies and toxicities
• Management and prevention options

29. Rice Doctor supports agricultural extension
advisors and farmers by providing:
• An option to upload images of rice problems
to get management recommendations from
experts; The users can send information on
rice problems to experts for diagnosis and
recommendations
• The experts will identify the problem and send
recommendations to the phone number as
SMS

30.  What is Touch Screen System.
 What is Touch screen kiosk.
 How the information get
available on the Kiosk.
 Present application of Touch
screen systems.
 How touch screen can be used
for Agriculture sector.
Touch Screen Kiosks
30

31. Major Initiatives:
 ITC’s e-Choupal
 CSCs
 ISRO’s VRC
 NDDB’s Dairy Information Services Kiosk
 MSSRF’s Village Knowledge Centres
 Rural Internet Kiosks Gyandoot
Information Kiosks

32. Precision Irrigation
Precision irrigation provides a means for evaluating a
crop’s water requirements and a means for applying
the:
Right amount at the right time at right place in right
manner
• Right amount of irrigation
• Right time of irrigation
• Right place of irrigation
• Right manner of irrigation
- How much
- When
- Where
- How

33. Wrong irrigation practice decreases the crop yield
and increases energy cost

34. Automation in Micro Irrigation
⚫Time based
⚫Volume based

35. Moisture Sensor Hydraulic Valve

36. Fertigation control unit

37. Automation in Micro Irrigation

38. Use of GPS in Agriculture In
agriculture
Theuseof the Global Positioning Systemprovides benefits in
⚫Geo-fencing
⚫Map-making
⚫Surveying

39. Remote Sensing in Agriculture
Remote sensing is directly connected
with satellite to find out the Monsoon,
Ozone layer Depletion, Smog etc.

40. Uses of Drones in Agriculture
By the helpof DroneTechnology
o Mass Data Collection
o Land Survey
o Seeds Planting
o Using Fertilizers
o Using Pesticides
o Water Irrigation

41. ICT in Agricultural Extension
• Disseminate the proven technologies among
the farmers
• Use multi-media for training of farm women,
farmers and rural youths
• Mobile SMS
• Radio & T.V
. Talk
• E-governance for rural development

42. ICT FOR AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
INITIATIVES IN INDIA

43. Name of the project Particulars
Web portals
aAQUA Online discussion, archived, multi-lingual and multimedia based. 27674
posts 3.3 million views by 12,964 viewers (www.aaqua.org).
KISSAN Kerala Content processing and dissemination system. Online information, video
channel, Tele-advisory, SMS and GIS based agro-services
(www.kissankerala.net).
TNAU AGRITECH
Portal
Dynamic portal and e-linkage with research stations and farm sciences
centres for agro-advisory services (www.agritech.tnau.ac.in).
AGRISNET Agriculture Resources Information System Network (AGRISNET) is a
mission mode project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Government of India to develop a comprehensive online knowledge
portal to disseminate relevant information to farmers.
DACNET extension services, Integrated Nutrient Management, Marketing,
Mechanisation and Technology, Economics and statistics
(www.dacnet.nic.in).
e-Krishi Web based farm advisory services, market information,
resource library and online expert advisory (www.e-

44. Web Portals for Market Information and Agri-Business Firms’ Portal
to Farmers
AGMARKNET Market information by portal. Information on 2700 marketsand 300
commodities in India (www.agmarknet.nic.in).
ITC-e-Choupal Innovative trading and e-Commerce initiative in agriculture. Reaches 4
million farmers by 6500 e-Choupals spread over 40000 villages of rural
India (www.echoupal.com).
Indiancommodities.com/ User fee-based market information on Cotton, Sugar, Oilseeds, Pulses,
Spices, Rice, Wheat, Tea, Coffee (http://www.indiancommodities.com/)
Mahindra Kisan Mitra
Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., Farm Equipment Sector of the Mahindra
Group hosted MahindraKisanMitra.com, a web portal for the Indian
farmers to access wealth of information which is updated on a daily
basis. Farmers can check daily mandi prices, read weather updates,
latest crop advisories, and agri related news.
IFFCO Agri-Portal Information for farmers in local language. Web portal and 100 farmers’
information kiosks in 16 States (Patil et al., 2009) (www.iffco.nic.in).

45. VKCs/ VRCs/CICs/ CSCs
Village Knowledge
Centres (VKCs)-M.S.
Swaminathan Research
Foundation (MSSRF)
Demand driven information and knowledge with support
services, social inclusion, community ownership and
partnership proved critical for the success and sustainability
(www.mssrf-nva.org).
Village Resource Centres
(VRCs) –IndianSpace
Research Organisation
(ISRO)
473 VRCs have been set up in 22 States/Union Territories in
India. The VRCs are connected to Knowledge/Expert Centres
(ECs) like Agricultural Universities and Skill Development
Institutes (SDI).
Community Information
Centres (CICs)
Community information centres in North-East India e-
Infrastructure for accessing rural information needs of farmers
and others (http://www.cic.nic.in/).
Common Service
Centres (CSCs)
Web based e-governance to services, including agriculture
information to rural areas. So far 96,163 CSCs were rolled out
in India (www.csc-india.org).

46. Case studies related to role of ICT in
agriculture:

47. 1. Precision Farming in Andhra Pradesh-
• Andhra Pradesh is one of the leading
agricultural states in India, but water scarcity
is a significant challenge.
• Traditional farming methods often result in
water wastage.
• The state government implemented precision
farming techniques that utilize ICTs such as
remote sensing, GIS, and IoT devices.

48. • These technologies help farmers monitor soil
moisture, weather conditions, and crop health
in real-time.
• Precision farming has led to efficient water
management, reduced water consumption,
and improved crop yields.
• By leveraging ICTs, Andhra Pradesh has made
its agriculture more sustainable and resilient
to climate change.

49. 2. Digital Farming in Punjab:
• Punjab is known as the "Granary of India" but
faces challenges like overuse of fertilizers and
depleting water tables.
• Farmers in Punjab are adopting precision
agriculture practices with the help of mobile
apps and sensor-based technologies.

50. • These tools provide real-time data on soil
health, moisture levels, and weather
conditions.
• By implementing ICTs for precision farming,
Punjab's farmers have reduced fertilizer usage,
conserved water, and improved crop yields.
• This has also led to cost savings and
environmental benefits.

51. 3. ICT-Enabled Organic Farming in Himachal
Pradesh:
• Farmers in Himachal Pradesh are using mobile
apps and online platforms to access organic
farming guides, market their organic produce,
and connect with consumers seeking organic
products.

52. • ICTs have facilitated the transition to organic
farming, allowing Himachal Pradesh's farmers
to fetch premium prices for their organic
produce and contribute to sustainable
agriculture.

53. Challenges in the application of
ICTs

54. Pilot project syndrome:
• Most of the ICT based agriculture extension
project was implemented as “pilot project” and
after the pilot period, most of the project is
never implemented in larger scale.
• Efforts for continuance of pilot projects are not
taken sincerely by the implementing and also
funding (Donor) agencies.

55. Users unwilling to pay:
• Most of the ICT projects beneficiaries are not
willing to pay for the services they receive.
• Similarly most farmers feel that “Agriculture
advisory services are welfare activity of the State
and National Government and hence they are
unwilling to pay for the service.

56. Lack of awareness among users:-
• In many cases users were unaware of the full
range of available services and concluded that
computer was for a specific use like bill payment
or accounting
• For example in ‘Gyandoot’, many people were
unaware of the e-Governance services available,
and viewed the kiosks simply as centers for
telephony

57. Segments of the population are sometimes
excluded:
• Several projects discriminate among the local
population, usually unintentionally
• For example, e-choupal initiative serve farmers,
thus excluding the female and landless
population.
• Members of backward class were not allowed to
enter the house in which e-choupal was located.

58. Small scale of operation:
• The ICTs for agriculture extension projects were
implemented in very limited geographical area
and covering few hundred or at maximum
thousands of farmers.
• Exceptions projects like farmers call centres
and e- soil Heath Card programmes
• However, continuous updating and maintaining
web portals require sufficient resources which
are lacking after few years.

59. Islands of learning:
• In almost all the projects, the participation of
agricultural education, and research institutions
appears to be marginal.
• Practical challenges or constraints in
implementing the ICT project are seldom
disclosed and shared with others.

60. Lack of systematic evaluation:
• Most of the project never revealed actual
evaluation results, generally they report positive
result and most common difficulties such as,
inadequate rural ICT infrastructure (especially
frequent power-cuts) and difficulty in content
localisation and customisation.

61. Information is not ultimate :
• Along with ICT based advisory service input
supply and testing need to be integrated for
the greater impact .
• In e- Arik project of NE India , farmers
demanded inputs as per recommendations of
the project, to research fellows.

62. Virtual seeing is not believing :
• The e- Arik project was implemented in most
backward area of NE India.
• Experience indicated that advisory service
and information alone were unable to
convince the farmers and they demanded
field level demonstrations.

63. Difficulty in localisation of content:
• Localisation and customizability of content are
still not practiced on a significant scale.
• If sufficient scientific information is not
available, content need to be generated, tested
refined and used for further advisory services
• Most of the web portals lack relevant content in
local language

64. Lack of co- ordination :-
• In the absence of collective and coordinated
efforts by the public-private agricultural
research and extension institutions, ICTs have
not penetrated satisfactorily in rural India
despite time, money and efforts invested so
far (Patil et.al.2009)

65. Limited Connectivity and Infrastructure: Many
rural areas lack adequate internet connectivity
and basic infrastructure, which hinders the
adoption of digital tools.
• Inadequate power supply and unreliable
internet connections limit the usage of online
platforms for market information and
transactions.

66. Technical Complexity: Some ICT tools might be
technically complex for farmers who have
limited exposure to digital devices.
• Simplified user interfaces and intuitive designs
are necessary to ensure user-friendliness

67. Resistance to Change: Familiarity with
traditional practices can lead to resistance to
change, especially among older farmers.
• Convincing them of the benefits of adopting
new technologies can be challenging.

68. Data Privacy and Security Concerns: Farmers
might be hesitant to share sensitive data, such
as production details and financial
information, due to concerns about data
privacy and misuse.

69. • Training and Support: Farmers need proper
training and ongoing support to effectively use
ICT tools.
• Lack of training resources and assistance can
lead to underutilization and frustration.

70. • Affordability: While some ICT solutions might
be affordable, others can be expensive to
implement and maintain.
• Ensuring that the cost of technology doesn't
outweigh the potential benefits is crucial.

71. Reliability of Information: Information
provided through ICT tools should be accurate
and reliable.
• Farmers may be cautious if they've
experienced misinformation in the past,
affecting their trust in the technology.

72. Intermediary Influence: Middlemen and
intermediaries play a significant role in
agricultural marketing.
• Their resistance to ICT adoption, fearing
disintermediation, can create barriers to
technology implementation.

73. Network Effects: The effectiveness of some
ICT platforms relies on a critical mass of users.
• If only a few farmers in a region adopt a
technology, it might limit the benefits and
incentives for others to join.

74. Demographics: Demographic factors such as
age, education, gender, and income levels
impact technology adoption.
• Younger and more educated individuals tend
to be more receptive to ICT innovations.

75. Any more Challenges??

76. The way forward
1. National and state government e-agriculture
policy need to be formulated properly.
• It should explore and outline the possibilities
of leveraging ICT for the Agriculture
extension.

77. 2. Human Resourse Development:
• Creating awareness on ICT potentials and
capacity development among the extension
personnels and among farmers and other
stakeholders in the extension system.

78. 3. Strengthening ICT infrastructure : Extension
organisations need to be quipped with ICTs
4. Localisation and customisation of content:
Research, educational institutions and
extension system should continuously strive
for the appropriate content localisation and
customisation as per the demand for the
farmers and other stakeholders

79. 5. Integration of ICT with public-private
extension system:
• Appropriate ICTs to be indentified and
deployed in the extension system to
complement ongoing extension efforts.

80. 6. Research and Farm Developmental institutions
collaboration :
• Establishing strong working collaboration among
the initiatives of the research and
developmental institutions such as ICAR, NIC,
and Ministries of IT & Co- operation, Agriculture
and FW, Rural Development

81. 7. Convergence of communication methods:
• For effective agricultural extension service
delivery, the convergence of traditional
extension communication methods (personal
contact methods, prints media, radio and TV)
and new ICTs are to be appropriately used to
reach the farm stake holders.

82. 8. Promote Leadership and Find Champions: ICT
interventions need leadership. The champions
are needed to push projects forward and
make them visible and interesting to the
agricultural stakeholders.
Theses leaders must operate from
local to national level (World Bank, 2011;
Szilagyi, 2012).

83. Any More?

84. Conclusion
⚫ICT is playing a vital role in Indian agriculture by
providing right information at the right time to
increase food productionand productivity.
⚫Hence, farmers can fetch betterpriceof theirproduce.

85. Information is the key of success
Think Globally
&
Act Locally