This document discusses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their applications in agriculture. It defines ICTs as electronic tools for storing, processing and disseminating information and communication. Examples provided include TV, radio, email, the internet. The document then provides a brief history of digital transformation from the 1950s to present. It discusses some major ICT initiatives in India for agriculture like Agropedia, Digital Green, and Kisan Mobile Advisory. Potential benefits and limitations of ICTs in agriculture are also summarized.

2. Extension Scenario
ModernTraditional

3. Source: Central Statistical Organization
Fig: 2
Fig: 1
Introduction

4. Research
ExtensionTeaching

5. Concept of ICTs

6. 6
• Meaning: Set of technological tools
• Definition: Information and communication technologies are
electronic tools for storing, processing and disseminating
extension information and communication .
(Balaji et al., 2007)
• Components: TV, digital radio, e-mail, Internet etc.
• Areas of Operation: GIS, RS, e-extension, e-Governance etc.

7. What is ICT?
ICT includes any communication device or application,
encompassing:
– Telephone
– Radio
– Television
– Cellular phone
– Computers
– Networks
– Satellite systems
– Hardware and software
– The Internet and its applications, WWW, Portals
– Various services and applications-videoconferencing and distance
learning.

8. HISTORY OF DIGIATL TRANSFORMATION
 1956: the first computer
 1992: creation of the Web
 1994: beginning of online sales
 1995: emergence of social networks
 1999: development of the mobile Web
 2008: emergence of 3G technology
*Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation

9. MOBILE USERS

10. 3
Tools:
Tools are something you use to do a job.
Techniques:
Techniques are procedures used to
accomplish specific activity or task.
Computer, Laptops, Internet,
Websites, Web Portals
E-mail, Internet Telephony (VoIP),
Wi-Fi
Mobile phone, Smart phones,
Tablets, Call Centers
Whats App, Face book, twitter
Interactive whiteboards GPRS, USSD Technology, SMS,
Conference Calling
Touch Screen Systems, Information
Kiosks
E-learning
Expert Systems, Teleconferencing, Video
conferencing
Interactive Voice Response Systems GIS, Remote Sensing
Technology
Digital TV, Scanners,
Personal Digital Entertainment Devices
Streaming media
Podcasts, Blogs
Modern ICTs Tools and Techniques

11. A
Potential of e-Agriculture

12. Need of ICTs?
Land
Fragmentation…!
Population…!
Imbalance in Farmers to Extension personnel
Ratio…!

13. Need of ICT Application in Agriculture
 No free access is available to any source of
appropriate agricultural technologies.
 Right to information, at the right time, to the right
person, at the 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.
 ICTs have potential to get fast and accurate feedback
about the programme, activity, technology applied or
information provided.
….Continue

14. Need of ICT Application in Agriculture
 Connects farmers/ entrepreneurs to the
marketing channels.
 Application of ICTs in agriculture sector can
provide 24hr x 7 days access to the demand
driven technologies.
 ICTs can provide need based, personalized
and customized technology at the door steps
of the farmers/ entrepreneurs.
 ICTs provide cost effective information
delivery system.

15. Importance of ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development
 Enhance agricultural production: Increasing the
efficiency, productivity and sustainability of
agriculture production.
 Improve marketing access: Awareness of up-to-
date market information on price for commodities,
input and consumer trends.
 Capacity-building and empowerment:
Strengthen of own capacities and better represent
constituencies when negotiating input and output
prices, land claims, resource rights and
infrastructures
…..continue

16.  Strengthen the information economy of smallholder
agriculture: The physical isolation of smallholders imposes high
information costs that compound the high transport and transaction
costs of obtaining inputs and marketing outputs.
 Links farmers to changing urban to global markets: Demand
for meat, fish, dairy, horticultural, and processed products in
particular is increasing. Here too, ICT plays an important role in
enabling smallholders to produce high-value commodities and to
capitalize on opportunities to participate in these markets.
 Use of GPS inAgriculture: The use of the Global Positioning
System provides benefits in Geo-fencing, Map-Making and
Surveying etc.
 Uses of Drones inAgriculture: Drone Technology are used for
various agricultural activities such as: Mass data collection, Land
survey, seeds planting and water irrigation etc.
 Weather forecast ,Pricing control , Warning alerts and quick
accomplishment of work.

17. ICTs as a Solution

18. Major ICT initiatives in India
AGROPEADIA- It is the first Indian agricultural
knowledge repository developed with knowledge
modal for localized content for a variety of users
with appropriate interfaces built in collaborative
model to support information access in multiple
languages. It covered 191 KVKs of 12 states.
DIGITAL GREEN- Digital green combine
technology and social organization to improve the
cost-effectiveness and minimizing paper use.
KISAN MOBILE ADVISORY (KMA)- It is the
ICT-mediated extension initiatives being
implemented by ICAR. Most of KVKs providing
farm advisory to the farmers through use of mobiles
in the form of short text messages was provided to
43.70 lakh farmers on various aspects.

19. FARMERS’PORTAL:
It is an endeavor to create one stop shop for meeting
all informational needs relating to Agriculture,
Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sectors production,
sale/storage of an Indian farmer. A farmer will get
relevant information on specific subject around his
village/block/district or state.
KISAN CALL CENTER- 1800-180-1551:
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation provide
answer to farmers’ queries in local language through
toll free number 1800-180-1551.
IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL):
It is a partnership-between IFFCO and the mobile
service provider Bharti Airtel started in 2007
covered 18 states in India. It is the provision of five
free daily voice message in the local language to
subscribers.

20.  Permanent in nature
 One stop information hub
 Strategic tie ups among companies
 Easy promotions through
advertisements
 Fast problem solving method.
Benefits of Portals

21.  Digital Agriculture
 Digital microfinance
 Farm management
System(Mergers)
 Revolutions and
Automation etc.
TRENDING ADVANCEMENTS

22.  Reduction in the information acquisition costs
 Enhanced availability of accurate agricultural knowledge for
technology adoption
 Provide quick access to information
 Yield gain 4-5 %
 Reduced cultivation cost by 2-14 %
 Save travel time and transaction costs by 80-90 %
 Project reports provide few success stories but not wide
spread outcomes and impact at grass roots
(Source: D. Rama Rao (2012), NAARM (ICAR), Hyderabad)
Impact of e-Interventions

23. Limitations of ICT
• ICT is necessary for putting new knowledge from research and elsewhere into use,
but is not sufficient for bringing about innovation.
• Rural communities quite often have limited capacity (in terms of human network
and resources) to make proper use of information received through ICTs.
• A few expectations, information provided through ICTs is generic, delivered in a
top-down fashion and has limited operational significance.
• Most ICT initiatives have focused more on the content.
• While technological advancement and falling costs of telecommunication have
expanded the availability and access to ICTs, there has not been much attention
given to developing customized and locally relevant content.
• Under utilisation of the potential of ICTs could be due to:
– a lack of appreciation of the new communication-intermediation tasks required
for innovation,
– underestimation of the roles of intermediaries and their capacities for innovation
and
– lack of networks needed for communities to make use of the information
provided through ICTs

24. Conclusion
• The evolutions and availability of ICT’s has been the
greatest communications revolution in recent years.
The decreasing cost of hardware, increase in reach of
communication network and availability of the same
at district and below district level is open –up huge
potential for agricultural scientists and extension
worker to reach the farming community in more
focus, precise and specific manner.

25.  BERGVINSON D.J Agricultural Risk ,Digital Agriculture – A key
enabler for nutritional security ICRISAT
 PANDEY M. TEWARI D. (1St ed.2010) ICT Application in Agribusiness,
The Agribusiness Book idbc,lucknow
 Gujarathi, D. M. and Patil R. S. (2009), Role of ICT and e-governance for
Rural Development, International Referred Research Journal ISSN- 0975-
3486 Vol. I Issue -9 (RNI: RAJBIL /2009/30097)
 RAJITA.G (November 2010) E-Governance for Improving Rural
Livelihood,Yojana p.43
 Sharma, P., Srivastava, S.K. and Ghosh, S. (2014). Information and
communication technologies (ICT): Lessons and Case studies. In:
Advances in extension education and rural development (Volume - III).
Das Gupta, D. (Ed.), Agrobios (India), Jodhpur. pp 225-235
REFERENCES

26. THANK YOU!