ANALYZING THE CONTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS) IN MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE AMONGST FARMERS: A STUDY OF EASTERN DRY ZONE OF KARNATAKA
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Date
2022
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Dr.RPCAU, Pusa
Abstract
A long-term shift in the climate's condition is referred to as "climate change."
It is predicted to have negative consequences, including an increase in the severity
and frequency of climatic variables such as drought, flood, and storms. The conditions
for rural Indians, especially smallholder farmers, will unquestionably get worse as a
result. Therefore, it is essential to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Agricultural
extension is a vital source of knowledge in rural regions, even though it is not always
successful and efficient. Radio, mobile phones, video, social media, and other
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have long been recognized as
being essential to the spread of agricultural knowledge; more recently, their potential
to aid in climate change awareness and adaptation have attracted significant interest.
So, the present study was conducted among the farming community of Karnataka
state. Two districts viz. Bengaluru Rural and Chikkaballapura were purposively
selected based on historical rainfall uncertainties, agricultural susceptibility to climate
change, and other factors. From each district two blocks were purposively drawn
based on criteria that took into account the block with the largest geographic area and
population. From each selected block5 villages were selected randomly. From each
village 12 respondents were selected randomly comprising total 240 respondents from
the study area. The results show that farmers had comparatively better access and
used ICTs, especially the mobile, TV, and internet services than common service
centres and personal computers and remaining tools in the Chikkaballapura and
Bengaluru Rural districts. Electricity served as the ICTs' primary power source and
they were very well understood the print media content when it is available in the
local language. Mobile applications like Varuna Mitra, Meghasandesh and Sidilu are
the popular ones in both districts but in the case of Bengaluru Rural is better access to
these applications as compared to Chikkaballapura district. The affordability of ICTs
is felt by both districts as they can afford all the ICTs which are relatively less in the
case of personal computer. The common service centres are relatively less accessed in
both districts as compared to other ICTs. It was found that most respondents in both
districts were generally aware of climate change. The climate change awareness index
revealed that some people who believed they were aware about climate change
actually weren't aware or had a low level of knowledge. Particularly, the respondents'
knowledge of problems with regard to the causes, mitigation, and global aspects of
climate change was low. The main source of climate-related information in both
districts was found to be mobile followed by TV but comparatively more response in
Bengaluru Rural than in Chikkaballapura. The constraint has been categorized into
three categories based on Garrates score, social constraints, economic constraints and
technical constraints. „Cautious about accessing technology' and Lack of awareness
about advanced ICTs used for accessing climate change related information as the
second rank in social constraints. Economic constraints, High call rates in mobile
calling as first and high charges on data and validity packs as the second rank.
Technical constraints, Lack of adequate skills to use ICT and Limited availability of
computers and community centres as first and second rank. The suggestions as given
by the farmers of both districts the response captured as mutually inclusive and then
ranked based on the weightage given to each statement. It is found to be the statement
„Training should be given to the farmers for proper use of ICTs in mitigating and
adopting climate change and „Government should initiate Awareness programmes
about available new ICTs tools and its applications‟. The relationship and strength of
the relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable has been
revealed by correlation and multiple regression methods. The variables like caste, sex,
family size and preparedness for adoption as found to be no relationship with use of
ICT tools in Bengaluru Rural and The variables like caste, sex, size of land holding
and change resistance were found to be no relationship with use of ICT tools in
Chikkaballapura district. Strength of influence revealed by regression method it is
found to be the variables like education, farming experience, family size, size of land
holding, credit orientation and mass media participation had strong influence use of
ICT tools in Bengaluru Rural and the variables like education, size of land holding,
credit orientation, mass media participation, innovative proneness, extension agency
contact, risk orientation and information seeking behaviour found to be strong
influence on use of ICT tools in Chikkaballapura district.