A study on utilization of ICT tools by farmers of Kumaon division of Uttarakhand
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Date
2022-08
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G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, District Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. PIN - 263145
Abstract
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) consists of technologies that provide access to information through communication. The agriculture information is extensive, interdisciplinary and specific to different agro climatic zones and needs a suitable information dissemination system for its effective use. With the revolution in ICT sector and increase in the possession of ICT tools and devices, it has gained wide popularity. Over the years, its user base has grown tremendously, and ICT technologies are being used for a variety of tasks, including information, education, and entertainment. Numerous new technologies or enhanced farming methods that are location and need specific are being created to promote agriculture and the development of farmers. The farmers have become extremely advanced and less reliant on others for goods and services with the mobilization of agriculture from traditional to modern pattern. There needs become more complex and diversified. The advancements in ICT can be utilized for providing accurate, timely, relevant information and services to the farmers, thereby facilitating better adoption of these technologies to make agriculture profitable. The effectiveness of ICT tools relied largely on the extent to which they are utilized and helpful to the user farmers upon the practicality and adaptability of information furnished. Therefore, utilization of ICT tools and usefulness of the information or messages are the necessary components in the effective usage of ICT. In order to make effective use of ICT tools into agricultural services it is necesssary to know the extent of utilization of ICT tools by the farmers. Thus, keeping these facts in view, the present study was undertaken to find out the socio-economic, psychological and communication characteristics of farmers, extent of utilization of ICT tools by farmers, relationship between socio-economic, psychological and communication characteristics of farmers with their extent of utilization of ICT tools and constraints perceived by them in the utilization of ICT tools. The study was conducted in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand. Four villages from the two selected blocks were selected by using chit method of simple random sampling and PPS method was used to select the respondents. The total respondents were 120 farmers. The data was collected with the help of pre-tested interview schedule. Analysis of the data was done with the help of different statistical tools like frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, coefficient of correlation and t- test. Descriptive research design was used for the study. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents (65.00%) were in the age group of 36 to 58 years, most of them (98%) were male and about 51.67 per cent of the respondents were educated up to high school. Majority of the respondents (75.83%) belonged to medium sized family and about 70 per cent of them had medium total annual income. The data revealed that slightly less than half of the respondents (40.83%) had semi-medium land holding. Majority of the respondents (69.17%) had medium farming experience and medium level of social participation (73.33%). The data regarding attitude of farmers towards ICT tools revealed that about 56.67 per cent of the respondents had favourable attitude towards ICT tools. It was also found that all the respondents owned smart phone. Majority of the respondents (63.33%) had medium mass media exposure and medium information seeking behaviour (79.17%). It was observed that 70 per cent of the respondents had medium extent of utilization of ICT tools. The variables such as age, annual income, farming experience, attitude towards ICT tools, mass media exposure and information seeking behaviour had positive and significant relationship with extent of utilization of ICT tools by farmers. There was no significant relationship between education, family size, land holding and social participation with extent of utilization of ICT tools by farmers. The major constraints faced by the respondents were high cost of ICT tools, high cost of servicing of ICT tools and insufficient servicing centres of ICT tools in the village. The findings of the present study will be of use to extension personnel and scientists to orient their work on major thrust area which are profitable and applicable. The study will also be useful for making awareness about utilization of ICT tools.