Role of Information Communication Technology in Farm Development in Manipur

Role of Information Communication Technology in Farm Development in Manipur

Naorem Mohen Singh

Department of Mass Communication

Manipur University, Canchipur, Manipur

Email   mailtonaorem@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION

The basis of our interest in ICT in Farm Development is a vision of a "Knowledge-Intensive agriculture" that may respond to the challenges of food security, sustainable development and the sustaining of farmers' revenues. In our presentation, we will try to examine some of the most recent developments in this "knowledge-intensive agriculture" using ICT and, in particular, the internet in farm management.

ICT stands for Information Communication Technology. Any communication device or application can be considered an information communication technology (ICT). Some can include distant education, Internet, videoconferencing, radio, television, cellular phones, multimedia, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on. Today, the realm of the possible uses for information communication technologies are everywhere. Many sectors are dependent on ICTs for record keeping, monitoring and transmitting information. A few examples of such sectors are banking, education, law enforcement, military defence, healthcare and politics. Many countries have been promoting ICTs as well. Under- developed countries are fearing that they won’t be able to catch up with and therefore widening the digital divide- a means of bridging the gap.

Advantages of ICTs

Many have cited ICTs the perfect tool for enabling less developed countries to catch up. Case studies done by two Alcatel business development consultants proved this to be more than just a priority but an economic reality.

1. Rural communities held down by poor infrastructure and illiteracy can be able to access information through wireless networks. Such rural communities that mainly depend on agriculture can get information on market prices in the cities and so forth. Schools can also access a wide array of educational resources.

2. As an investment, they could provide higher returns compared to alternative costly infrastructure. They may not replace roads but they ensure best use of the few means of transportation available.

3. Economically, they create more local transparent marketing channels by reducing speculation and improving the distribution of margins between the various links in the value chain of each sector, from producer through to consumer. Time and money saved here can be channeled to other fruitful activities.

4. Political and other social campaigns which are dependent on information can reap a lot here. Improved communication between the authorities and local people can help implement health program initiatives and similar programs which require transmitting of information to the masses in lesser time.

ICTs used in the above do not have to be on an individual basis, they can be used collectively like in community centres and local authority branches.

Disadvantages of ICTs

ICTs’ have created a global village where people across the world can share conversations, pictures, videos at a level of interaction that is at the click of a button. As ICTs’ continue to evolve they bring with them several disadvantages. Some disadvantages include difficulties in finding access to such communication devices as well as affording the means to use such devices. In a number of developing countries, especially in urban areas, people are beginning to gain access and use of the internet. At the same time people have become mindless mummies who are controlled by email, video-conferencing and internet chat in an effort to replace face to face oral communication. Despite how ICTs may bring us closer globally, it has made separated us from and in the real world.

What kinds of relationships are we really building through the Internet chatrooms and social networking portal like Facebook, Myspace, Orkut and Hi5. There's no real connection between people. In addition, we have become so dependent on this type of technology- most people would even say their essentials in life include a cell phone.

Due to such electronic technology, jobs and working locations have already be turned into a culture where people interact with a screen rather than a person. A prime example of this is telecommuting where people who work from home are linked to the office by modems where they can communicate with the work place without having to leave their desks or homes. Once again real relations do not develop. As well, you it can be bad in a business perspective because the managers may never really get to know their workers and therefore creates a very separated and non-unified workplace. Another disadvantage to ICTs’ is the volume of transmitted data that individuals receive. With spam or junk mail being sent and receive in the millions every day, people simply have too much information to deal with.

Reaping the benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in agriculture, remain an ongoing challenge. The range of agricultural and economic benefits is wide and includes better management, better and timely information accessing and dissemination, better and integrated production planning, monitoring and follow up, access to the latest results of research and more. The attempts to define understand and explain the mechanisms and constraints of adopting ICT are not new.

There were and are very wide variations between uses of ICT in Agriculture, competence in their use, the benefits derived and their distribution. They are instrumental in partially explaining the differences in ICT Adoption rates. Although no longer a novelty ICT Adoption for Agriculture and Rural Development today remains a continuously studied critical issue, at regional, national and international levels.

Role of ICT in Farm Development

The weak linkages among extension, research, marketing network and farmers limits the effectiveness of research and extension to contribute to agricultural development. Earlier emphasis on usage of vernacular press, radio and television for reaching to the farmers is being augmented with use of state-of-the-art communication technologies such as Internet and satellite communication. Under the new initiative of National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP), adequate attention is being paid to provide ICT connectivity down to the Block level. This connectivity will facilitate two-way communication among all the stakeholders in the Research-Extension-Marketing- Farmers loop. Apart from core Information and Communication Technology (lCT) connectivity, other forms of audio and visual communication like Satellite Communication (SATCOM) are also being promoted on project basis.

The National Agriculture Policy emphasizes the need for broad basing and revitalizing the Agricultural Extension Services to make them innovative, decentralized, farmer driven and farmer accountable (Sharma and Rao 2005).

The policy framework for agriculture extension has been formulated to address the changing extension needs of farmers. The new extension regime under the new policy framework recognizes the role of a multiagency e.g., (a) Public Extension Services (b) Private Extension Services and (c) Mass Media & Information Technology dispensation comprised of different strengths.

Some of the policy initiatives, which have been indicated in the Policy Frame-work for Agricultural Extension are :

 Augmenting Media/IT applications at various levels

 IT application in agricultural extension and marketing

 Wider and creative use of Mass Media (AIR, FM, DD, Private Channels and

Cable TV Networks)

 Use of Call Centres for Agricultural Information to Farmers

 Farmers’ participation in media / IT input

 Application of satellite communication technologies

 Agri-clinics and Agri-business centres. Most of the initiatives work with entrepreneurs as partners (at village level). These entrepreneurs are the final links in the chain. The sustainability of all these initiatives is critically linked to the sustainability of these entrepreneurs.

Researchable Issues

The prerequisites for formulating an integrated strategy raised some significant researchable issues. Such institutionalized researchable issued can be stated as follows:

There is a need to document and analyse various initiatives of Information Technology in Farm Development, to gain on understanding about their conception, implementation and impacts. Such an attempt would provide insights for developing an integrated strategy for harnessing the ICTs.

There is a need to evaluate the services of ICT in Manipur for farm development on different parameters, of efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. For increasing the effectiveness of future integrated strategy, the process impact of present projects is an important researchable issue.

Farmer clients of ICTs are the most important link in the ICTs network in farm development. “What are the basic information needs of the farmers” is an essential issue. Besides understanding their level of faith on ICTs services, their goal orientation, need integrations etc. are important for ICTs in farm development.

Specific Objectives

Based on the above stated researchable issues, the following specific objectives have been formulated.

1. To document and analyse various initiatives of harnessing the Information

Technology for farm development in Manipur and other states.

2. To evaluate the impact of selected services

3. To study the information needs of farmers under the purview of the

Information Technology projects.

Scope of Study

The findings of the study will have immense practical utility in the field of farm extension and rural development in the near future. The findings will be helpful to policy makers, Government and Non-Government organization as well. This attempt would help draw lessons and develop insights, which would turn help designing a blue print of action for harnessing ICTS for Farm Development.

The farmers perception of problems, solutions and ICTs role in solving those problems, their information needs, goal commitment and other factors associated with the use of ICTs services by the farmers will be of immense practical utility for the future ICT projects in the state.

In addition the research will also be helpful with respect to methodologies, for those who will take up future researches in prioritizing researchable issues in evolving a new research paradigm in the field of ICTs in Farming.

Limitations of the Study

Utmost care was taken to make this study as comprehensive as possible. In spite of this fact, there are some limitations of the study which can be enlisted as follows:

Being the maiden research and lack of universally accepted norms and evaluation of impacts of ICTs, the result of the study, however sound they may look, can’t generalized in varying socio-economic geo political situations. Rather these results can be used as the inputs to apply into new situations.

Due to lack of time and other resources, only three ICTs services were selected for the study.

Being an academic study, it was carried out by a single researcher on few immediate aspects only.

The magnitude of responses regarding various variables might have some deviations from what actually was reported.

The results of objective outcomes of the content analysis might not be as accurate as in case of quantitative data.

The impacts of ICTs services and responses of the farmers were specific to that particular survey area in which they were studied.