2 Information and Science needs of Farming community

Brief Introduction

Hello friends. In our last lecture we observed that the process of human communication and various issues associated with it. In today’s discussion we will be talking about the information needs of the farming community. Before we exactly come to the information needs, we need to understand the differences between the data, information and knowledge. So before that let us talk about the concept of information and communication technology.

What is ICT?

• Information and Communication Technology is a combination of computer technology, communication technology and information management technology. Basically we can say that information and communication technology broadly includes the communication devices comprising of the traditional ICT’s like radio, television and the modern ICT equipments like the cellular phones, computer networks and the hardware and software, satellite systems etc etc.
• Various services and applications associated with them such as video conferencing and distance learning make the broader term like information and communication technology.

Data vs Information

So now let us look into the concept of data. What is this data? Data means the raw facts, and there is no context, because it is raw in nature, and it is just number or a text. Until and unless we attach appropriate processing to this data, it cannot be converted into information. So when we say that information. Information means it is the data with some context. And the moment we add some processing methods to them, so it becomes an information. The value addition may be through summarizing, organizing, analyzing. These are the processes thatwe make use of in converting data into information.

When this information is understood by the receiver, it becomes their knowledge. That is why we say that knowledge is specific to an individual. We cannot transfer knowledge from one individual to another, but we can transfer only either data or information, and it is he who is going to understand and analyze in his way and he is trying to make his knowledge.

For example the data is the numbers what we have. But it becomes information when we add certain processes like. Just by adding two slashes so we can translate it into, the date of your examination, or it may be having some other meanings also. Similarly if we add this prefix, Rs, that can be the salary of somebody at a given point of time. Or if we say that it is the PIN number(Postal Index Number) so then it gets different meaning.

The figures are same but in three different contexts it is having different meaning. So the processes involved are summarizing, computing averages or graphing, creating charts or visualizing the data. So when we add value to data it is giving different meanings.

Information Needs of Farming Community

Now coming to the information needs of farming community.

• Maintaining the quality of produce is one of the important issue before the farming community nowadays.
• Finding appropriate technological options is another challenge before the farmer, wherein the extension machineries as well as the research system is working on this.
• Management of the technology. Management of technology is one of the important issue before the farming community.
• The optimal use of inputs. Farmers are using the inputs but whether they are using it in the desired manner, the appropriate manner or the recommended manner is one of the important issue.
• Exploring the options. Because farmer has number of options. Because traditionally he is cultivating various crops, but the research system is suggesting them something new methods. Now he is in a dilemma, whether to go for the traditional methods or the modern methods, wherein he has to explore various options; maybe it is related to the mixed farming or diversification of the crops or animal husbandry, fisheries or various other diversification options that he can think of.
• Locating appropriate input suppliers. So this is one of the important issue in case agriculture and allied sciences. Because the number of service providers are relatively less as on date; we can say that. But how to ensure the quality inputs and timely availability of inputs is another important issue.
• Shared action with the fellow farmers. The basic issue with the Indian farmers is. More than 80% of the holdings are small and marginal. Under such circumstances the marketable surplus for the purpose of marketing is very very less for about 80% of the farming communities in Indian context. So under such circumstances if they are not sharing the resources or the produce or if they are not forming themselves into different groups or if they are not adopting the group approaches, it is becoming very difficult for them to market their produce and gain the profits.
• Identifying and satisfying consumer as well as the marketing demands, because as a receiver the receivers are having huge number of demands, but the farmers are not able to supply because there exists a gap.
• Diversification of income generation activities is another information need of the farmers. And now the governments are also emphasizing on doubling the farmer’s income. Without diversification of agriculture, we cannot think of income generation.
• Understanding the implication of changing policies. So government is coming out with a number of policy modifications and how the farmer can get the benefits of that. So earlier farmer was not allowed to trade his produce (agricultural produce) but with the modification in case of Companies Act in 2005, so now the farmer can also become a trader, so that he can maximize his profits. So under such circumstances how the farmer is becoming aware of these things. So government is providing number of platforms; e mediated platforms maybe through e-NAM, maybe through AGMARKNET or through the Farmers Net seed portal. Number of such options are being given to the farmers. But how to take these things to the farmers is one of the important information need of the farmer.
• Judicious utilization of agricultural finance. There was a time, so where to get the agricultural finance itself was a major issue. But now the finance is available. The financial organizations are coming forward to provide the agricultural finance, but how to make efficient use of this finance is the issue.
• The collective action. If the farmers are not coming together. It is very difficult to maximize their profits.
• Evolving coping strategies for the climate change, which is not in the control of anybody. But the researcher’s extension mechanisms as well as the farmers put together can come out with certain strategies; how they can adjust themselves to the changing situation.

Need For e-Extension

So what is the need for e-Extension.

• The first and foremost thing is to expand the knowledge resource. So earlier there used to be very limited sources of knowledge. But with the e-mediation, we can enhance these eknowledge sources.
• To accelerate agricultural growth. If you look at the growth of agriculture. At the time of independence the population was around 30 crores, and the agricultural production was around 50 million tons. But over a period of time this 50 million tons has reached to more than 280 million tons now. It means almost there is a growth of around 6.5 to 7 times growth is there. So that is not possible without the involvement of the technology and various issues in between. So how we can enhance this growth now; so that is the issue wherein e-Extension is going to play a role.
• Facilitate better information access. The sources of information even today, if you look at; the traditional sources, majority of the farmers are still dependent upon. That is their friends, the relatives; more than 60 to 70% are dependent upon. But there is another section which is dependent on the cosmopolitan sources of information. So now how can we expand these numbers, so that is what is the target before the e-Extension, and that is why we need the eExtension interventions.
• To supplement inadequate technical manpower. In my previous discussion I said that the widening gap between the farmers and extension workers, ratio. For every more than 2000 farmers, there is only 1extension worker. How he can cater to the needs of the 2000+ farmers. E-mediation is the only way, so that is why we need e-Extension.
• For stronger research-extension- client system linkage. So these three systems are existing, but whether there is an organic relationship between these two, so this mechanism of e-Extension is going to help them in establishing these relationships. Maybe just to give an example, by the mechanism of e-mediation like through the social media. You take the example of WhatsApp groups. If the farmer is a member of a particular WhatsApp group. So he is always having the linkage with the scientist as well as the extension service provider, and at the same time he can be linked with the input suppliers also, so that the organic relationships can be established in this way.
• To develop efficient feedback mechanism. In the traditional way so to get the feedback, the scientists were also having a lot of difficulties, because they were supposed to visit the field. But now the portals, then the websites, then the mobile based extension services are helping them to get the efficient feedback from the farmers.
• The cost effective extension delivery. So with the e-mediation. Because the major problem with the extension mechanism was the mobility support to be provided to the extension professionals. So with the e-mediation, we can reduce that mobility support. It means we are saving lot of financial inputs in delivering the extension mechanism. And at the same time one extension worker can cater to many farmers.
• To develop knowledge managers with the help of giving the tools and techniques of e-Extension to these knowledge managers. Knowledge managers are going to be the efficient e-Extension workers in the days to come so that we can bridge the gap between the extension workers as well as the farmers.
• To ensure gender equity in technology transfer process because if you look at the extension mechanisms. So because it involves huge amount of travelling as well as interaction with the farmers and farming communities. So it is as on date dominated by the male. Because ICT’s are gender neutral as well as age neutral. So by adopting the ICT mechanisms or the e-Extension mechanisms we can reduce this gender gap also.
• To empower small and marginal farmers. The empowerment is by the means of providing appropriate information, when it is required. Timely and appropriate information. These are two important inputs for the small and marginal farmers to empower them, and e-Extension is the way we can achieve these targets.
• To serve the farm stakeholders beyond technology transfer role, not only providing them the production related technology. By providing them the processing as well as marketing and various other options also is the need for e-Extension.

Tools

Then the e-Extension tools include,

• The word processing applications used for preparing the documents.
• Presentation software used for preparing presentations. Earlier the same presentations worked in the traditional way, what we used to prepare that used to take a lot of time, but with this we can have a lot of creativity, as well as we can transfer them very easily.
• The spreadsheets using for the purpose of calculation and preparing tabular data as well as calculations.
• The database can be created over a period of time. Because this is what is the advantage of computers, so we can store huge amounts of data and we can retrieve at any point of time.
• Creating the multimedia content using the text images, animation, audio as well as videos.
• Make use of the web browsers as well as email for transfer of these technology processes.

Human Advantages and Computer Advantages

So the human advantages of computer include

• Thinking, because the human beings are having the brain which the computer is not having, so this is what is the human advantage.
• The judgment that the human beings can provide at a point of time.
• The creativity that the human brain has.
• The intrinsic motivation and as well as the extrinsically the human being can be motivated, this is what is another advantage.
• Can be flexible,
• It is mobile in nature, the human beings.
• The storage is another issue.
• Working with the knowledge base that he has, and he can make use of the knowledge base that others have, so that there is a collective effort.
  The advantages with the computer are.
• The speed with which that it can perform the functions.
• The accuracy. So it takes a lot of time for human beings to achieve that particular accuracy.
• Can depend on the outcomes that what the computer is providing you.
• Little training is required so that is another advantage.
• Required lower cost, because initial cost is comparatively high but over a period of time that can be managed.
• The information processing becomes very faster with the help of this computer.

Limitations of ICT

And as we have observed certain advantages, there are certain disadvantages also.

• The job losses of unskilled labor. I request you to underline this particular thing. That unskilled labors are going to lose their jobs. It is not the skilled. If you develop the skills, definitely there are number of opportunities.
• The operational faults that we may observe over a period of time, that may be in the form of bugs or virus etc. That can create chaos at some point of time, so that is one of the limitations.
• Completely reliant on the electricity. So this is another issue. But over a period of time we can easily overcome because by making use of alternative sources of energy. It maybe solar or it maybe wind energy and the number of other alternatives that we are already working upon and we are getting the benefits of that.
• Limitation of information and communication technologies is the information diarrhea. Now there is over flooding of the information available on various e-resources. So the number of mails that what we get, and we are trying to categorize them as a spam, but it is also coming out with number of information. Similarly in the social media also we are getting lot of even unwanted information. So that is another limitation.
• The crimes related to computer are becoming one of the menace for this application of ICT’s in various sectors.
• The lack of hardware as well as software standards is another issue. Even though institutions are there but it needs to be standardized.

Computer Limitations

The limitations with the computer itself include,

• Because it is not creative unlike a human being
• It can’t reason, but it can provide the answer based on the information base what it has.
• It can’t discriminate because if the feeding is the numerical 1, it cannot accept ‘one’, because it is not having that particular ability, it can accept ‘copy’ but ‘coppy’ it cannot accept, because of the change in the spelling.
• The limitation of the computer. It operates logically, but incapable of acting rationally, unlike human being. So that is another limitation with the computer that we can say.

Conclusion

• Put together we can say that ICT tools facilitate the need satisfaction of the stakeholders. With these limited limitations, we can overcome them over a period of time. But it is one of the important mechanisms to provide the appropriate information that is timely information.
• e-mediation in extension service is need of the hour, because of the growing population and growing information needs of the clientele. So it becomes very very essential.
• Identification of needs is key for addressing the problems of the farmers. Until and unless you want to address the problems of the farmer, we need to identify their needs as well as the issues.
• e-mediation in this particular sector is going to help us in addressing these problems. So this is all about the information needs of the farming community.

Thank You.