2e-Readiness

Brief Introduction 

Hello friends. In our last interaction, we discussed about community radio. And I am sure by now you are aware of the potentials of community radio, and how it can be an effective instrument for providing extension services in the days to come. In today’s discussion we will be taking up the concept of eReadiness for extension professionals

Technology Mediated Technology Transfer System:

When we look into the models of technology transfer over a period of time. The technology was a dominant factor, and it was transferred to the section of the society at large and the ultimate results were the partial adoption, the non-adoption of the technology. So when the development workers, the extension professionals as well as researchers started working on this; on why people are not accepting these technologies or why there is a partial adoption. So then they came to the conclusion that, there is one important element that is missing, that’s what is the human element or the participation of the people.

Hence another set of model we try to identify it as the Extension Mediated Transfer of Technology Model, wherein again the technology was developed by the researchers. And before its transfer the element that was included was the human element and we inward in the process of technology transfer. But the results did not vary from the previous one. The reasons behind again, when we started pondering upon. So we came to know that the people are not being part of the technology generation system. People are not being taken into account, while development of the technology and while taking the decisions on the development of the technology.

So that is why so now we are all aware of the concept of participatory prefix in good number of research and development initiatives. Let me quote some of the things. Earlier we used to say that it is technology development, but now we started telling that participatory technology development. Earlier we used to say that breeding of the crops, but now we are telling that participatory breeding. Earlier we used to say that watershed development, but now we are telling that participatory watershed development. What does this ‘participatory’ indicate, it is the involvement of the ultimate stakeholder, the ultimate beneficiary in the process of development of the technology, who was largely neglected in the previous efforts.

In that context, let us look into the concept of in-tension of ex-tension. What exactly, with what intention that extension is working, and who are the eligible people to provide the extension services as well as extension educational activities. In-tension of ex-tension is conceptualized as the degree to which the philosophy, content, ideas, notions, objectives and techniques, principles, theory and models of extension have been internalized by the extensionists. The concept of internalization of the process of extension, the methods of extension is very very crucial here, because those professionals who are involved in extension education activities, and those set of professionals who are involved in extension service activities need to identify the specific roles to be played in providing the services.

So that is how we try to conceptualize this concept of e-Readiness at three levels.

Individual e-readiness: 

So the first level of e-Readiness is the individual e-Readiness. Individual eReadiness is the degree to which an individual is able to access and exercise the information-communication technology tools and other necessary skills to get himself or herself updated with the technology development. To what extent, an individual is getting himself ready for acquiring the knowledge through ICT’s as well as the development of skills; making use of these ICT’s as an instrument and on a continuous basis.

Institutional e-Readiness:

In a similar manner so the concept of institutional e-Readiness was also coined. So it is the degree to which an institution possesses the necessary infrastructure. Network accessibility, policy support and affordability to acquire and effectively utilize ICT (Information Communication Technology). The important issue with the institution includes, it has sufficient skilled manpower to efficiently and effectively use the ICT infrastructure that is available at the institutional level. So there are two parts here.

1. Number one we should have the necessary manpower,
2. As well as the affordability, accessibility and necessary infrastructure. So that makes an institution e Ready.

National e-Readiness:

Then the national e-Readiness at the national level that if we take it. So the nation has the necessary infrastructure, internetwork accessibility, affordability and policy support and the human resource with necessary skills to acquire, access and utilize the information communication technologies. So this is how we can understand the concept of e-Readiness at three levels.

1. 1. One I said at individual level. It is the individual involvement. The development of the skills and making use of the ICTs.
   2. Then the Institutional level
   3. And at the national level.

The elements of this e-Readiness include.

• The basic, the first and foremost element is infrastructure. What kind of ICT infrastructure that we have, maybe at individual level or at institutional level or at national level. So the moment we have necessary infrastructure, we start identifying that individual as the technology savvy individual, or the institution as the rich institution or the nation as a rich nation.
• The skill is one of the important component of this e-Readiness. We maybe having sufficient infrastructure or we can buy necessary equipments. The process of data required for getting eReadiness, but if you don’t have the skilled manpower, then the infrastructure is not having any value. So that is how the skill is very very important.
• Then maybe it is an individual or maybe it is an institution or maybe it is a country, which should have this affordability. It means it should have sufficient economic power to afford the ICT infrastructure and accessibility.
• The available infrastructure many of the time, specially in case of public sector organizations, we observe that it is not accessible. Maybe in some cases the educational institutions say that it is not accessible to students, and in offices some section of the employees are said that you cannot enter this room or you cannot make use of these things. So this is what is the issue of accessibility.
• And what is the institutional policy for adopting the information-communication technologies.

All these 5 components comprises of the e-Readiness. If you want to make the extension system eReady or e Ready extension system, so there are three important issues there.

1. Number one we need e-Ready extension educationist to provide the extension infrastructure.
2. And we need e-Ready extension service provider, because the problems that are dealt in agriculture and allied sciences are location specific as well as the discipline specific. Hence we need a range of extension service provider.
3.  And at the same time the ultimate end-user, the farmer has also to be e-Ready for receiving the services that are being provided by the extension agencies.

Indicators of e-Ready extension system:

The indicators of e-Ready extension system include, the first one what we said extension educationist. Who is this e-Ready extension educationist? E-Ready extension educationist is able to access, afford and exercise the ICT tools and techniques and has the necessary skills to get himself or herself updated with the communication and technological developments along with the necessary agricultural technologies. So the person who has specialized in extension as well as who can treat the content and analyze the content, and make the necessary content available to his receivers, we try to identify him as extension educationist.

So the necessary infrastructure at the e-Ready extension educationist is enlisted here.

e-Ready Extension Service Provider:

Similarly the e-Ready extension service provider. So he is the man with a specific subject matter, that he is having specialization and he is trying to provide the services. E-Ready extension service provider is a person with a background of agriculture and specialization in any of the disciplines of agriculture and allied sciences. Maybe he is a soil scientist or he is a pathologist or he is an entomologist or any of the disciplines that he belongs to, and who is serving in a public or a private institution. Maybe the State Agricultural University, ICAR institutions or any of the private agricultural research and development organizations, and meant for dissemination of the technological advances to the intended communities.

Means his basic responsibility is to develop as well as transmit the technologies for the benefit of society, based on the needs of the farming community. And making use of this information communication technology tools and technique and has necessary skills to get himself updated with the communication and technological development. So that he can update himself over a period of time, the ICT infrastructure that is available at institutional level or at the national level or at the State level. And so the ingredients for the e-Ready extension service provider are listed here.

e-Ready Farmer:

Then coming to the e-Ready farmer. He is a person because he is an ultimate receiver, he is the end-user of this technology, who is able to access agricultural information through ICT tools and exercise, gain the information in farming practices. It is not that it’s not a one way process. Not that all the time he is accessing the information. But at the same time he should make use of that also. And he is having necessary skills to get himself or herself updated with the technological developments. So such farmers or the individuals we try to identify them as e-Ready farmer.

The things that are essential to be an e-Ready farmer are listed here. Keeping these things in view. So if we look into the nature of the farming community in accessing the information. What are their sources of information? It says that,

• Through television only 9.3% of the people are getting information
• And through radio only 13% of the people are getting information.
• And the extension workers only 5.7%
• And the Krishi Vigyan Kendras is having the respondent range of only 0.7%.

As reported by the NSSO survey of 2005.

The situation has not changed over a period of time. But the modern ICT’s are having a major role to play under such circumstances by getting e-Ready. For ensuring this particular thing especially on the Krishi  Vigyaan Kendras in the State of Uttar Pradesh, a study was conducted. Wherein the Krishi Vigyan Kendras under three different administrative set-ups. That is one group of KVK’s managed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The second set of KVK’s managed by State Agricultural Universities, and the third set oKVK’s managed by the non-governmental organizations were studied from the point of view of their e Readiness. The e-Readiness of the functionaries who are working in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras; who are acting as a subject matter specialists.

So the e-Readiness of the professionals as well as the e-gap at the institutional level was calculated. If you look at this figure. If you look into the infrastructure,

1. the gap was around 22.27 %
2.  And accessibility was having around 21% gap.
3. If you look into the skill, so there is minimum gap. It means the professionals are highly skilled in nature, there is only 16% gap.
4. But when it comes to the affordability, the highest gap that we observe here. 25% of the institutions  express that affordability is an issue.
5. But when it comes to the policy around 23.8 almost 24% of the institutions said that, yes policy is coming in the way to adopt the e-Readiness at the institutional level.

If you look at the results that are obtained. The administrative pattern wise, the ICAR KvK’s were having the e gap of around 21.65%. The State Agricultural Universities were having the maximum gap that is 24.62%, almost 25% that we can say. And the minimum e-gap was observed in case of the KVK’s that were managed by non governmental organizations. It means that somewhere the NGO’s are working efficiently, that we can say with the help of this study.

Then an interesting analysis was made. So out of these 5 elements, which element is contributing to the maximum extent specially for e-Readiness. So when we analyze this, policy was the dominating factor at institutional level. The second dominant factor was the infrastructure. Because these two factors are having a direct relationship. If the institution has the policy of making that institution an e-Ready, automatically we find a very good infrastructure. If there is lack in a policy, infrastructure is going to suffer.

The third important issue that was observed at institutional level was accessibility of the available infrastructure to the professionals. And the next important thing was the affordability and skill, so they were at par. It means the dominant factors out of this 5 elements of e-Readiness were the policy, infrastructure and accessibility. Similar study was conducted on the individual level e-Readiness. So wherein the affordability of the ICT infrastructure emerged as the dominant factor at individual level, because it is his prerogative whether to go for this or whether he can purchase this costly equipment or instrument or any infrastructure that is essential, and the second one was the skill. Even though we observed minimum gap in case of skill.

So the dominant factor for purchase of this ICT infrastructure at individual level was the skill and the third one was the infrastructure and accessibility, almost they were at par. So this is how when we shift the paradigm, so the variables are also shifting. We made an attempt to analyze an error in the study. So the straight line or the perfect; what we are observing in case of Q plot residual for e-Readiness. The straight line indicates that the errors were minimum in this particular thing. It means the results were nearer to the truth.

Conclusion

To conclude we can say that basically the concept of e-Readiness is the state of mind. So if you wish you definitely will be e-Ready. So there is no doubt in it. So with this we will be closing the discussion. And in the next interaction we will be discussing about AGMARKNET.

Thank You.