Article Preview
Top1. Introduction
Agriculture being an important sector for majority of the rural population in developing countries depending on it, it faces major challenges of enhancing production in a situation of dwindling natural resources necessary for production. Farming involves risks and uncertainties, with farmers facing many threats from poor soils, drought, erosion and pests. The growing demand for agricultural products, however, offers opportunities for producers to sustain and improve their livelihoods. Increasing the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of small scale farms is an area where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can make a significant contribution. Awareness of up-to-date market information on prices for commodities, inputs and consumer trends can improve farmers’ livelihoods substantially and have a dramatic impact on their negotiating position. Such information is instrumental in making decisions about future crops and commodities and about the best time and place to sell and buy goods (Stienen et al., 2007).
Meera et al. (2004) noted the emergence of a new paradigm of agricultural development both in developing and developed countries; the overall development of rural areas is expanding in new directions; old ways of delivering important services to citizens are being challenged; and traditional societies are being transformed into knowledge societies all over the world.
Access to information and improved communication is a crucial requirement for sustainable agricultural development. Modern communication technologies when applied to conditions in rural areas can help to improve communication, increase participation, disseminate information and share knowledge and skills. The rural population still has difficulty in accessing crucial information in order to make timely decisions. The challenge is not only to improve the accessibility of communication technology to the rural population but also to improve its relevance to local development. Although multimedia communication (audio and video etc.) is available, the rural population still has difficulty in accessing crucial information in forms they can understand in order to make timely decisions (Chauhan, 2007).
All human activities including agricultural such as farm production and marketing activities do face a number of constraints. Communication is one of the major impediments in agricultural activities. In fact, inadequacy of communication/information facilities among other infrastructure for agricultural activities may lead to rural/urban migration by farming household (Aigbeakaen et al., 2007). Making relevant knowledge and information available to farmers is still extremely poor in developing countries. The infrastructure, the hardware, the software, the people and the network are not well developed, used and managed (Fraol, 2009).
The information gap between the producers and the buyers or consumers makes one opportunistic over the other; mostly buyers on producers. Strategically located information boards found in both the consumer and producer markets and internet facility where available would greatly enhance access to information. It is the absence of this infrastructure that breeds exploitative tendencies by middlemen who prey on rural farmers’ ignorance and isolation (Moses, 2010).
With personal and face-to-face communication methods more amount of detailed information can be transmitted and they are limited in coverage. Mass media (electronic & print media) such as radio, TV and printed materials having relatively low cost are used to reach large number of people quickly, involve one-way communication from source to destination, provide limited and delayed feedback, play very important role for the farmers (Irfan et al., 2006).