Application of ICT in Agriculture in India

In the context of agriculture, the potential of information & communication technology (IT) can be studied under broadly two outcomes viz. direct contribution to farm productivity and indirect contribution. The Precision farming is the result of direct contribution of agriculture technology for farm productivity.

The indirect tools help farmers to take informed and quality decisions which will have positive impact on the way agriculture and allied activities are conducted. Indian farmer urgently requires timely and reliable sources of information inputs for taking decisions. At present, the farmer depends on trickling down of decision inputs from conventional sources which are slow and unreliable. The changing environment faced by Indian farmers makes information not merely useful, but necessary to remain competitive.

The major ICT tools for agricultural sector include personal computers, mobile telephones and other telecommunication devices. ICT has many potential applications in delivering agricultural extension and can bring new information services to rural areas. ICT tools can help in meeting the challenges in agricultural development in the following ways:

• Agriculture Information, Awareness and Education using ICT.
• Advanced information about adverse weather condition, so that farmers can take precautionary measures.
• Real time and near real times pricing and market information.
• Information dissemination about various government schemes.
• Information regarding agrifinance, agriclinicls and agribusiness.
• Online Farmer Communities

Government Initiatives on ICT in agriculture

Key Government initiatives to promote use of ICT in agriculture include  National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A), various Touch Screen Kiosks, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Kisan Call Centres, Agri-Clinics, Common Service Centers, mKisan, Kisan TV and various other applications.