INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INAGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

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Role of IT in agriculture and rural development IT generally refers to computer and related technology
applications and mechanisms that promote access and utilization of a variety of digitized text and data resources. IT is potential vehicle through which information and knowledge may be shared. IT covers a full range of technologies and services designed to support in many fields- from natural resources and environment to planning and institutional development Agriculture plays a key role in determining the health of rural economic growth an environmental sustainability IT possess vast potential to improve agricultural

Title of India unveiled common minimum In 2004 the Govt

program (CMP) to reinforce the development policy . It reflected citizen's demands to focus on enviomnment , food security & employment. The 3 major policy objectives are increasing competitiveness of agricultural sector enhancing the environment and countryside

enhancing the quality of life in rural areas.

Intangible Knowledge
IT is information based and dynamic Hence it is an excellent way to deliver knowledge intensive management to agricultural sector. Knowledge is an information put to work; it requires an application IT can help to facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Farmers knowlege practices evolved over time form tacit information need a tool to aggregate them and provide access to farmers. Employing IT to make explicit use of such tacit information is an eg. of technology enhancement of transaction information This means knowledge creation and use within agriculture could be a breakthrough of monumental

Applications in agriculture.
Use of IT in agriculture has the potential for the achievement of sustainable agriculture development & food security in the 21st century. eg: use of IT to provide information on weather, scientific farming practices, market prices, reduce agricultural losses, forecast productivity, enhance production with proper vertical integration of the production centres. There are initiatives across the country to use IT extensively in agricultural administration research & development extension, marketing and managing farmers organization.

IT in agricultural extension
Agricultural extension through new IT tools can be more diversified, demand driven , knowledge intensive and thus more effective in meeting the farmer's information needs. uses of IT In meeting the farmer's needs are: 1) timely dissemination of agricultural information through online information services 2) education & training 3) monitoring & consultation 4) transaction & processing 5) access to agricultural information through databases established by Govt. and farmer's organizations. 6) facilitation of interaction among researchers, extension workers & farmers.

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question and answer services where experts respond to queries providing up to date information on subjects useful to farmers providing early warning signs about crop and livestock disease/ pest problems, natural disasters, mitigation measures.

IT use by farmers.
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Farmers & consumers are interested in technology as way to educate themselves and to access agri related information. The increasing demand for agri related information is an important part of this trend telephone inquiries of agri information through toll free agri call centres is gaining strength A modest commercial website i- kisan gets about 2 lakh hits a day with average visit length of a browser of about 30 mts. Initiatives like e- chaupal, i kisan , tarahaat, gyandoot, krishiworld etc are in the service of rural India each having its own concept & strategy.

e- chaupal
e- chaupal , an ITC initiative, brought Indian farmers in global network for knowledge and market intelligence. A typical farmers diary illustrate effectiveness of the internet Mr. Ravi Sham Chowdhary supervises the e- chaupal project at Tihi village of 2500 people in central India. He turns on his computer and logs into the website of the Chicago Board of Trade for the soybean commodity futures. A drop in prices on the Chicago Board could augur a drop in price here meaning that he and fellow soybean farmers should sell their crop. An in crease there argues that the farmers should wait for prices to rise. If it goes up there, it goes up here, and he experience

IT in agribusiness
Agribusinesses include all the private business oriented enterprises involved in the supply chain, extension & research support systems in agriculture. It includes all firms involved in the production , manufacture & distribution of farm equipment , storage & processing and distribution of value adding activities. The objective of agribusiness support is promote sustainable, profitable enterprises engaged in supply of agricultural inputs pruction, marketing , processing services of sgricultural products. Agri food and related industries are characterized by high growth rate and the number of supermarkets and hyper markets are also increasing.

 Rural development has to be seen in a broader context that also takes in to account the protection of the rural environment , the quality of produced food, and the attractiveness of rural areas. ICT can play a key role in meeting these challenges, heliping rural communities to help each other and with new , mainly urban markets. Cyberfarm created by Illinois farmers and local agribusiness managers ilustrate potential use of the IT for both farmers & business partners. ICTS present a means for the agri industry to respond to its core challenge to simultaneously meet customer's desire for diversity & choice; supermarket's demands for high quality and reliability.

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Agri food & related industries have considerable scope for adding ICT to their business models. E- choupal of ICT is a succesful model on these lines. In adapting to digital business methods, farmers as producer & small retailers may be able to achieve the efficienciy and offer distinctive marketing values that will enable them to prosper.

IT in value chain approach

Organised supply chain activity takes the form of supply chain with association from producers to end users with various intermediate levels in value addition. Institutions use value chain approach in connection to e business as it offers many possibilities to facilitate co operation along the supply chain. International organisations that provide such services are Agri chain competence centre PhAction Linking Farmers To Markets KLICT- Chain Networks Cluster & Information Communication Technology

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These agencies work as mediators between the business community, the knowledge sector, social organisations & the public sector to strengthen agricultural supply chains and help establish public private partnership. Additionally they support programs & projects with instruments such as seminars , training guidelines, best practices and a toolkit. ICTs enable increase the speed of information exchange in a chain. Recent crisis type events have increased the value of information in supply chains. Eg are classical swine fever, salmonella in pork and avian influenza in Europe.

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