My dear readers of Journal of Extension Education,
Wish you all a happy
and prosperous New Year!
With
widespread Internet access, the digital revolution is reaching every nook and
corner of countries such as India offering new opportunities in agriculture.
However, the rural digital divide is still a constraint, and the gap appears to
be widening with the introduction of new Internet technologies.
In
2015, FAO’s E-agriculture 10 Year Review Report on the implementation of the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of the Action Line C7. ICT
Applications: e-agriculture concluded that, while substantial progress has
been made in making ICTs available and accessible for rural communities,
challenges remain with respect to seven critical factors for success.
Success factor 1:
Content: Dissemination of information may be constrained if the nature of
information does not match farmers’ needs. Content should therefore be created
and adapted from reliable and trusted sources, including local languages and
taking into account the local contexts.
Success factor 2:
Capacity development: Capacities need to be strengthened at all levels to enhance digital
literacy by providing appropriate learning opportunities for
men, women and youth.
Success factor 3:
Gender and diversity: Women’s and youth’s
access to technology and equipment, as well as potential consequences for
social dynamics within communities, should be assessed
prior to project deployment in order to address ICT gaps. Gender
disaggregated data must be collected in projects and in national ICT related
statistics.
Success factor 4:
Access and participation: Collaboration and knowledge sharing in
agriculture should be fostered via communities of practice, in order to
showcase and promote models, methodologies and good practices, so as to achieve
effective and equitable use of ICTs for sustainable agriculture and rural
development.
Success factor 5:
Partnerships: Public-private
partnerships with a wide range of non-state actors such as small, local private
companies, local producer organizations and community-based NGOs should be
promoted for inclusive, affordable and sustainable ICT services and initiatives
in agriculture and rural development.
Success factor 6:
Technologies: Blended
approaches, such as a combination of mass media, and locally relevant
technologies selected on the basis of in-depth analysis of local needs and
existing information systems, should be adopted to increase the efficiency of
initiatives for ICT in agriculture.
Success factor 7:
Sustainability: Access to
mobile telephony, Internet and information in general should be possible, and
within the price range of the poor. Open
access policies and initiatives should be encouraged.
We need to put in to use
the aforementioned recommendations, specific to the success factors, in order
to effectively use ICTs for sustainable agricultural development.
From this year, we have
planned to carry the thesis abstracts in the field of agricultural
extension, in JEE’s online version. We
hope to continue to be an important channel for sharing extension literature.
Do send your feedback to editorextension@gmail.com.
JEE 30 (1)
D Puthira Prathap
Chief
Editor