Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Rural Women Farmers Through Mobile Technology in Kerala

Abstract

This research paper investigates the impact of mobile technology on empowering rural women farmers and promoting inclusive agricultural development. The primary emphasis is on how mobile technology enables rural women producers to become more self-reliant in agriculture, promotes market participation, strengthens social connections, facilitates socioeconomic integration, enhances rural quality of life, and fosters sustainable agricultural development. In addition, this study also analyses the influence of demographic factors on the use of mobile technology among rural women farmers. This study was carried out in Kerala, a renowned agricultural state in India. In Kerala, the Palakkad district is known to be the granary of Kerala due to the availability of fertile valleys, rivers, forests, and paddy fields. Data were collected from 192 rural women farmers from Palakkad via semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys, and focus group discussions (FGD). The data were analyzed using the paired t-test and Garratt ranking method. The results demonstrate that mobile technology markedly enhances access to agricultural information, market engagement, and social connectivity, resulting in greater empowerment for rural women farmers. Nonetheless, obstacles such as insufficient digital literacy and inadequate mobile infrastructure access persist as considerable impediments. The findings demonstrate the revolutionary potential of mobile phone use in bridging information gaps, empowering women farmers in rural areas, and advancing equitable agricultural development, as well as the barriers faced by rural women in using mobile technology.