E-Readiness: Its Relational Perspectives with Profile of Extension Functionaries

Abstract

ICT can play an important role in some of the important areas especially agricultural extension activities, promoting market-led extension, sustainable agriculture development and participatory researches in extension services, are Information technology can help by enabling the extension workers to gather, store, retrieve and disseminate a broad range of information needed by farmers, thus transforming the extension workers into knowledge workers. There are many factors that contribute to the e-readiness of a nation, but it is important to determine through data-based investigations the factors that actually contribute to the e-readiness progress of a nation, particularly in the developing countries. An attempt has been made to study the variables influencing the e-readiness at the individual and the institutional level of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Uttar Pradesh. Functionaries of the KVKs were selected as respondents of the study based on the whole enumeration method. Variables like experience, innovation proneness, organisational climate and decision-making pattern were found to be correlated with the overall institutional e-readiness of KVKs. The variables age, job performance and mass media exposure were found to be highly correlated with e-readiness as compared to others variables. It was found that less experienced and young professionals are more e-ready compared to old and experienced professionals. Job satisfaction was found to be a more influencing variable having positive significant correlation with ereadiness of NGO KVK professionals. Variables like age, experience, job satisfaction, job performance, organisational climate, decision-making pattern and mass media exposure were correlated with the overall individual e-readiness of KVK respondents.