Impact Analysis of ICT on Women in Agriculture: A Study Conducted in Jorhat District of Assam, India

Abstract

ICT led extension system is capable of changing farmers’ lives by improving access to information and sharing knowledge through click of a button. Such approaches are far more important and essential for women farmers who are overburdened and hard pressed for time. Realizing the ever increasing role of women in agriculture and the need for empowering them in technological domain, the present study was conducted to study the level of knowledge of Farm Women Knowledge Group (FWKG) members on different aspects of selected ICT tool, to find out the level of use of ICT tool by the FWKG members and to study the impact of intervention programmes on knowledge and use of selected ICT tool among the FWKG members. Rural women having farming as an occupation were selected purposively. Six Farm Women Knowledge Group (FWKG) comprising ten members each were formed for the study. Intervention programmes were conducted for the members of FWKG including awareness programme, training and workshop which were home based, farm based and community based Programmes. The study reveals that post intervention levels of knowledge and use of selected ICT were better than pre intervention level among the FWKG members. High level of knowledge increased from 20.00 per cent to 48.33 per cent whereas low level of knowledge decreased from 45.00 per cent to 6.66 per cent. Similarly in case of high level of use increased from 6.66 per cent to 48.33 per cent. Knowledge and use of selected ICT tool was positively related in both pre and post-intervention phase. Paired ‘t’ test implies that there was gain in knowledge after the intervention programmes. Similarly significant difference in use of selected ICT tool between the pre and post intervention was also found. It may be concluded that such interventions may increase the level of knowledge and use of selected ICT tool and such model may be replicated in other areas at micro level.