Role of ICTs in Rural Development with Reference to Changing Climatic Conditions

Abstract

Rural Development forms an important agenda of the Government. However, the application of ICT in the Rural Development sector has been relatively slow. The main reasons for this are poor ICT infrastructure in rural areas, poor ICT awareness among agency officials working in rural areas and local language issues. Agriculture is an important sector with more than 70% of the Indian population living in rural areas and earns its live hood by agriculture and allied means of income. The sector faces major challenges of enhancing production in a situation of dwindling natural resources necessary for production. The growing demand for agricultural products, however, also offers opportunities for producers to sustain and improve their livelihoods. Information and communication technologies (ICT) play an important role in addressing these challenges and uplifting the livelihoods of the rural poor. ICT offers an opportunity to introduce new activities, new services and applications into rural areas or to enhance existing services. ICTs can play a significant role in combating rural and urban poverty and fostering sustainable development through creating information rich societies and supporting livelihoods. If ICTs are appropriately deployed and realize the differential needs of urban and rural people, they can become powerful tools of economic, social and political empowerment. The role of ICTs under climate change situation can be explored based on the linkages that exist between ICTs as a system component and its ability to withstand & its ability to recover and to change under changing climatic conditions. In rural communities of developing countries, with limited capacities and resources to respond to the effects of extreme natural hazards, drought, landslides, floods, and to the impacts of these events on local social systems (e.g. health, infrastructure, transportation, migration), ICT tools (the potential of telecentres for disaster preparedness and response) are emerging as an area of increasing interest.