ICT In Agriculture Research Articles

Digital Agriculture using advanced ICT and Agricultural Information Systems- The general and financial aspects in Indian Context

"Agricultural Informatics is a modern and interdisciplinary field of practice and study. It has incorporated from the information technologies, basic technologies and various aspects of agriculture, and horticulture. Agricultural Informatics sometimes refereed as ICT in Agriculture, Agricultural Information Systems, Agro Information Technology, etc, It is dedicated in transforming agriculture sector supported by information driven systems which are supported by ICT). Agro Informatics is responsible in delivering as well as accessing information. The applications in Agro Informatics in agriculture enhancing agriculture production, nationally and internationally and as a result new practicing concepts been developed called Digital Agriculture and Smart Agriculture. In addition to basic Information Technologies Agricultural Informatics is also supported by different other emerging sub components such as Big Data, Data Analytics, Cloud and Virtualization, Internet of Things, Wireless network with Converged Network, Usability and HCI, UXD, Sensor and Multimedia Systems. Different economical and financial issues are alarming and growing internationally in respect of Agriculture and environment. A proper Agro Informatics practices can lead the development a healthy and sophisticated agricultural systems, and proper applications helps in reaching the status of Digital Agriculture and Smart Farming supported by government, administration, universities, agricultural institutes and associations. This paper highlights the basics of Agro Informatics and Financial aspects related to the Smart Agriculture in Indian context. As a review based work existing works complied and reported here."

Understanding the relationship and determinants of farmers knowledge on ICT in agriculture

Understanding the relationship and determinants of farmers knowledge on ICT in agriculture

TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE (WIA) EXTENSION OFFICERS IN KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

The study analysed the training needs of Women in Agriculture (WIA) extension officers in Kano State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to purposively select two local government areas (LGAs) from the three agro-ecological zones in Kano based on the intensity of the WIA officers, making a total of six LGAs for the study. From the six LGAs, 74 WIA officers were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires and analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and the mean. Results revealed that the average age of the women was 34 years, 56.8% were married, and the average household size was 9 people. 50.0% of the respondents had secondary school education and averaged 8 years of working experience as extension agents. The study further revealed that the majority of the women (95.9%) received training on crop production technology and (64.9%) on marketing agricultural commodities. It was also revealed that the WIA needs training on livestock production and disease control, ICT in agriculture, and fish farming. Conclusively, WIA officers competently perform their job in the demonstration of improved technologies and the dissemination of information. It is therefore recommended that women extension officers be trained and provided with training facilities based on their requirements.

Information and communication technology in agriculture: awareness, readiness and adoption in the Kingdom of Bahrain

PurposeInformation and communication technologies (ICT)-presented technological developments, such as soil sensors, remote sensing, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, have shown the potential to increase crop output and quality while consuming fewer resources and having a smaller environmental impact. The first step in ushering in a new era of technological advancement in the agricultural sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain is evaluating how prepared farmers and farm owners are to adopt these technologies. Therefore, the current study examines how ICT are prepared, accepted and adopted in agriculture in the Kingdom of Bahrain.Design/methodology/approachThe study's goals were attained by using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A survey was created to learn more about the present state of ICT usage in agriculture, including its awareness, readiness, acceptance and adoption. To strengthen the conclusions and investigate the current situation related agricultural behavior, production and the use of information technology (IT) to support agriculture in the chosen farms, four exploratory field visits were made. Additionally, a strength-weakness-opportunities-threat (SWOT)-threat, opportunities, weakness, strength (TOWS) analysis was performed to evaluate the Kingdom of Bahrain's readiness and long-term plans for implementing ICT in agriculture. On the basis of secondary data, survey data and interview findings, SWOT-TOWS were created.FindingsThe findings revealed insufficient knowledge and awareness about ICT in agriculture. Despite the high level of digital infrastructure readiness in Bahrain, farmers are not ready to adopt sophisticated devices and complex applications such as crop sensing tools, the internet of things (IoT) and AI; however, there is a strong acceptance among farmers to implement new ideas and agriculture approaches.Originality/valueThe Arabian Gulf Countries, which are characterized by an arid environment, sporadic vegetation, weak soil and a lack of water supplies and arable land, have few studies that explore the crucial role of ICT in growing the agricultural sector. Considering the influence of ICT on the provision of more productive agriculture in a challenging and complicated environment, the study contributes to the body of knowledge by conducting an empirical investigation that addresses an urgent issue. The study is considered one of the few in the countries of the Arabian Gulf to address this subject.

ICT application for promotion of integrated farming system

ICT is an umbrella term that includes communication devices like computer, mobile phone, radio, television, network hardware, satellite system etc. as well as services like audio and video call, text and multimedia messages. During first decade of twenty- first century, there had been spurt in experimentation of ICT in agriculture by the government, private, co-operative and non-government organizations (NGOs). The initiatives gave mixed result of success and failures. The initial challenges like lack of power back up, poor connectivity, high cost, lack of computer literacy and absence of digital content are disappearing at a faster rate. The growth in network infrastructure, cloud computing, decreasing price of computer and mobile phone and digital literacy have increased the internet access. The present-day initiatives involve multiple channels like web, mobile app, SMS and IVR in multiple languages. At the same time the gamut of information has been increasing from crop specific information to value chain information. The emergence of social media has opened new vista for agricultural extension through which two-way information in multimedia format can be exchanged at virtually no cost. These technologies can effectively be used for promotion of IFS. However, the response of research and extension system is not very encouraging. The extension professionals should gear up to develop technical competence and exposure so that content could be developed as per channel and in local language of the clients. The frontier technologies like sensor based diagnostic equipments, remote sensing and GIS, GPS technology as well as robotics and drone in agriculture are poised to change the landscape of agricultural extension.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR OF NEPAL

Scaling-up of modern ICT tools produces an avenue to use ICT in the dissemination of agriculture information. To successfully apply ICT-based information for the prime development of sustainable agriculture, understanding the factors affecting the use of ICT in agriculture information is valuable. This study tried to analyze the socio-economic factors that influence the application of ICTs amongst farmers of the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Altogether, three villages, which are also declared and enlisted under smart villages by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology, and Land Management of Lumbini province, were purposely selected for this study. Data were collected from randomly selected 145 respondents from Devdaha, Omsatiya and Tilotama villages, of which 95 were ICT user farmers and 50 of them were non-users of ICT. A binary probit model was used for its statistical analysis. Social, economic, and institutional factors were explored as the major factors affecting the use of ICT among farmers in the delineated study area. Farm size, sex, and income were explored as positive and significant factors that influence the use of ICT in agriculture. The governmental policies including ICT tools in extension methodologies were found at an inadequate level. Moreover, the present ICT tools assessed inappropriate in the existing market that didn't address the real needs of farmers were the major constraints of using ICT tools in agriculture in the study area. Factors and reasons explored through this study should be internalized by concerned stakeholders as input while forming their policy or implanting ICT-related activities in forthcoming technological generations.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPLICATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR OF NEPAL

Scaling-up of modern ICT tools produces an avenue to use ICT in the dissemination of agriculture information. To successfully apply ICT-based information for the prime development of sustainable agriculture, understanding the factors affecting the use of ICT in agriculture information is valuable. This study tried to analyze the socio-economic factors that influence the application of ICTs amongst farmers of the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Altogether, three villages, which are also declared and enlisted under smart villages by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology, and Land Management of Lumbini province, were purposely selected for this study. Data were collected from randomly selected 145 respondents from Devdaha, Omsatiya and Tilotama villages, of which 95 were ICT user farmers and 50 of them were non-users of ICT. A binary probit model was used for its statistical analysis. Social, economic, and institutional factors were explored as the major factors affecting the use of ICT among farmers in the delineated study area. Farm size, sex, and income were explored as positive and significant factors that influence the use of ICT in agriculture. The governmental policies including ICT tools in extension methodologies were found at an inadequate level. Moreover, the present ICT tools assessed inappropriate in the existing market that didn't address the real needs of farmers were the major constraints of using ICT tools in agriculture in the study area. Factors and reasons explored through this study should be internalized by concerned stakeholders as input while forming their policy or implanting ICT-related activities in forthcoming technological generations.

Smart Farming for Smart Future of Agriculture

The domestication of animals and plant cultivation through the adoption of systematic farming practices, as well as the green revolution brought on by the invention of chemical fertilizers and the introduction of hybrid varieties a few decades ago, are just a few of the revolutions that have occurred in agriculture. Now it is the phase of agriculture revolution 4.0 triggered by the exponentially increased use of ICT in agriculture. The smart farming with the help of ICT technologies could bring out possible solution to the challenges faced in agriculture sector that includes lack of resources, climate change etc. The objective of the present investigation was to compare the yield and nutrient requirement (NPK) for cultivating sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) under smart farming and farmer’s practice as a field trial in a farmer’s plot at Nedumangad block of Thiruvananthapuram district. Under smart farming practice, the agro advisory for cultivating the crop was given through SMS to the farmers in every ten days’ interval. The advisory was generated based on the field’s real-time weather parameters, crop stage, and initial soil analysis. Results revealed that smart farming plots recorded higher yields with lower nutrient application. This technology can be replicated in any crop including rice.

Science behind user friendliness of agricultural mobile apps: A study on readability

With the virtual world buzzing with heavy information load, it is often confusing for 21st century users to decide which information is needful for them. The information givers in order to attract audience, views and make profit margins dump irrelevant information. As a results, users often end up receiving wrong information or even misinterpreting or not comprehending the information. Agriculture sector has not remained untouched by this heavy inflow of information through ICT. The need for right information at right time and at right place is of prime importance in this sector for better and quick decision making by different stakeholders. The introduction of ICT in agriculture in form of mobile phones resulted in shrinking the information gap. The present study was carried out in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand in 2019 to analyse the readability scores of three different mobile apps, viz. Plantix, Kisan Suvidha and Apni Kheti launched by three different organizations and compare them. The results reveal that overall readability score of agricultural apps calculated using Gunning Fog Index is 10.77. The individual average GFI scores of Plantix, Kisan Suvidha and Apni Kheti are 11.27, 11.16 and 9.88, respectively, indicating moderate difficulty level when we take into consideration the end users reading level, who are mostly farmers in this case. The ultimate aim of launching mobile apps in agriculture will be fulfilled directly or indirectly if we take into consideration the readability of the apps along with focusing on user’s reading level.

E-Agriculture Framework to Improve Agricultural Productivity: Literature Review

The agricultural sector is increasingly becoming knowledge-intensive as farm automation is significantly improving the productivity of these farms. High-tech developments in agriculture offer vast possibilities for entrepreneurs, agriculturalists, and investors to ameliorate the productivity and efficiency of agriculture at a time when several issues, such as drought, emerging diseases, fertilizer dependency, and global warming, are threatening food security. While there have been significant innovations and increased adoption of ICTs in agriculture, it is arguable that this has not been reflected in agricultural productivity as much. In improving agricultural output, farmers need access to timely, accurate, relevant, and consumable information in relation to their farming activities. In this regard, this paper seeks to identify and demonstrate the role of digital applications in improving agricultural productivity and output, and to review the E-agriculture frameworks supporting the design and development of these digital solutions for improving agricultural productivity.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT): A CASE OF BADULLA & NUWARA ELIYA POTATO FARMING COMMUNITY, SRI LANKAFACTORS AFFECTING THE UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT): A CASE OF BADULLA & NUWARA ELIYA POTATO FARMING COMMUNITY, SRI LANKA

ICT upgrades farmer knowledge thus, enhancing overall production and marketing aspects in agricultural systems. However, transferring traditional farmers into new technologies in developing countries is a significant challenge. At present, there have been many ICT tools introduced to farmers in Sri Lanka. Thus, the central question is whether the agro-community is constructively utilizing these different ICT tools. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the factors which affect the overall usage of ICT tools of potato farmers in Sri Lanka and their perception of future use of ICT. Primary data was collected from 241 farmers randomly in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya Districts using a pre-tested questionnaire. Correlation analysis was deployed to elicit the relationship between selected socio-economic factors of the farmer and the number of ICTs those farmers have utilized. Results revealed education level (p<0.05, r = 0.659), average monthly farm income (p<0.1, r = 0.352) and number of crops cultivated (p<0.05, r = 0.851) by farmer were positive and significant with the number of ICT appliances used by the potato farmer. Age (p<0.05, r = -0.7432) and years of experience engaged in agricultural activities (p<0.05, r = -0.254) were negative and significant with the number of ICT appliances used by the potato farmer. Further, 60% of farmers have used the internet once a week to gather agriculture-related information. Another, 13% have used GPS and only 1% have used e-mail. Even though there have been numerous ICT tools, still ICT literacy of local farmers was still not up to a satisfactory level. This implied Sri Lankan agriculture sector is not fully utilizing ICT in agriculture. Perhaps changing the way or mode of delivering ICT tools may cause a positive influence in agriculture. Rather than focusing on advanced ICT appliances and tools, it is recommended to exploit the full potential of current ICT appliances and tools to disseminate vital information. Consideration of farmer accessibility of different ICT appliances and tools is much important to decide the next step of agriculture modernization in Sri Lanka.

Adoption of ICT-in-Agriculture Innovations by Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Agricultural development is a powerful tool for raising incomes for deprived population in developing countries, such as Kenya and to support livelihoods by ensuing food security. This has seen the agricultural sector position itself as an engine for sustainable development and economic growth in Kenya. However, the profile of the farming community in Kenya is mainly female smallholders who are illiterate and that practice traditional farming methods. Therefore, there is urgent need to examine emerging digital tools that can support these farmers, and to adopt these tools accordingly to meet their farming needs. In this regard, this paper seeks to explore the willingness and ability of these smallholder farmers to accept and adopt ICT-in-agriculture innovations towards supporting their farm operations, improving their farm productivity, and providing readily and accessible market for their produce. Specifically, this study identifies the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ decision on ICT innovations adoption in agriculture, and examines how these factors are perceived by smallholder farmers on adoption of ICT innovations. The study was carried out in Siaya County, Kenya with sample population of 100 smallholder farmers. A simple random sampling was used, with questionnaires used to collect data. The findings from this study indicate cost, illiteracy, ICT skills, quality of the information and gender as some of the key factors that influence smallholder farmers’ choice and decision on ICT-in agriculture innovations to adopt.

Assessment on Consequences and Benefits of the Smart Farming Techniques in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka

ICT in agriculture (e-Agriculture) is an emerging field focused on improving agricultural production and rural development. The study was aimed to identify the consequences, promotion and benefits of farmer community towards the e-agriculture. Therefore, primary data were collected from the randomly selected 1580 farmers by means of a well-designed questionnaire survey during the period of February to April, 2019. The demographic characteristics of the farming community showed that only 5.1% of respondents were illiterate in this area. According to the study, 36.1% of respondents used telephone as ICT tool for agriculture.0% of respondents used any ICT tools. Consequences index (CI) ranged from 114 to 586, where 114 indicated that the farmers strongly disagreed that there would be some consequences by not using ICT and 586 indicated that the farmers accepted that they would suffer in the future by not using ICT in their agricultural activities. Promotion measures index (PMI) ranged from 508 to 618, where 508 indicated the farmers’ response on the provision of a computer, Internet access, and technician to each village was comparatively less whereas 618 indicated that the farmers accept the provision of incentives and finance may promote the use of ICT by a greater extent. Benefits of usage index (BUI) ranged from 86 to 140, where 86 indicated that the response of farmers on the option “cheaper” was less and 140 indicated that the farmers accepted the use of ICT in Agriculture helps them to acquire timely information related to their particular agricultural activities. Limiting factors index (LFI) ranged from 100 to 454, where 100 indicated that a high number of farmers strongly disagreed on “no perceived economic benefit” by using ICT and 454 indicated that a high number of farmers accept that the lack of training is the main limiting factor of using ICT in their agricultural activities.

Challenges and opportunities of information and communication technologies for dissemination of agricultural information in Ethiopia

This review paper analyses the challenge and opportunities of information and communication technologies for dissemination of agricultural information in Ethiopia. Understanding the challenges and opportunities of information and communication technologies enables to solve the problem of information problem to smallholder farmers. The data was collected, assessed and reviewed from recent secondary data sources from Central statistical agency, and scholarly articles published on the issue of information and communication technology in agriculture (ICT 4 Ag).Compared to the other sector like governance, health and education sectors, ICT-adoption in the agricultural sector has started relatively late in Ethiopia. Even though it is in infant stage, there are many agricultural ICT related service and application in Ethiopia. The current radical penetration of ICTs like mobile phone, website, social media and other internet/online services brings an immense prospect to farmers to create, share, store, process, interpret and preserve agricultural information and knowledge. ICT related agricultural extension system is the solely choice for dissemination of agricultural knowledge and information. Ethiopia is the country which has more than 65000 extension personnel for agricultural extension. But this extension system is not sustainable since it is very costly and inefficient. Thus, agricultural extension policy and intervention should focus on ICT based extension system.

Situational Analysis of Knowledge and Use of ICT in Agriculture and Allied Sectors

Situational Analysis of Knowledge and Use of ICT in Agriculture and Allied Sectors

A Dive into the AgriTech World: Technologies and Adoption Incentives

In this column, rather than taking a trip to a geographical location, the author explore the world of AgriTech, shedding light on the currently available technology assets and on some of the hurdles any technology transfer initiative in this domain is facing, slowing down adoption of ICT in agriculture. Through this journey the author will therefore at first take a look at the landscape of technology enablers supporting the vision of an upcoming fourth agricultural revolution, while in the second part the author will juxtapose a picture of what the world of potential adopters looks like, identifying what are the adoption showstoppers.

Acceptance of ICT in Agricultural Sector in the Republic of North Macedonia

The agricultural industry is very important part of each economy. The main driver of global demand for agricultural products over the next decade will be increasing of population. The fact that the agriculture has to meet the growing needs of food production makes this sector very essential. However, intensifying of food production is more difficult nowadays because of the great impact of climate change, water scarcity and enlarging of land deficiency. The urgent need for increased farm production on less land with less water through further intensification is, therefore, very important. The research related to the acceptance of ICT in Agricultural Sector in Macedonia was done using literature review and semi structured interviews. A total of 40 (forty) Macedonian agricultural companies were invited to participate on this study. The results from this study revealed that three different components such as lack of awareness about the benefits, maturity of new technology including costs and lack of trainings and operational knowledge have been identified as challenges for the acceptance of ICT in Agriculture in Macedonia. For each component, the critical factors that are influencing the acceptance of ICT were identified. In conclusion, based on the research findings, a groundwork structure for ICT acceptance has been developed for Macedonian agricultural sector, which will help the agricultural stakeholders and ICT providers to determine the best way to move forward

Use of Information and Communication Technology ICT in Agriculture to Uplift Small Scale Farmers in Rural Pakistan

The research was conducted to determine the agricultural information needs of the rural farmers and to provide a solution to access this information in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Pakistan. The research was conducted in Ten (10) Villages of different districts of KPK and a number of 460 respondents were selected for study, the study was conducted through a survey method, Face to Face interviews, focus group discussion and farmer meetings, data was collected and analyzed through descriptive statistics, percentage, frequency tables. The results indicated that most of the respondents (34.78%) fall in age group between 41-50 years, it is also found that the first preferred source of information of the farmers is fellow farmers (37.39%) following by Radio (29.13%), Major barriers to access modern information systems is high illiteracy (39.43%) and non-availability of local information centers (36.08%). During the study, a large of the number of farmers acknowledged that they are not familiar with modern practices of agriculture because they are not facilitated with new technologies to access agricultural information; as a result, they are not using such techniques and relying on traditional ways. The research study also identified that due to the highly localized nature of information and several barriers this is very essential to equip rural farmers with updated information through use of (ICT) to enhance production and improve their livelihood.

Survey of ICT knowledge based Agriculture Development System

<p>E-agriculture gives to applying new things to use ICTs in the country, with the main heart on agricultural. ICT in Agriculture provides a wide range of solutions to some farming ideas. The rising field focuses on the development of agricultural and rural advance through improved information and communication. This time, ICT is used as around all information and communication developments including Android mobiles, IOT devices, communication networking devices, web services; this variety from original Internet-era technologies and sensors to other pre-accessible aids such as TV, satellites, and radios. This technique continues to evolve in scope as new ICT applications continue to be harnessed in the agriculture industries. It involves the concept, development, design, application, and evaluation of novel ways to use ICTs in the rural domain, with the main focus on cultivation. This includes principles, norms, methods, and apparatus as well as the growth of personality and institutional capacity, and policy hold is all key mechanism of e-agriculture.</p>

G空間情報を活用した農業の情報化とビークルロボット

G空間情報を活用した農業の情報化とビークルロボット