Abstract:
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enhance the per acre yield of crops through new and advance information processes. It is link between the agriculture extension department and farmers. Extension workers help farmers to adopt improved agricultural practices and rural development. These technologies enabled the farmers to acquire information in urgency and empowered farmers in taking timely decision in challenging situations. In addition, farmers can inquire about profitable agricultural markets and enquiring about highest price for their produce. Hence, the objective behind the study was to investigate recent trends and future of these information and communication technologies in respect to extension activities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa namely Mardan, Swat, and Haripur were selected by using multi stage sampling technique. Therefore, farmers of these three districts were the population of the study. In total, 400 farmers of these three districts were selected as sample size and data were gathered by pre-tested and finally validated interview schedule and then analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Maximum (34.5%) of the total respondents have age between 36 and 45 years and almost26% of the sampled respondents had not acquired any formal education. More than one fourth (29.5%) of respondents had landholding of 6 to 10 acres, about 64.5% of respondents were owner cultivator, and 87.5% respondents have agriculture as major income source. Less than half (i.e. 40%) respondents have the farming experiences ranging from 21 up to 30 years and 55% of overall respondents were familiar with ICTs, 56.2% of sampled respondents had mobile, nearly 22.5% respondents had a ICT tool i.e. telephone, about 52.8% of them possessed television, and the 9.8% owned radio. Majority of respondents (68.5%) stated about extension agents as their source of farming information followed by fellow farmers (59.5%), internet (27.5%), and mobile (17.5%). The results indicated that 30% of the respondents reported mobile, 18.8% reported internet whereas 10.5% reported television as useful ICT tool in emergency. Almost half of the respondents were uncertain regarding encouraging effects of ICTs whereas 14.2% of farmers agreed regarding promising effects of ICT tools on agricultural productivity. The findings further revealed that 38.8%, 27%, 45.5%, and 31.2% of total farmers agreed about usefulness of ICTs in building awareness, providing new information, providing weather updates and providing emergency news, respectively. Moreover, 44.5%, 22.2% and 18.8% of the sampled respondents reported non-availability of ICT tools, unawareness and lack of training respectively while 14.5% of the respondent's reported language used as the problems faced in using ICT tools. Chi-square analysis revealed that both age of the sample respondents and their literacy status have significant association with their ownership and knowledge of ICT tools. Similarly, statistically highly significant difference was found regarding farmers’ perception regarding effect of mobile, telephone, television and radio on agricultural production. These results conclude that younger and literate respondents in research area were familiar with ICTs. Hence, it is recommended that extension department is essential to build awareness on the usage of ICTs about the farmers. The extension department needs to launch an ICT program in order to communicate agricultural information to the farmers. Content of the information needs to be transmitted in local language so that illiterate or less literate farmers could utilize it. Department of extension should aware farmers about existence of tele centers established in the provincial directorate so that they can be benefitted from this service.
Page(s):
156-157
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: 1st International Conference on "Recent Advances in Green Biotechnology and Climate Resilience", September 15-16, 2025, Volume: 1, Issue: 1, Year: 2025