Constraints Faced by Paddy Growers in Using Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

Paddy farmers' decision-making and productivity might be improved by the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture. Nevertheless, farmers face a number of obstacles that prevent efficient use of the many digital instruments that are available. Aims: A study on “Constraints faced by paddy growers in using ICTs” was conducted in Kaithal and Fatehabad district of Haryana, India. Study Design: Exploratory research design of the study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Extension Education and Communication Management, I.C. College of Community Science, Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, between October 2020 to December 2024. Methodology: This study was conducted in Haryana with a sample size of 240 paddy growers from six villages (40 from each village). Three villages from the Kalayat block and three villages from the Tohana block were selected randomly. The constraints faced by the paddy growers were studied. The Henry Garret Ranking Technique was adopted, as the preference of particular constraints of each category was different from respondent to respondent. Results: The result showed that in technical constraints rank 1st was given to ‘clarification of the message is difficult, if any doubt arises’ with Garrett score- 8782 for the Kaithal paddy growers and ‘reliability of the content cannot be understood’ rank 1st was given by the Fatehabad paddy growers with Garrett score- 9207. In terms of financial constraints rank 1st was given to ‘high cost of ICT gadgets like smartphones, computers etc.’ with Garrett scores- 9080 and 9155 in both Kaithal and Fatehabad paddy growers. In terms of personal constraints, the top rank was given to ‘insufficient training and practical exposure towards ICTs’ with a Garrett score- 9251 and 9124 respectively for Kaithal and Fatehabad paddy growers. In terms of social constraints the top score was given to ‘farmers getting confused with a lot of information obtained from the ICT with a Garrett score-8922 and 9286 for Kaithal and Fatehabad paddy growers, respectively. Conclusion: Perceived constraints faced by the paddy growers in the study area were clarification of the message is difficult if any doubt arises, the reliability of the content cannot be understood, high cost of ICT gadgets like smart phones, computers, etc, insufficient training and practical exposure towards ICTs.