Socio-Economic Profile of KVK Staff and Farmers for Utilization of ICT Tools in Central Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

The study was conducted in Central Uttar Pradesh to know the socio-economic characteristics of KVK staff and farmers. Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh districts were selected purposively because these districts are nearer to Lucknow. The respondents selected for the study include 37 KVK staff from 5 KVKs and 175 farmers from 5 villages of 5 districts. The study's findings revealed that the majority of KVK staff (65%) were aged between 35 to 47 years, 78 per cent were male and 70 per cent were belonging to the general category. 74 per cent of KVK staff hold doctorate degrees and 70 per cent were Subject Matter Specialists. Moreover, 62 per cent had 6-15 years of work experience, 68 per cent had an annual income between 6-10 lakhs, and 52 per cent had ICT training. Among the farmers, 60 per cent were between 31 to 47 years old, and 77 per cent were male. Half of (50%) the farmers belonged to the SC/ST category, and about one-third (31%) had educational qualifications up to the intermediate level. Nearly half (46%) lived in mixed houses, while 72 per cent lived in joint families with 74 per cent having large family sizes. 35 per cent had land holdings up to 2.5 acres, 93 per cent engaged in farming as their occupation and 50 per cent had an annual income between 1-2 lakhs. Additionally, 48 per cent held membership in one organization. For information purposes, the majority of farmers used computers/laptops (63%), farm magazines (61%), and newspapers (60%). For entertainment, (48%) used the radio and 37 per cent watched TV.