Contextualizing Information Communication Technologies: Sociological Study of e-Choupal

Abstract

One of the important characteristics of the developing societies is the rural and subsistence agrarian economy. Agriculture, carried out by small land holders, face problems of technological and non-technological nature. Increase in marginal and small land holdings on one hand, and the withdrawal of state support to agricultural extension on the other hand is leading to unprecedented agrarian crisis in the country. Growing commercial and specialized nature of agriculture demands quick and technically sound advice, based on scientific analysis with appropriate marketing information. In this context, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have emerged as important means of agricultural information communication dissemination. It is considered that ICTs disseminate knowledge to farmers to make choices and reduce the information asymmetry. In this context, the present paper discusses the nature and form of ICT based agricultural extension services. It problematizes the socioeconomic and political embeddedness of the ICTs in delivering agricultural information. The proposed study attempts to critically understand how ICTs help overcoming the structural barriers, social, economic, political, cultural, in delivering agricultural information to farmers in general, and the small and marginal farmers belonging to the lower strata of society in particular.