Impact Of ICT On Productivity, Market Access, And Risk Management In Agriculture

Abstract

The great potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to change agriculture is limited by low adoption rates in limited resources places. This mismatch reduces farmers' market access, maximizes output, and restricts good farm management. To close this gap, this study investigates the influence of ICTs on farm management, product marketing, and overall advantages for farmers in Telangana, India. A descriptive research design with a survey methodology was used, with 80 farmers chosen through a convenience sampling method. According to data analysis, the majority of respondents were between the ages of 35 and 55 and had completed secondary school. The majority of participants had fewer than ten acres of land and grew cotton and soybeans. Drones were the most commonly used ICT application, followed by smartphone apps and precision farming techniques. After using ICTs, a sizable percentage (61.3%) reported no change in farm productivity, whereas 27.5% saw gains. In a similar vein, the majority (86.3%) reported steady income, with only a small minority (6.3%) claiming a rise.  Limitations were highlighted by the poor (67.5%) ICT utilization for market access. Nonetheless, a significant positive connection (p-value = 0.000) was discovered between the use of ICT and climate change risk management. Farmers cited enhanced decision-making (35.0%) and increased market access (51.2%) as the two main possible advantages of ICTs. These results indicate that although ICT use is rising, its effects on income and productivity are still uneven. To optimize the potential advantages for resource-poor farmers, further work is required to close the digital gap, increase access to ICTs, and better their incorporation into farming methods.