Information and Communication Technology in Agricultural Development: A Comparative Analysis of Three Projects from India

Abstract

"A study was conducted that examined the performance of three ICT projects in India. The projects have quite different origins and purposes, but all are concerned with improving the delivery of information to farmers and other rural dwellers. One project is managed by the government of Madhya Pradesh as part of an exploration of e-governance. A second project is run by sugar cooperatives (with some government support) in Maharashtra and attempts to expand services to growers. The third project is an experiment by a large private agricultural input supplier to provide information to farmers in Andhra Pradesh. The study describes the organization of each project; discusses the types of farmers involved and assesses their utilisation of the services; and looks at the backgrounds and performance of the functionaries who manage the projects. The projects studied varied with respect to the type of services provided, but these included marketing information, extension advice, information about rural development programmes, and other information from government and private sources."