Utilization of Digital and Communication Technologies (DCTs) in Agriculture by the Farmers

Abstract:

ABSTRACT
The present study explored farmers’ utilisation towards Digital and Communication Technologies (DCTs) in agriculture. Parbhani district was randomly selected from the Marathwada region of Maharashtra State for the study. Three talukas viz., Parbhani, Gangakhed and Purna from Parbhani district were selected randomly, and three villages from each talukas were selected randomly. From eactownge, fifteen respondents werchosened randomly. That respondent using a smartphone with internet facilities is available and engaged in agricultural operations. The constituting total sample size is 135. The Ex-post-facto research design was used for the study. A well-structured questionnaire designed for the study was used to collect the data from respondents through a personal interview method. The data collections from the respondents were edited tabula, ted and analyzed using suitable statistical tools like frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and pearsons coefficient of correlation. The study was noticed that utilization of digital communication technologies by the farmers. This part depicts the extent of use of DCT tools, Duration of use of DCT tools animportancent of purpose for thbenefitse of DCT tools. Thimportancent of use of Digital and Communication Technologies (DCT) tools by the farmers, i.e. 60.00 per cent were using DCT tools medium extent, followed by low extent 20.74 per cent and restoreth extent 19.26 per cent. The DCT tools used by farmers for 1 to 2 hours duration were, Smartphone 83.70 per cent, Agriculture mobile app 71.85 per cent, Television 38.51 per cent, What’s App and Youtuber 32.59 per cent, Instagram 25.92 per cent, Twitter 4.44 per cent, Computer and e-mail 2.96 per cent, Wikipedia, e-learning and Laptop 0.74 per cent. The purpose of ‘plant protection measurements’ by the farmers according to priority the DCT tools highly used was Television 100.00 per cent, Whats App 99.25 per cent, Agriculture mobile app and ssmartphone97.03 per cent, YoYoutube6.29 per cent, Facebook 88.88 per cent, Wikipedia 78.51 per cent, Web portal 60.74 per cent, Instagram 54.07 per cent, e-learning 36.29 per cent, mobile SMS service 31.11 per cent, etc.