EXTENT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS DETERMINANTS AMONG FARMERS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

P. ANILKUMAR¹*, V. NAGARAJAN NAIDU^2
1Department of Economics, His Highness Maharaja's University College, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 695034, Kerala, India
²Department of Economics, His Highness Maharaja's University College, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 695034, Kerala, India
* Corresponding Author : anilpdal@gmail.com

Received : 02-05-2020     Accepted : 21-05-2020     Published : 30-05-2020
Volume : 12     Issue : 10       Pages : 9865 - 9869
Int J Agr Sci 12.10 (2020):9865-9869

Keywords : Digital Literacy, Agriculture, Mass media, Extension services, Education
Academic Editor : V. S. Amritha, Dr H. V. Pandya, B.S. Khadda
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 695034, Kerala, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Information and communication technology (ICT) is being significantly used for rural development particularly for agriculture activities. The increased applications of ICT for information dissemination in agriculture development not only achieve the betterment of people engaged in agriculture activities but also the overall development of rural areas. In the present study, the level of access of various ICT media among farmers in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala were examined. Among the various media, farmers have greater access in print, mass media, extension services and mobile while their access to internet and agri portal services is very low. The access of ICT media is significantly higher among young and educated farmers. Overall, the regression model reveals that the variables viz. age, education level, digital literacy and possession of information media significantly influence the access to information among the farmers.

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