Making Information Technology Work For Agriculture in India

Despite a rapid growth in its information communication technology sector, the digital divide in India is getting wider. Using IT in the agricultural sector is one solution to help reduce poverty in India and bridge the digital divide. Script: Satellite dishes are nothing new to the Indian landscape. For years now, high-tech parks have been springing up all over the country. India’s Information and Communication Technology sector now employs about 800000 people, and this is expected to rise to two million by the year 2008. Nevertheless, the digital divide is getting wider instead of narrower. Roughly two-thirds of Indias workforce is found in agriculture. But it is weighed down by poverty, poor infrastructure and small unproductive farms. Panna Lal Madhab, farmer (in Hindi): “I have a lot of problems. I grow wheat and soy. But I have no knowledge of the weather, seeds, and pesticides. Whatever crops we take to the market we are cheated.” ITC limited of India, a major exporter of agricultural products, decided to take the knowledge that was concentrated in Indias dynamic information technology sector and plant some new ideas among Indias farmers. Using echoupals or internet kiosks, farmers were given access to weather reports, information on crop market prices and advice on modern growing techniques. Mr. Srinivas Rao, New Initiatives Division, ITC: “Now we find a situation where hes able to choose when to sell his produce, at what price to sell his produce and what makes …
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