Assessment of farmers' awareness of digital technologies for agricultural information access in Kangpokpi district of Manipur

Introduction

Agriculture remains the primary source of livelihood for a substantial proportion of India's rural population. Rapid advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have transformed the dissemination of agricultural information by enabling farmers to access realtime advisories related to crop production, weather forecasting, pest management, input availability, market prices, and government welfare schemes. Digital technologies including smartphones, mobile applications, internet portals, social media platforms, and online advisory services have become important tools for improving agricultural decision-making and enhancing farm productivity. The Government of India has launched several digital initiatives such as Digital India, e-NAM, mKisan Portal, Kisan Suvidha App, PM-Kisan Portal, Soil Health Card Portal and AgriStack to improve farmers' access to information and agricultural services. Despite these initiatives, awareness regarding these technologies remains inadequate among many farming communities, particularly in geographically isolated regions where poor internet connectivity, low digital literacy, and limited extension support continue to restrict effective utilization.

Manipur is predominantly an agrarian state where agriculture contributes significantly to rural livelihoods. Kangpokpi district, characterized by hilly terrain and scattered rural settlements, faces several challenges in information dissemination due to limited communication infrastructure. Farmers largely depend on conventional extension methods and interpersonal communication for obtaining agricultural information. Although smartphone ownership and internet accessibility have increased considerably during recent years, awareness regarding various digital agricultural technologies is still limited among many farmers. Assessment of farmers' awareness serves as the first step towards understanding the effectiveness of digital agricultural interventions. Awareness determines whether farmers recognize the existence, usefulness and applicability of available technologies before actual adoption occurs. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the level of awareness regarding digital technologies among farmers in Kangpokpi district of Manipur.

Methodology

The study followed a descriptive research design and was conducted in Manipur of kangpokpi district. three villages were selected randomly from which a total of 120 www.extensionjournal.com respondents were drawn through Randoms sampling. Data were collected through personal interviews using prestructured interview scheduled developed specially for the study. Each statement was scored on a three-point scale (Fully corrected = 3, Partially corrected = 2, Not corrected =1). Total awareness scores obtained by each respondent were summed and respondents were classified into low, medium and high awareness categories using the mean and standard deviation of the scores as class boundaries (Low: below Mean -SD; Medium: Mean ± SD; High: above Mean + SD). The data were presented in tabular form and interpreted scientifically.

Results and Discussion

A. Socio-economic profile of respondents

The socio-economic profile of the 120 respondents is presented in table 1.

Discussion

The results presented in Table 2 indicate considerable variation in farmers' awareness of different digital technologies. A majority of respondents were fully aware of commonly used technologies such as smartphones, WhatsApp groups, YouTube agricultural videos and mobile phones. The widespread use of these platforms may be attributed to their ease of operation, affordability and regular utilization for communication and information sharing. Awareness regarding mobile-based advisory services and weather information applications was also found to be satisfactory, reflecting the increasing dissemination of agricultural advisories through digital media. Farmers reported that these services assisted them in obtaining information on crop management, weather forecasts and pest control measures. Conversely, awareness regarding advanced digital platforms such as e-NAM, GIS applications, precision agriculture technologies, drones, artificial intelligence-based advisory systems and remote sensing tools was comparatively lower. Limited educational exposure, inadequate extension support, poor internet connectivity and insufficient practical demonstrations may have contributed to the lower awareness of these advanced technologies. These findings are in agreement with Sharma and Bhatnagar (2018) [6] , Naik and Patil (2020) [4] , Singh and Chauhan (2022) [7] , Patel et al. (2023) [5] , and Verma and Tiwari (2024) [8] , who reported that farmers generally possess higher awareness regarding commonly used ICT tools than sophisticated digital agricultural technologies.

Overall Awareness Level of Respondents

To obtain an overall assessment, the respondents were classified into three awareness categories using Mean and Standard Deviation.

Discussion

The overall awareness analysis revealed that the majority of respondents belonged to the medium awareness category, followed by the low awareness category, whereas comparatively fewer respondents exhibited high awareness regarding digital technologies for agricultural information access.

The predominance of the medium awareness category indicates that although farmers are becoming increasingly familiar with digital technologies, comprehensive knowledge regarding their effective utilization remains inadequate. This may be attributed to moderate educational status, inadequate www.extensionjournal.com digital literacy, poor internet infrastructure and limited participation in digital training programmes. The comparatively lower proportion of highly aware respondents suggests that only a limited number of farmers possess comprehensive knowledge regarding various digital agricultural platforms and online advisory services. Farmers with higher educational qualifications, better extension contact and greater exposure to mass media generally demonstrated relatively higher awareness levels. These findings corroborate those reported by Kumari and Prasad (2019) [3] , Balasubramanian and Velan (2021) [1] , Patel et al. (2023) [5] , and Verma and Tiwari (2024) [8] , who observed that medium awareness levels predominated among farming communities in India.

Conclusion

The study assessed the awareness level of farmers regarding digital technologies for agricultural information access in Kangpokpi district of Manipur. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents possessed a medium level of awareness, indicating that digital technologies are gradually becoming familiar among farmers, but their comprehensive understanding remains limited. Farmers exhibited relatively higher awareness regarding smartphones, WhatsApp groups, YouTube agricultural videos and mobile-based advisory services. However, awareness regarding advanced digital agricultural technologies such as e-NAM, artificial intelligence, drones, remote sensing and precision agriculture tools was comparatively low.

The study emphasizes the need for strengthening digital literacy programmes, improving rural internet infrastructure, organizing regular farmer training programmes and increasing extension support to enhance awareness regarding modern digital technologies. These interventions will improve farmers' access to agricultural information and ultimately contribute to enhanced agricultural productivity and rural development.

References

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