RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA THROUGH AGRICULTURE INTRODUCTION The contribution of Information and Communication Technology [ICT] to national development

has been steadily increasing since early 1990s. Notwithstanding the series of revolutions leading to national food security and increased availability of milk, fruits, vegetables, fish & other produce the agricultural sector is facing the challenges of diminishing land resources, increasing biotic & abiotic stresses, indicators of factor productivity decline, threatened loss of bio-diversity, natural resource shrinkage and degradation, climate change, do intensifying competition [costs and quality] in international trade, widening economic inequality etc. Further Indian agriculture has come under significant adjustment pressure from market liberalization and globalization. Changing consumer preferences and emphasis on food quality & safety have added to the complexities of adjustment. Recent evidence shows that farmers, including smallholders are gradually shifting their production portfolios in favour of high value commodities, and are willing to take high risks. But they are confronted with a host of constraints like high transaction costs in acquiring resources, marketing of tiny marketable surplus. Farmers need reliable & timely information about best practices of production, processing, marketing input & output prices, financial markets & risk covering institutions. It is comprehensible that on the one hand agriculture is becoming highly science driven and knowledge intensive, but on the other hand the existing public extension system, has become outdated & ineffective in spite of the fact that it has been a catalyst in successfully heralding the Green Revolution in the country. This is partly due to an inadequate use of new means of information dissemination and also due to inadequate resources. The public extension systems follows a top-down approach and has become less interactive, more time-consuming and costly and fails to meet the expectations of those involved in the agricultural production and others involved in the value chain. To fill this gap, private initiatives have come up but largely with commercial interests. Therefore, a new extension system re-oriented to meet the information needs of the farmers should be put in place across the country. The new information-intensive extension system has to be more diversified, technology-friendly and demand-driven, to encourage the integration of enterprises like livestock, horticulture & fisheries in the farming systems. To perform this broad based role, various information channels are being tried to reach farmers & rural poor. LITERACY TOWARDS SCIENTIFIC APPROACH More subject matter coverage: Able to disseminate Knowledge intensive information like market intelligence, weather forecast, post harvest processing etc.

Decision support: Can provide alternative solutions to a set of problematic situations/scenarios and thereby improve the quality of decision making. Direct access of information: Help overcoming the problems of multi-step distortions. Minimise time & distance barriers: Can virtually link the national and global knowledge systems and can break organizational working hour barriers. Empower rural intermediary organizations: Enhance the capacity of local governments, local extension service centres, farmers unions/associations, NGOs, community radio stations, agro-processors, agricultural input providers, rural credit organizations, etc.

Extensive use of modern information technology will be promoted for communication between researchers, extension workers and farmers to transfer technologies and information in a cost effective manner. FOUR PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Research, education, extension and training are considered as four pillars of sustainable agriculture. Generation and transfer of technology have become very crucial the world over. As a step towards making technology reach the small holders [Resource-Poor-farmers] efforts are being made to establish VISTARNET-NICNET-to be Agricultural Extension Information System Network in India, linking extension functionaries at central, state & district level. The required funds for implementing VISTARNET have been provided through the National Agricultural Technology Project. SOME INNOVATIVE ICT-BASED INITIATIVES IN AGRICULTURE Department of Agriculture, research institutes, State Agricultural Universities, NGOs, cooperatives & various private-farms related input marketing firms, are actively venturing into ICT-based initiatives for providing information in the areas of agricultural technology, production, processing, marketing & other farm related aspects. YIELD GAIN AND REDUCTION IN COST OF CULTIVATION It has been found that both i-kisan and Helpline initiatives improved the access to information for farmers and they could use improved varieties. Adoption of innovative pest & nutrient management practices at critical stages of crop growth and reduce frequency of application of agro chemicals would lead to high yield gain & reduction in cost of cultivation. REDUCTION IN TRANSACTION COST

Generally, for receiving information or any technical knowledge on crop cultivation, farmers go to a nearby taluka headquarters where they can meet officials in the Department of Agriculture or get advice on purchasing agro-inputs from private dealers. Usually private dealers do not spend time in offering technical advice to a farmer unless he/she actually purchases a product. In other words it is product oriented advice rather than farmer/farm oriented advice. That is the primary reason why farmers have failed to increase the overall efficiency in production. For marketing the produce as well, the farmers used to spend considerable time & money for price discovery and later for selling the produce. Most of the time, they got a price disproportionate to the quality of farm produce. By using soyachoupal, the farmers could save 68 percent of the transaction costs due to information led decision making on when and where to sell their farm produce. CONCLUSION Private investment in biotechnology in developing & marketing seeds in power, irrigation & other rural infrastructure & agricultural research should be implemented for a higher growth in agricultural output. There should be greater pubic-private partnership in the context of managing creative evolution.