Innovations in E-Agricultural Extension Technology (E- Aet) : Diffusion and adoption of Information Kiosks and Mobile initiatives among the farmers of Trivandrum district, Kerala

The role of agricultural information is more crucial in India as its economy is mostly dependent on agriculture. This has created the need for timely and generic information. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT's) possess vast potential to promote agriculture and rural development through speedy transfer of technology to farming community. In order to extend the benefits of ICT's to the disorganized and disadvantaged farming sector, one of the road maps to achieve them are access to ICT's by villagers through Information Kiosks and Mobile telephony. In this context, the present study was carried out with the objective to analyze the utility of the information support provided to farmers through the information kiosks and mobile initiatives in Kerala with a view to suggest measures for enhancing the utility of these agro information support initiatives. Further the study also analysed the Constraints and solutions as perceived by the farmers while using information kiosks and mobile messages which enable in developing strategies to scale up its uses.