SHUBHAM

2021A42D
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
 Cyber Extension
• E-Extension is also known as cyber extension.

• It is defined as the ‘extension over cyber space. But in applied

context of agriculture, cyber extension means, using the power
of online networks, computer communications & digital
interactive multi-media to facilitate dissemination of Agrl.
Technology.

• It includes effective use of ICT, national & international

information networks, internet, expert systems, multi-media
learning systems & computer based training systems to
improve information access to the farmers, Extn. workers,
research scientists & Extn. managers.
 Concept of Cyber Extension
• Cyber space is the imaginary or virtual space of computers
connected with each other on Networks, across the Globe.
• These computers can access information of Text, Graphics,
Audio, Video and Animation files. Software tools on networks
provide facilities to interactively access the information from
connected servers.
• Agricultural Extension: Agricultural Extension, according to
Dr. D. Benor “relates’ to the process of carrying the technology
of scientific agriculture to the farmer in order to enable him to
utilize the knowledge and a better economy”
 NEED FOR CYBER EXTENSION
• To accelerate agricultural growth
• To expand knowledge resource
• To facilitate better information access
• To supplement inadequate technical manpower
• For stronger research-extension – Client system linkage
• To develop efficient feedback mechanism
• For cost-effective extension delivery
• To develop knowledge managers
• To ensure gender equity in technology transfer process
• To empower small and marginal farmers
• To serve the farm stakeholders beyond technology transfer
 Unique features of cyber space

• Access to the astounding information

• Instantaneously available of information
• Interactive communication
• The information is available from any point on the globe
• Communication is dynamic
 FUNCTIONS OF CYBER EXTENSION
• Providing interaction among research scientist, extension workers,
farmers and other rural people through e-mail
• Providing up to date news and information services, such as market
prices and weather condition
• A question and answers services where experts responds to queries
on specialized subjects
• Creation an maintenance of statistical databases on critical
agricultural and rural development parameter that can be queried on
demand
• Providing status of various government programs and details about
their implementation mechanism on demand basis
• Providing the details of Poverty Alleviation schemes on the internet
• Launching online rural development and extension journals,
newsletters etc.
 MSSRF - Village Knowledge Centers (VKCs)

• The Village Knowledge Centre programme was started in 1998 in the Union Territory of
Pondicherry in South India by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in
the east coast of South India with the generous support of IDRC and CIDA.
• In order to ensure access to all, the VKCs are located in public buildings (Panchayats,
SHG building, Community Hall, School, Farmers and Fishermen Associations, Women
Self-Help Groups, Community Based Organization, etc.).
• The information content is developed in close interaction with the local people in a
bottom-up manner.
 MSSRF - Village Knowledge Centers (VKCs)
• VKCs are connected with hub centers through a hybrid wired and wireless network.
• The VKCs provide information on agriculture, health, employment, weather, education,
government entitlements, microenterprises training, etc.
• In each case, the community or local partner provides an accessible rent free building,
electricity and volunteers. In turn, the project provides all the needed equipment,
training and helps in collecting data. Gender concerns are central to the project.
• More than half of the volunteers are women. This has positively reflected in the increase
of the number of women users.
 ISRO -Village Resource Centres (VRCs)
• Village Resource Centers (VRCs) was inaugurated in 2004.
• Under this VRC programme, most of the MSSRF -VKCs are
connected through Indian Space Research Organization
• Aims at digital connectivity to remote villages for providing
multiple services such as tele-medicine, tele-education,
interactive farm and fishery advisories, government schemes
and entitlements, weather services and remote sensing
applications through a single window.
• Users located at one node of this network can fully interact
with others located at another node through video and audio
links
 Common Service Centers (CSCs) Scheme

• Common Service Centers (CSCs) Scheme is the nationwide

initiative of Government of India to provide support for
establishing 100 000 Common Service Centers in 600000
villages of India.
• CSCs scheme has been started in 2004 with the vision to
develop these centers as a front-end delivery points for
Government, private and social sector services to rural citizens
of India in an integrated manner.
 ITC-e-Choupal
• Launched in June 2000
• “e-Choupal” services today reach out to more than 4 million
farmers growing a range of crops - soyabean, coffee, wheat,
rice, pulses, shrimp - in over 40,000 villages through 6450
kiosks across 8 states (Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal
and Tamil Nadu).
• The problems encountered while setting up and managing these
‘e- Choupals’ are primarily of infrastructural inadequacies,
including power supply, telecom connectivity and bandwidth,
apart from the challenge of imparting skills to the first time
internet users in remote and inaccessible areas of rural India.
 ITC-e-Choupal
• Village internet kiosks managed by farmers – called sanchalaks
– themselves, enable the agricultural community access ready
information in their local language on the weather and market
prices, disseminate knowledge on scientific farm practices and
risk management, facilitate the sale of farm inputs and purchase
farm produce from the farmers’ doorsteps.
• Real-time information and customized knowledge provided by
‘e-Choupal’ enhance the ability of farmers to take decisions and
align their farm output with market demand and secure quality
and productivity.
 AGMARKNET

• The project is about empowering farming community with the knowledge

of latest commodity prices and arrivals information through innovative
usage of ICT by networking agricultural produce wholesale markets in the
country.
• Launched during later part of Ninth Plan Period (1997-2002).
• Presently, more than 1000 markets from different parts of the country are
reporting data regularly to the portal. Functional days of markets being
different, more than 300 markets are sharing information on daily basis for
the use of public at large.
• Initiated with the objectives of Networking 2800 major agricultural
produce wholesale markets; imparting computer awareness and application
usage training to about 5000 market personnel; dissemination of daily
commodity prices and arrivals information in major Indian languages.
 iKisan
• Initiated by the Nagarjuna Fertilizers and chemicals Ltd. In
1999.
• iKisan addresses the Information, Knowledge and Business
requirements of various players in the Agriculture arena viz.,
Farmers, Trade channel partners and Agri Input/Output
companies. Leveraging Information Technology and extensive
field presence, ikisan is positioned as an Information/
Knowledge exchange.
• It also provides local Agri news, weather and market
information to the farmers
 e-Krishi
• IT enabled Agri Business Centers launched in 2017
• Addresses the existing gap in agriculture information flow and
transaction management
• The e-krishi portal also provides farm advisory services ( crop
information, fertilizer recommendation, planting material
availability, fertilizers and pesticides, weather information),
agrimarket information ( vegetable and fruit price, daily market
price, market analysis report and commodity exchange).
 IFFCO- Agri-Portal

• The IFFCO’s agri-portal’-Sixteen states have been covered

with information of relevance to farmers in local languages and
can be accessed through IFFCO’s website.
• User-friendly intuitive graphic based navigation is provided to
facilitate viewing in touch screen environment. IFFCO has also
installed about 100 farmers information kiosks in 16 states
 aAQUA - almost All Questions Answered
• Effectively an online, yet archived, discussion forum accessible
using a web browser, allowing members to create, view and
manage content in their mother-tongue.
• This is intended to allow users to ask questions in their own
language, access content in another language and view it in
their own language.
• Launched in 2003.
 e-Sagu (e-Cultivation)
• e-Sagu was a ICT based personalized agro- advisory system in
which rather than on site visit of crops the agricultural scientists
deliver the advice by getting the crop status in the form of
digital photographs and other information.
• The development of e-Sagu was started during Kharif season of
2004.
• e-Sagu system was implemented by delivering advisory to
1051 cotton farms in three villages of Warangal district in
Andhra Pradesh State of South- India.
• e-Sagu project has successfully delivered advices for 5, 054
farms (4130 ha) of 3,035 farmers in 38 villages in Andhra
Pradesh State of India
 KISSAN- Karshaka Information Systems Services and Networking

• Launched in 2019 by prime minister.

• The mission of this project is to develop and deploy
Information Systems, Network, Processes and Services for
Agriculture.
• Provides Post Query for Expert Answers, Crop Information,
GIS Based Agri Advisory, Farming Practices, Fertilizers &
Pesticides, Kerala Agri Directory and Discussion Forum
 Warana “Wired Village”
• Initiated in 1998 by the Prime Minister
• Access to information in local language about crops and
agricultural market prices, employment schemes from the
government of Maharashtra, and educational opportunities.
• Project connects 70 villages with 150 computer networking
nodes and also provides the internet facilities to the rural
community, the project fulfill all the needs such as revenue
records, health cards, credit cards, agricultural goods market
prices of national as well as international markets.
 Gyandoot
• Delivery portal commissioned in Dhar district of MP in January
2000.
• Gyandoot aims to create a cost-effective, replicable,
economically self- reliant and financially viable model for
taking the benefits of ICT to the rural masses.
• Gyandoot is managed by a society called ‘Gyandoot Samiti’
registered under MP Societies Registration Act.
• Can be accessed from any Gyandoot kiosk (soochanalay) by
any citizen on payment of a nominal transaction fee.
 Advantages of Cyber Extension

• Cyber extension save money, time and effort

• Cyber extension save time, cut steps from extension process
• Cyber extension is information rich and interactive
• Cyber extension offer instant international reach
• Cyber extension is continuously available
• Cyber extension provide excellent opportunity to make
messages reach far and wide very quickly
 Issues and Concerns

• Lack of Reliable Telecom Infrastructure in Rural Areas

• Erratic or no Power Supply
• Lack of ICT Trained manpower (willing to serve) in Rural
Areas
• Lack of content (locally relevant and in local languages )
• Lack of Information Services to Rural Clientele
• Low Purchasing power of the Rural communities
• Lack of Holistic Approaches
• Issues of Sustainability
SYMBOL OF TRUST