FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Chief Editor

In its recent e-publication entitled, ICT in Agriculture - Connecting smallholders to
knowledge, networks and institutions, Agriculture and Rural Development Department
(ARD) of the World Bank has identified two critical factors for using ICTs such as mobile
phones and the Internet in agriculture viz., policy change and collective action among
extension agents, research institutions, governments and farmers. While policy initiatives
can spur the development of the ICT infrastructure for improved information sharing,
collective action, facilitated by digital tools can push the agricultural agenda forward.

After a thorough review, the World Bank has listed out the following areas that require
attention when using ICT in Agriculture:

Individuals: Develop and diversify the skills and competencies of all stakeholders in
applying ICTs for innovation.

Policies: Generate or adapt institutional and national strategies and policies to make
the introduction of ICT innovations more frequent and more effective.

Institutions :  Adapt organizational structures at all levels to accommodate changes
in ICT systems and information management processes.

Content :  Stimulate open access to the increasing volume of outputs of agricultural
research so that all can benefit.

Processes : Use ICTs to facilitate and open up inclusive multi-actor processes in which
knowledge flows and can be put to use by different stakeholders

Technologies : Invest in greater connectivity, data and information generation and
handling capacity, hardware, software, and improved human-computer interfaces that
have been purposefully designed to enable innovation. Ensure that rural ICT infrastructure
and connectivity are enhanced. Specific actions are needed to overcome barriers to
technology use, such as culture, language, and gender.

 Monitoring and evaluation: Develop new and improved tools and approaches to assess
information and knowledge interventions more effectively.

Capacities : Invest in the technical and organizational capacities of individuals and
institutions so they appreciate and use ICTs as tools to enhance knowledge creation,
transformation, and innovation.

Besides these considerations, one should also bear in mind that not all of the ICTs
available for agricultural information systems will work in rural areas. The technical
capacity as well as staff capabilities in the line departments, local institutions or research
centers working in the rural areas need to be analyzed beforehand, for making the right
choices for effective implementation of ICT-enabled knowledge sharing.

This issue of JEE contains eight papers on various topics such as strategies of female
-headed households, attitude & adoption of farmers & trainees and the impact of eco-
friendly conservation practices. I would like to thank the associate editors and the reviewers
for their time and effort to this issue.