Designing a user-centric mobile-based agro advisory system for sustainable development of smallholder farming systems in the eastern Himalayas, India

ABSTRACT

The Interactive Information Dissemination System (IIDS), a unique mobile-based agro advisory system (MBAS), was put under study in the Design Science Research approach with 2820 farmers in Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India. The study aims to design and develop a user-centric MBAS (m4AgriNEI) for augmenting sustainable smallholder farming systems in hilly regions. The outcomes are critically analysed in the form of learning and experiences to make some necessary modifications to the design. The deployment of the initiative helped to make the m4AgriNEI more user-centric to satisfy the information demand of the resource-poor, smallholder tribal farming communities of the eastern Himalayas. A majority of beneficiaries (70.32%) provided positive responses on advisories through the IIDS generated feedback system. The study suggests the future scaling of MBAS initiative by adding a better knowledge management system, a robust feedback system, a way to track farmer-to-farmer (F2F) communication, and a public-private-community partnership (PPCP) approach.

KEYWORDS:

• Mobile-based agro advisory system
• Interactive information dissemination system
• Hill farming
• Pull and push-based farm advisories
• Knowledge management system

Acknowledgement

The study was conducted under the externally funded project entitled ‘Development and Deployment of Mobile Based Agro Advisory System in North East India (m4AgriNEI)’ in collaboration with Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur, India, and Digital India Corporation (formerly Media Lab Asia), New Delhi, with financial assistance from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Govt. of India. The authors are thankful to Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur, India, and Digital India Corporation (formerly Media Lab Asia), New Delhi, for necessary collaboration and providing technical, managerial, and infrastructural support, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Govt. of India, for providing financial assistance to conduct the study. The authors also duly acknowledge and convey sincere gratitude to Dr. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay, Former Director, ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Founder National Coordinator, NASF, and Senior Consultant, Information Technology Research Academy, MeitY, Govt. of India, for his constant supervision (as Chairman, Project Review and Steering Group of the m4AgriNEI project), guidance during unforeseen hindrances, and providing scientific and philosophical acumen for the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Biswajit Lahiri

Biswajit Lahiri is a Professor and Head of the Department of Fisheries Extension, Economics and Statistics, College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural University (Imphal), Lembucherra, Agartala, Tripura, India. He holds PhD and MSc (Ag) degrees in Agricultural Extension from Visva-Bharati, India, and Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India, respectively. In his professional career, Biswajit Lahiri has worked in the private sector, non-government organizations, and government institutions in the field of extension and rural development activities for the last 20 years. His research interests include farm information communication, ICT-mediated extension, agro-advisory services, the transfer of farm technology, and agricultural innovation systems.

Thiruchirapalli Sudarshan Anurag

T. S. Anurag is a Principal Research Scientist at Digital India Corporation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. He has more than 20 years of experience working with various community-based organizations, academia, and government institutions in various capacities. He earned his PhD in Rural Planning from Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, India. His research interests include the conceptualization, formulation, and implementation of citizen-centric ICT models for information dissemination and capacity building in communities, especially farmers and women. He has delivered several talks and presentations in national and international forums on ICT4D.

Swapnali Borah

Swapnali Borah is a Professor in the Dept. of Resource Management and Consumer Science, College of Community Science, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, Assam. She holds PhD and MSc degrees in Family Resource Management from Punjab Agricultural University, India, and Assam Agricultural University, India, respectively. Her research interests include resource management, ergonomics, occupational health and safety, drudgery reduction for farm women, etc.

Natasha Rangsa Marak

Natasha R Marak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Tura, Meghalaya, India. She holds an MSc (Food Science and Nutrition) from Allahabad Agricultural Institute (Deemed University), India, and a PhD degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Assam Agricultural University, Assam, India. Her research interests include human nutrition as well as food processing using local food commodities. She is currently involved in setting up a technological incubation center for the processing of jackfruit at Tura, India.

S. T. Pavan Kumar

S. T. Pavan Kumar is an Assistant Professor (Statistics) in the Department of Basic Science and Humanities, College of Community Science, CAU (Imphal), Tura, Meghalaya, India. Pavan Kumar holds a PhD degree in Agricultural Statistics from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India. Pavan Kumar’s research interests include statistical modeling, machine learning, modeling nutritional aspects, climate change, and infectious disease modeling.

Sierra Manda Sangma

Sierra M Sangma is the Deputy Project Director at the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Williamnagar, Meghalaya, India. She holds an MSc (Floriculture and Landscaping) degree from the Sam Higgin Bottom Institute of Science and Technology, Allahabad, India. Previously, she worked as an Agro-Associate under the m4AgriNEI project at the Central Agricultural University, Tura, Meghalaya, India.

Aiarson Kubi Sangma

Aiarson K Sangma is an ‘In-coming Communication Officer’ under the 1917 iTEAMS Project, Dept. of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Meghalaya, India. He previously worked as a Junior Research Fellow under the DBT project at CPGS, Umiam, Meghalaya, and as an Agro-Associate in the m4agriNEI project at Central Agricultural University, Tura, Meghalaya, India. He holds an MSc (Ag) degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the Central Agricultural University (Imphal), India.

Balkho Rangsha Marak

Balkho R Marak is Assistant Soil and Water Conservation Officer in the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Government of Meghalaya, and previously worked as an Agro-Associate in the m4AgriNEI project in the College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Tura, Meghalaya, India. He holds an MSc (Ag) and a PhD degree in Agricultural Extension from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India. His research interests include ICT-mediated extension, communication networks, and farm innovation.