Societal Digital Platforms for Sustainability: Agriculture
| Autor: | Srikanta Bhaskara, Kamaljit S. Bawa |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Geography
Planning and Development agricultural information systems TJ807-830 farmers 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law TD194-195 01 natural sciences Renewable energy sources 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine eKisaan Information system GE1-350 030212 general & internal medicine Fixed cost Productivity 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Digital literacy agriculture Earnings Environmental effects of industries and plants Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry Information technology Environmental economics Environmental sciences digital platform Agriculture Sustainability business |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 5048, p 5048 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| Popis: | During the last several decades, international and national agricultural research infrastructures have rapidly expanded, bringing the outputs of agricultural research to the world’s farmers. However, despite huge investments in agricultural research, there have been few systematic efforts to create digital platforms to meet the information requirements of farmers in a changing world. We describe an interactive information system in real time to provide agricultural information to farmers. The goals were to increase yields, reduce or optimize farm inputs, inform farmers about markets and government policies, and enable digital literacy among farmers, which (in the long run) would enhance rural incomes. Farmer clubs were created at the village level to increase engagement in the program and to access information. A call-in help center enabled farmers to get information in real time. In addition, a digital platform named eKisaan delivered relevant and contextual information in the local language, mostly in the video format via mobile and cloud technologies. The platform provided information about crop management and a variety of other parameters. The combined incremental savings and incremental earnings resulted in an estimated increase of 15% in income after 18 months, totaling INR₹26,250,000 (US$365,000), followed by an additional increase of 7% in the third year. The approximate cost of the information technology program and help center was INR₹15,000,000 (US$208,000). Over time, costs can decrease by spreading fixed costs over several years, with benefits reaching more farmers. Thus, the digital systems focused on information alone can be cost-effective, reduce inputs, increase productivity and income, and foster sustainability. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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