Factors affecting digital divide in ict-led agricultural information delivery: A comparative analysis

The Information Communication Technologies (ICT) can be efficient tools to supplement public extension system in delivering timely, relevant, specific information at low cost but, past attempts of ICT led delivery mechanisms were very selectively successful and only a few farmers got advantage out of them. The present study aimed at finding out the reasons those hindered the adoption of ICT tools and technologies as agricultural information delivering media. The gap which is created due to differences in digital opportunities like access to ICT tools, digital literacy and the benefit gained by using those can be termed as digital divide. The study was conducted in Nashik (teledensity=98.98) and Varanasi (teledensity=68.60) districts of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, respectively so that the indicators of digital divide among digitally well performing and not well performing district could be found out from which a projection could be made for other places with similar digital climate. From analysis, it was found out that the factors like gender (t=-2.766**), social participation (t=0.840**), awareness (t=4.041**), affordability (t=3.512**) and economic motivation (t=2.042*) were significant for farmers of Nashik districts where income (t=2.003*), affordability (t= 4.142**) and age (t=2.533**) were significant for farmers of Varanasi district. The study can throw some light on regional, farm and micro level characteristics affecting the digital divide so that it may be helpful for researchers, policy makers and academicians to design suitable policies fitting to digital climate of a particular location.