Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Sericulture Knowledge Management: Case of Indian Sericulture

In India, sericulture is not only a tradition but also a living culture. It is a farm-based, labour intensive and commercially attractive economic activity falling under the cottage and small-scale sector. It particularly suits rural-based farmers, entrepreneurs and artisans as it requires low investment but with potential for relatively higher returns. Though the sector has registered an impressive growth during the last few decades, however, a number of factors have limited sericulture from achieving its true potential. Those factors may include insufficient capital and investment incentives, low level of technology dissemination, poor extension support, inadequate farm infrastructure, limited market and stagnant prices of sericultural products etc. In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the importance of ICT in knowledge management particularly concentrating the case of Indian sericulture. Finally, an integrated model linking ICT with entire production chain of sericulture is suggested to establish close linkage between forward and backward sub-systems for greater efficiency and synergy.