Information Technology in Agriculture

Pragya Agrawal

MCA 4th Year

International Institute of Professional Studies

Devi Ahilya.Vishava Vidyalaya

Indore

ABSTRACT

In the twenty-first century, we are facing the two major problems of human world, that are to
solve the food supply problem and the preservation of environment and natural resources. It is
believed that the information Technology can surely contribute to solve these difficult problems.
The Importance of potential expansibility and usability of the Information Technology in
Agriculture are increasingly appreciated and highly evaluated among the agricultural scientists.
Following are the areas where IT can be useful in the field of Agroinformatics.

• Management and Information in Agriculture

• Application of the Internet Technology in Agriculture

• Electronic Commerce in Agriculture

• Education and Training in Agroinformatics

• Rural Communication and Agroinformatics

• Internet Technology in Regional Agriculture

• Agroinformatics in Agricultural Extension Services

• Precision Agriculture and Information Technology

 • Database for Agriculture

• Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System

• Remote Sensing and Image Processing

• Artificial Intelligence and Expert System

• Modelling Agricultural Systems

• PC Application Software for Agriculture

Though the population on the earth has not been really exploded yet, we can see clues of food
crisis; that is, the lack of food in some of the developing countries is chronic and even major
powers are facing the difficulties to balance the productivity and the environmental requirement.
As the balance of the food supply and demand is now inevitably under the strategy of the world
trading mechanism and the control of the power, it is almost meaningless to solve the crisis
within a country. Only the international sharing and cooperation for sustainable food
productivity on the basis of information sharing and mutual understanding could bring the
solution.
It is believed that the information technology can surely contribute to the solution. First, the
information communication technology such as the Internet that is now dynamically changing
our life style and social consciousness will provide us the best tool for the information sharing
and mutual communication. Second, we should not forget the possible contribution of
information science to effective and stable production by several models such as crop growth
prediction and decision support. Thus, the importance of the studies on Agroinformatics is
undoubtedly increasing.

The Asian countries are keeping the highest growth rate in the world and the requirement on
food is abruptly changing from quantity to quality. In addition, the Asian countries have their
individual agricultural features that are not common in the USA or EU countries. The rice-
dependency and the farming scale are the typical examples.

Agricultural production is becoming ever more dependant on Information Technology (IT).

Although IT is relatively easy to adopt and cost effective its' adoption is not straightforward and
initially can even be counter-productive. The explosive presence of Internet on the IT scene and
the rapid adoption of Internet supported activities have created a wide range of opportunities and
expectations. Internet for Agriculture in general and extension in particular are no exception.
Extension providers' and client expectations include superior information accessing and
dissemination, EDI, ongoing farmer-extension-research communications - in effect with online
effectiveness, better knowledge management, real and "just-in-time" information updating,
discussion forums, integration of information sources, improved extension delivery, extension
service organization and more. As is often the case with technological-innovation potential and
expectations can outpace reality. Adoption is usually not spontaneous, the technology has to be
taught and learned - adopted to existing experience and integrated into e.g. production. Specific
environments dictate specific solutions, which have to be developed, alternatives - past and
present including "resistance to change" can be impediments. These and many other reasons
stand in the way of innovation-adoption with Internet for agriculture and extension again not
being an exception.