ICTs For Agricultural Extension and Advisory

Teacher

Dr Ajay Kumar Prusty

Category

Core Courses

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Course name: ICTs for Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services

Course code: EXTN 0506 (2-1-0)

Course Objectives

  • To discuss different ICT initiatives, knowledge management process and application aspects.
  • To orient students on advances in smart/ disruptive technologies and data analytics.
  • Hands on experience in navigating ICTs.

Course Outcomes

 

COs Course Outcome Mapping CO with PSOs
CO1 Students can impart knowledge on agriculture through the use of ICT and disruptive technologies. PSO1 (3)
CO2 Students develop expertise in disruptive technologies in managing enterprises and finance. PSO4 (2)

PSO1: Impart knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts and techniques of maintaining and enhancing soil fertility, crop production, crop management, crop improvement, biodiversity and sustainability of agriculture worldwide.

PSO4: Apply Agri-business management and finance knowledge to develop a profitable agricultural system.

Syllabus

Theory

Unit 1: ICTs- Concepts and Status

ICTs- meaning, concepts, basics of ICTs, global and national status, types and functions of ICTs, innovations, meaning of e-Governance, e-learning, m-Learning, advantages and limitations of ICTs.

Unit 2: ICTs in Knowledge Management

Knowledge management-meaning, approaches and tools. Role of ICTs in Agricultural Knowledge Management.

Unit 3: e-Extension initiatives in Agriculture and allied sectors

e-Extension, overview on Global and national e-extension initiatives, Inventory of e-Extension initiatives in Agriculture and allied sectors from Central and State governments, ICAR, SAUs, private sector and NGO initiatives in India.

Unit 4: ICT Applications

Knowledge centres (tele centers), digital kiosks, websites and web portals, community radio, farmers call centres, mobile phone based advisory services and mobile applications (m-Extension, m-Learning), Self-learning CDs on Package of practices, social media, digital videos, Market Intelligence and Information Systems- ICT enabled Supply-Chains and Value-Chains/ e-Marketing (e-NAM, AGMARKNET, etc.).

Unit 5: ICT Expert Systems

Expert System/ Decision Support System/ Management Information Systems, Farm Health Management & Intelligence System for Plant Health, Animal Health, Soil Health, Fishery, Water, Weather, etc.

Unit 6: ICT Networks

Global and regional knowledge networks, international information management systems, e-Learning platforms (MOOCS, Course CCRA, Edu-EX, etc.), e-Governance, Systems; digital   networks   among   extension   personnel, Farmer   Producers, Organisations (FPOs)/ SHGs/ Farmers Groups.

Unit 7: Policies in Knowledge Management

Global policy/ Standards on e-Governance, National policy on e-governance, Open Data / Open Gov Standards and Open Source etc.; Language Technology Applications; National e-Agriculture policy/ Strategies/ guidelines.

Unit 8: Web Standards

Web standards, creating and writing for web-portals, development of mobile applications, developing digital videos- story board- video recording- video editing, types of blogs and writing guidelines.

Unit 9: Social Media Applications to engage audience

Video conference, live streaming and webinars, types and functions of social media applications, guidelines for preparing social media content, engaging audience and data-analytics.

Unit 10: Smart Technologies

Open technology computing facilities, System for data analytics/ mining/ modelling/ Development of Agricultural simulations; Remote Sensing, GIS, GPS, Information Utility (AIU); disruptive technologies- Analysis; Internet of Things (IoTs), Drones, Artificial intelligence (AI), block chain technology, social media and Big Data analytics for extension.

Unit 11: Human Computer Interactions

Human Centered Learning/Ergonomics/ Human Computer Interactions-Meaning; Theories of multimedia learning - Sweller’s cognitive load theory, Mayer’s cognitive theory  of  multimedia  learning,  Schnotz’s  integrative  model  of  text  and  picture comprehension, van Merriënboer’s four-component instructional design model for multimedia learning; Basic Principles of Multimedia Learning - Split-attention, Modality, Redundancy, Coherence, Signaling, segmenting, pre-training, personalization, voice embodiment; Advanced principles - Guided discovery, worked examples, Self-explanation, drawing, feedback, multiple representation, Learner control, animation, collaboration, prior knowledge, and working memory. Designing ICT gadgets based on human interaction principles - Interactive Design-Meaning, importance; Approaches of interactive design - user-centered design, activity- centered design, systems design, and genius design; Methods of interactive design- Usability testing methods.

Practical

Content and client engagement analysis, Designing extension content for ICTs, Creating and designing web portals, blogs, social media pages, Developing digital videos, Live streaming extension programmes and organising webinars, Working with Farmers call centres, Engaging with professional digital networks, Writing for digital media.

Reference materials:

  • Andres D and Woodard J. 2013. Social media handbook for agricultural development practitioners. Publication by FHI360 of USAID. http://ictforag.org/toolkits/ social/ SocialMedia4 AgHandbook.pdf
  • Bheenick K and Bionyi I. 2017. Effective Tools for Knowledge Management and Learning in Agriculture and Rural Development. CTA Working paper. https://publications.cta.int/media/publications/downloads/1986_PDF.pdf
  • FAO 2011. E-learning methodologies a guide for designing and developing e-learning courses. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2516e/i2516e.pdf
  • Fafchamps M and Minten B. 2012. Impact of SMS based Agricultural Information on Indian Farmers. The World Bank Economic Review, Published by the OXford University Press on behalf of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
  • Meera SN.2013. Extension, ICTs and Knowledge Management: The 10 difficult questions. Blog 15. Agricultural Extension in South Asia. http://www.aesanetwork.org/eXtension-icts-and-knowledge-management-the-10-difficult- questions/
  • Meera SN. 2017. Disruptive Technologies – Big Data and Internet of Things in Strengthening Extension & Advisory Services. Blog 68. Agricultural Extension in South Asia. http://www.aesanetwork.org/disruptive-technologies-big-data-and-internet-of-things-in- strengthening-extension-advisory-services/
  • Saravanan R, Sulaiman RV, Davis K and Suchiradipta B. 2015. Navigating ICTs for Extension and Advisory Services. Note 11. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for Extension and Advisory Services. GFRAS: Lindau, Switzerland. https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/gfras-ggp-note11_navigating_icts_ for_ras_1.pdf
  • Saravanan R and Suchiradipta B. 2015. mExtension – Mobile Phones for Agricultural Advisory Services. Note 17. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for EXtension and Advisory Services. GFRAS: Lindau, Switzerland. www.g-fras.org/en/download.html?download=349: ggp-note-17-meXtension-mobile-phones- for-agricultural-advisory-services
  • Saravanan R and Suchiradipta B. 2016. Social media policy guidelines for agricultural extension and advisory services, GFRAS interest group on ICT4RAS, GFRAS: Lindau, Switzerland. www.g-fras.org/en/knowledge/gfras-publications.html?download =415: social-media-policy- guidelines-for-agricultural-eXtension-and-advisory-services
  • SaravananR. 2010. (Ed.) ICTs for Agricultural Extension: Global Experiments, Innovations and Experiences, New India Publishing Agency (NIPA), New Delhi. http://www.saravananraj.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/32_India_ICTs-for-Agricultural- EXtension_Saravanan.pdf
  • Saravanan R, Suchiradipta B, Chowdhury A, Hambly OH and Hall K. 2015. Social Media for Rural Advisory Services. Note 15. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for EXtension and Advisory Services. GFRAS: Lindau, Switzerland.www.g-fras.org/en/download.html?download=355: ggp-note-15-social-media-for-rural- advisory-services
  • Saravanan R, Suchiradipta B, Meera SN, Kathiresan C and Anandaraja N. 2015. Web Portals for Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services. Note 16. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for EXtension and Advisory Services. GFRAS: Lindau, Switzerland. www.g-fras.org/en/download.html?download=356: gfras-ggp-note-16-web-portals-for- agricultural-eXtension-and-advisory-services
  • Saravanan R.2014. (Ed.). Mobile Phones for Agricultural Extension: Worldwide mAgri Innovations and Promise for Future, New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi.

Session Plan

Session 1 & 2: ICTs-meaning, concepts, types and functions

ICTs-meaning, concept

ICTs-types and functions

ICT video

Session 3: e-learning, m-Learning

e-learning & m-learning

e-learning video

m-learning video

Sessions 7 & 8: Knowledge centres (tele centers), digital kiosks, website and web portals

knowledge centre, digital kiosk, website and web portals

Knowledge centre & digital kiosk-video

Website & web portal-video

Session 10: mobile phone based advisory services

mobile phone based advisory services

mobile based agro-advisory-video

Session 11: Social media & self-learning CDs

Social media & self-learning CDs

Social media in agri extension-video

Session 12: Market Intelligence and Information Systems

Market intelligence using ICT

e-NAM-Video

e-NAM Complete process-Video

Session 13: Expert System/ Decision Support System/ Management Information Systems

Expert system/DSS/MIS

ES/DSS/MIS-Video

Expert system-Video

MIS/DSS-Video

Session 14: Farm Health Management & Intelligence System for Plant Health, Animal Health, Soil Health, Fishery, Water, Weather, etc

HMIS in agriculture

Session 15: Global and regional knowledge networks

Global and regional knowledge networks

Global knowledge networks-video

Session 16: e-Learning platforms

e-Learning platforms

Coursera-Video

Session 17: digital   networks   among   extension   personnel

digital   networks   among   extension   personnel

digital extension systems-Video

Session 18: Global policy/ Standards on e-Governance

Global policies on e-governance

Global policy on e-governance-video

Session 19: Open data/ Open govt. standards and open source

Open data/ Open govt. standards and open source

Video

Session 20: Language Technology Applications

Language Technology Applications

Language technology-Video

Session 21: Web standards & creating web portals

Web standards & creating web portals

Web standards and web design-Video

Session 22: developing digital videos- storyboard- video recording- video editing

developing digital videos- storyboard- video recording- video editing

Editing video-Video

Session 23: types of blogs and writing guidelines

types of blogs and writing guidelines

Creating a blog-Video

Session 26: Open technology computing facilities

Open technology computing facilities

Session 29: Human-Computer Interactions

Human-Computer Interactions

HCI-Video

Principles of HCI-Video

Session 32: Interactive design

Interactive design

Interaction design-Video

Assignments:

  • History of ICT in Agriculture
  • Review on ICT applications in Agriculture
  • e-extension approaches of Govt. of India
  • e-extension approaches by private sectors
  • e-extension approaches by SAUs
  • Digital video and application in agriculture
  • developing web pages
  • Learning platforms on the web
  • Social media application in agriculture
  • Artificial Intelligence in agricultural extension
  • Remote sensing in agricultural extension
  • Blockchain technology in agricultural extension

Our Main Teachers

Dr Prusty, Ph. D. (Extension Education) from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, presently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Gajapati, Odisha, India. He has presented more than ten research papers at national and international conferences. […]