ICT-Based Information Systems in Agricultural Extension and Their Economic Implications: Sri Lankan Perspectives

Abstract

Recent advances in information communication technologies (ICTs) are instrumental in taking agricultural extension and support services to the next level, providing a plethora of opportunities to integrate them with agricultural extension activities such as decision support systems, farm and agricultural production planning, and sensing and automating production practices. Sri Lanka is in a much better position when compared to other lower- and middle-income countries in terms of accessibility to ICTs, affordability, and ICT skills among the population. This chapter explores recent ICT initiatives in agricultural extension in relation to television, mobile phones, smart devices, and computers and their main economic implications such as reduction of transaction costs, improving market access, and participation. The main potential of ICTs lies in its ability to link two or more services and go for mixed models, facilitating interactive communication models, and supporting user-generated contents. ICT-based extension services have evolved from one-way and top-down approaches to facilitating interactions and, finally, to networking of stakeholders leading to communities of practice. The main challenges to be dealt with include low awareness of ICT-based services among the main stakeholders, poor ICT skills among extension officers, highly fragmented and highly specialized extension services, and lack of independent research to evaluate the real impact of ICTs.