ICTs and Farm Women: Access, Use and Impact

Abstract

The ICTs in recent years have witnessed major changes and are emerging as a powerful tool for accelerating agricultural growth in a developing country like India. There has been a rapid growth in the lCT sector since the late 1980s and the use of ICT has dramatically expanded since the 1990s. Simultaneously the Indian agriculture is moving towards feminisation and the role of women in agricultural growth and development has been increasing considerably. Though women's contribution in food production, food processing leading to eventual export of agricultural production has been well documented but not fully recognized they face greater constraints than men farmers (Chand et al .. 2012). Women farmers have been reported to be 20-30 per cent less productive than men (FAO, 2011). The less productivity of women is attributed to lack of access to resources including land, finance and technology