Information and Communication Technologies as Veritable Tools for Bridging Gaps among Stakeholders in Agricultural Development

People living in rural areas depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Agriculture is an important
sector in many developing countries. It is critical to sustainable development and agricultural
production by smallholders in lower-income countries contributes substantially to the food security of
both rural and urban populations. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture
have the potential to facilitate greater access to information that drives or supports knowledge
sharing. However, in the past two decades, Internet and mobile-based channels have emerged. ICTs
also include computer-based applications and communication tools such as social media, digital
information repositories and digital photography and video as well as mobile phones. An integrated
approach to the expansion of Internet services will promote often neglected communication between
agencies linked to rural and agricultural development. Government should provide rural infrastructure
for wide spread of agricultural information at the grass root levels. Public, private and nongovernmental
organizations should play more active roles in Information and Communication
Technology education of the farmers by getting in close collaboration with the universities and other
research institutions.