Assessing the Impact of ICT in Agriculture: Case Studies

A farmer in rural Telangana checks her phone and sees the latest market price for turmeric in a mandi 300 kilometres away. Another farmer in Punjab calls a toll-free number and gets advice on managing a pest outbreak in his wheat crop – in Punjabi. These are not isolated stories. Across India, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is quietly reshaping how millions of farmers grow, sell, and earn. From mobile-based advisories to electronic trading platforms, ICT initiatives are delivering measurable gains in productivity, cost savings, market access, and social empowerment – especially for smallholders and women farmers.

How ICT is boosting agricultural productivity 🔗

One of the most direct impacts of ICT in agriculture is the improvement in crop yields. When farmers receive timely, accurate information – about weather patterns, optimal sowing dates, suitable seed varieties, fertiliser schedules, and pest management – they can make better decisions at every stage of the crop cycle. Mobile-based weather advisories, for instance, help farmers plan irrigation more efficiently, reducing water waste while protecting yields. Pest and disease alert systems sent via SMS allow farmers to take preventive action before problems escalate.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Research, investment in ICT and increased machinery usage are among the key determinants contributing to agricultural productivity growth in India. The study also found a statistically significant long-run causal relationship running from ICT to agricultural growth, reinforcing the idea that digital tools are not peripheral but central to improving farm output.

A research paper on Digital India initiatives reported that around 1.4 million farmers using mobile-based agricultural information services experienced income increases ranging from 5% to 25%. These gains are driven by better-informed decisions on input use, crop selection, and timing of farm operations.

Reducing cultivation costs through better information access 🔗

Higher yields are only one side of the equation. ICT tools also help farmers reduce the cost of producing their crops. When a farmer knows exactly how much fertiliser to apply, or when to spray pesticides, they avoid wasteful over-application. Weather advisories prevent unnecessary irrigation. Soil health data – now accessible via government portals and mobile apps – guides more precise nutrient management.

A study conducted in Mahaboobnagar District of Telangana found that the majority of farmers using Kisan Call Centre (KCC) services reported savings in cultivation costs. The advisory services helped farmers forecast pest and disease outbreaks in their region, allowing them to act before problems became expensive to manage. This kind of preventive guidance – previously available only through in-person extension visits – is now accessible through a simple phone call.

The Kisan Call Centre model 🔗

Launched in January 2004 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kisan Call Centres operate from 21 locations across India. Farmers can dial the toll-free number 1800-180-1551 and receive expert agricultural advice in 22 local languages. The service is available from 6 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week. The agents, known as Farm Tele Advisors (FTAs), are agriculture graduates or postgraduates who address queries on everything from crop diseases and fertiliser use to government schemes and weather information.

A study by IIM Ahmedabad covering KCC operations in five states found that farmers who used KCC services adopted more scientific cultivation practices and reported higher yields compared to non-users. The model has been particularly effective in reaching farmers who lack direct access to agricultural scientists or extension officers.

The mKisan SMS portal 🔗

Complementing the KCC system, the mKisan portal provides crop-specific advisories to farmers via SMS and voice messages. Inaugurated in 2013, the platform has grown rapidly – over 5 crore (50 million) farmers receive regular advisories through it. More than 2,400 crore SMS messages had been sent as of late 2021, covering topics ranging from weather alerts to pest management and market prices. Farmers can register through the toll-free number, an SMS to 51969, or through Common Service Centres in their area.

Lowering transaction costs and improving market access 🔗

Before digital platforms entered the picture, India’s agricultural marketing system was fragmented. Farmers were largely confined to selling at their local APMC mandis, where a handful of traders often controlled prices. The lack of information about prices in other markets meant farmers had little bargaining power. Middlemen added layers of cost without adding proportionate value.

eNAM: the electronic National Agriculture Market 🔗

Launched in April 2016, eNAM is an online trading platform that integrates APMC mandis across India into a unified digital market. Managed by the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), the platform enables farmers to access buyers beyond their local mandi, promotes transparent auction-based price discovery, and facilitates direct online payments to farmers’ bank accounts.

The impact has been significant. According to official data compiled by ForumIAS, eNAM has reduced the average number of intermediaries in integrated mandis by 2-3, resulting in higher net income for farmers. Transaction times have reportedly dropped from 8-10 hours to around 30 minutes, thanks to electronic weighing, online bidding, and digital payment systems. Over 90 commodities – including staple grains, vegetables, and fruits – are traded on the platform.

The platform has also enabled inter-state trade that was previously impractical. For example, apple traders in Jharkhand have used eNAM to digitally purchase produce worth crores from Jammu & Kashmir – a transaction that would have been near-impossible under the old mandi system. By 2022-23, trade volumes on the platform increased by 41% year-on-year, and inter-state mandi trade grew by 36%.

ITC’s e-Choupal: a private-sector initiative 🔗

The private sector has also played a role in reducing transaction costs. ITC’s e-Choupal initiative set up internet-connected kiosks in rural villages, providing farmers with real-time market prices, weather data, and best-practice farming information. The programme reached over 4 million farmers across 35,000 villages through more than 6,100 kiosks in 10 states. By enabling farmers to compare prices and sell directly, e-Choupal helped reduce their dependence on traditional intermediaries and improved farm-gate price realisation.

Time savings and increased awareness of government entitlements 🔗

ICT tools don’t only save money – they save time. Farmers who once spent entire days travelling to extension offices, mandis, or government departments for information can now access much of what they need through their mobile phones. This time saving is especially valuable for smallholder farmers, who often work with thin margins and cannot afford to lose a day’s labour to information-seeking.

Digital platforms have also become important channels for informing farmers about government schemes and entitlements. Many beneficial programmes – from subsidies to crop insurance – previously failed to reach their intended beneficiaries due to poor communication and complex bureaucratic processes. ICT platforms like mKisan, the Farmers’ Portal, and various state-level mobile apps now provide information about eligibility criteria, application procedures, and deadlines in local languages.

The Digital Agriculture Mission, approved with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore, aims to further expand this digital infrastructure. Initiatives like AgriStack – a database linking farmer identities to land records – are designed to streamline the delivery of benefits such as soil health cards, crop advisories, and subsidy disbursements directly to registered farmers.

Empowering women farmers and smallholders 🔗

Perhaps one of the most important outcomes of ICT in agriculture is its potential to reduce inequality. Women play a central role in Indian farming, yet they have historically had limited access to extension services, market information, and government schemes. Mobility constraints, social norms, and lack of formal land ownership often kept them outside the reach of traditional agricultural support systems.

Mobile-based ICT platforms are changing this. A study published in the journal Sustainability examined the impact of mobile technology on rural women farmers in Kerala’s Palakkad district. The research found that mobile phones enabled women to access agricultural information, connect with markets, and participate in training programmes – all without leaving their communities. This improved not only their farming practices but also their decision-making power within households.

ICT tools also reach women through community-based models. The NAMO Drone Didi Scheme, for instance, offers specialised drone technology training to women, equipping them with skills relevant to modern agriculture such as pesticide spraying and crop surveillance. Such initiatives broaden the participation of women in technology-driven farming.

Smallholder inclusion through scale-neutral access 🔗

Small and marginal farmers – who constitute over 85% of India’s farming households – benefit disproportionately from ICT because digital platforms provide scale-neutral access to information. A farmer with half a hectare receives the same quality of weather advisory, pest alert, or market price data as a large commercial farmer. This levels the playing field in ways that traditional extension services – which were often biased toward larger, more accessible farms – could not.

However, challenges remain. A comprehensive review in Smart Agricultural Technology noted that smallholders are often less comfortable with new digital technologies, and that evaluating the economic impact per unit of land or per farmer remains difficult due to fragmented implementation. Rural connectivity gaps, low digital literacy, and the absence of standardised platforms continue to limit the full potential of ICT for this group.

Measuring the overall impact 🔗

Taking a broader view, the evidence suggests that ICT adoption is associated with tangible improvements across the agricultural value chain. Farmers with access to digital advisory services tend to earn 10-15% higher incomes than those relying solely on traditional information sources. Beyond income, ICT initiatives contribute to better resource management, reduced post-harvest losses through improved supply chain coordination, and greater participation in formal markets.

Yet, the picture is not uniformly positive. Several reports point to persistent challenges: poor internet connectivity in rural areas, lack of digital literacy among older farmers, inconsistent quality of advisory content, and the fact that many promising pilots have not scaled effectively across states. The success of ICT in agriculture depends not just on the technology itself but on the supporting ecosystem – training, infrastructure, policy alignment, and sustained institutional support.

Key lessons from ICT case studies in Indian agriculture 🔗

Looking across the various ICT initiatives – from KCC and mKisan to eNAM and e-Choupal – a few patterns emerge. First, language and local relevance matter enormously. Platforms that deliver information in local dialects and tailor advisories to regional crops and conditions see higher adoption. Second, trust is critical. Farmers are more likely to act on ICT-delivered information when they perceive it as timely, accurate, and coming from credible sources. Third, integration beats isolation. The most effective systems connect multiple services – market prices, weather data, expert advice, government scheme information – through a single accessible channel rather than requiring farmers to navigate multiple platforms.

Finally, the human element remains essential. Technology works best when paired with on-ground support – whether through Farm Tele Advisors at call centres, Village Level Entrepreneurs at Common Service Centres, or trained extension workers who help farmers interpret and act on digital information.

What do you think? Can ICT truly bridge the gap between India’s large commercial farms and its 120 million+ smallholder families, or does the digital divide risk leaving the most vulnerable farmers further behind? How can governments and the private sector work together to make digital agriculture more inclusive?

References

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4. https://www.dackkms.gov.in/Account/aboutus.aspx
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8. https://forumias.com/blog/e-nam/
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11. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/21/9188
12. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375523001478