Problems and Suggestions for Use of Information and Communication Technologies by The Farmers in Modernizing Agriculture at Barind Tract Area of Bangladesh

Author's Information:

M. Razibur Rahman

Deputy Director (LR), Administration and Finance Wing, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Ministry of agriculture, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

Dr. M. Mostafizur Rahman

Professor, Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Extension, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

M. Mosiur Rahman

Deputy Director (LR), Administration and Finance Wing, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Ministry of agriculture, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

M. Farzana Yeasmin

Assistant Teacher(Physical Science), Ramdeo Bazla Govt. High School, Joypurhat, Directorate of  Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE), Ministry of Education.

Vol 02 No 09 (2025):Volume 02 Issue 09 September 2025

Page No.: 593-600

Abstract:

Although the use of ICT in agriculture is growing daily in Bangladesh, a number of obstacles prevent it from being fully utilized. The purpose of the study was to identify the challenges that farmers in Bangladesh's Barind tract area had when using information and communication technologies (ICT) to modernize agriculture, as well as potential solutions to these challenges. Data were collected during January to April 2024 from 386 ICT-using farmers as a sample from Gomostapur and Nachole upazilla under Barind area. Twelve significant problems and suggestions related to the utilization of ICT by farmers for modernization of agriculture were selected through judge rating, item analysis and finally by pre-tested. Farmers were asked to put their extent of problem by a scoring system of extent of problem is very -2, important -1 and not important -0. Possible suggestions were measured for overcoming the problem in same way. In case of problem, ‘high ICT costs’ were the ranked 1st in both upziallas whereas ‘reduction of ICT costs’ for possible suggestion to overcome the problem was ranked 1st in Nachol Upzilla and ‘strengthening the network’ for Gomastapur. The importance of the problems and suggestions were measured by using ‘Important Problems Score Index (IPSI)' and 'Important Suggestion Score Index (ISSI)'. Through the t-test it was found that out of 12 problems, ten were significantly differs at Gomostapur and Nachole and two differs insignificantly, whereas out of twelve items of suggestions three items have been found insignificantly differ between two upzillas and the rest nine differ significantly.

KeyWords:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Problems, Suggestion, modernization of agriculture, agricultural practices.

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