Title: TRIBAL FARMING DYNAMICS: INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIO ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES ON AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Authors: Shaktiranjan Das and Sayan Sagnika Mohapatra

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: agricultural information management, tribal farmers, ICT

Volume: 36

Issue: 1

Year: December 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2023.36.1.0010

Abstract: Agriculture is the cornerstone of many rural communities worldwide. Tribal farmers play a vital role in preserving agricultural customs and ensuring regional food security. The efficient management of agricultural information is critical in modern farming operations, as it allows farmers to enhance production, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in agriculture include networks, mobile devices, services, and applications that aid in the processing, management, and exchange of data, information, or knowledge within the farming ecosystem. ICTs assist farmers through educational procedures in improving farming methods and techniques, increasing production efficiency and income, bettering their levels of living, and lifting the social and educational standards of rural life. The study was conducted in the Keonjhar district of Odisha. An ex-post facto research design was followed for carrying out the study. The research study was followed by both purposive and non-probability random sampling methods for the selection of district, block, gram panchayat, village, and respondents. 120 respondents were selected through disproportionate random sampling. The study revealed the relationship between some socio-economic and psychological variables and Agricultural information management behavior. From this correlation, it was observed that age is negatively correlated and other variables such as gender, education, income, family size, outward orientation, training program, and social participation are positively correlated with information-seeking sources. These variables are directly proportional to the information-seeking sources.