On to Action– Building a Digital Ecosystem for Knowledge Diffusion in Rural India

Information and Communication technologies (ICT) have been used to deliver knowledge to support agriculture and rural livelihood (ARL) for over ten years now. Yet, in India today, use of ICT to support ARL remains at an early stage. Our survey in North Indian states shows that less than 10% of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agricultural Science Centers) and other extension initiatives actively “use digital content” or “contribute digital content” for common use. Yet there are more than a hundred active ICT initiatives towards this end across the country. This paper investigates this intriguing gap. This research identifies the need for ‘easier’ knowledge flow mechanisms, information exchange, storage and retrieval mechanisms that can span language and literary barriers. This paper outlines an approach towards a self-managed knowledge organization in the ARL domain.