Understanding the Influence of Socio-Economic Status and Digital Literacy in the Adoption of Smart Agriculture: A Study of Farmers in Surguja Division, Chhattisgarh
Author : Dr. Bhuvana Venkatraman, Dr. Mukesh Agrawal, Dr. Sarika Agrawal, Jitendra Singh and Himanshu Kolte
Abstract :
The farming scenario in India is witnessing different changes with Smart Agriculture, embeds AI, drones, AI, IoT, etc. While these technologies promise increased productivity, better resource management, and sustainable farming practices, their adoption across the country is uneven, especially in rural places. Earlier some existing studies have given evidence of the roles that digital literacy (DL) and social economic status (SES) have on the uptake of contemporary agricultural technologies.
The present study was conducted to assess the level of DL and SES among farmers in Surguja division of Chhattisgarh to analyse the potentiality and constraints available for the adoption of Smart Agriculture. By collecting and studying the data from the respondents (N=86) in this division, the study investigates the relationship between SES and Digital Literacy, whether and how increasingly socio-economic factors limit or enable farmers from adopting and using of smart farming technologies. The study indicates that low DL and SES severely limit farmers' utilization of agricultural innovations and widen the digital and economic gap in rural farming communities. This study matters because digital tools are reshaping agriculture, but inequality in access to and knowledge of digital technologies may prevent equitable adoption. Overall, this study indicates the necessity of specific interventions dealing with socio-economic and digital roadblocks to provide effective and fair access to Smart Agriculture in Surguja.
Keywords :
Digital Literacy, Socio-Economic Status (SES), Smart Agriculture, Technology Adoption, Rural Farmers.
