T. SRI CHANDANA*, P.V. SATHYA GOPAL, V. SAILAJA, A.V. NAGAVANI AND S.V. PRASAD

Department of Agricultural Extension, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati-517 502, Chittoor Dt., A.P.

ABSTRACT

The present investigation was carried out in Nellore, Srikakulam, Ananthapur districts of Andhra Pradesh during 2016-17. The main objective of the study was to analyze the constraints faced by the agricultural officers in ICT utilization. Ex-post- facto research design was followed for the study. A total 120 respondents covering the three districts equally were selected for the study. The most important constraints faced by the Agricultural Officers were ‘Lack of expertise and skills in using ICT’, ‘Poor/ limited internet speed’, ‘High cost of ICT equipment’, ‘Limited budget for purchase of ICT equipment’, ‘Lack of ICT facility at office’, ‘Lack of personal ICT equipment / tools’ and ‘Lack of ICT technicians and professionals in the vicinity’, ‘Poor annual maintenance of the ICT equipment’, ‘Overburdened allied activities’ and ‘Limited power supply’. The important suggestions given by the majority of agricultural officers to overcome the constraints were ‘Periodical training programmes on application of ICTs’, ‘Creating awareness on importance of different ICT tools and programmes’, ‘Uninterrupted high speed internet with high quality broad band facility’, ‘Establishing WIFI in all the agricultural offices’, ‘Engaging an ICT professional / technician on permanent basis’, ‘Proper mechanism for annual maintenance of ICTs’, ‘Uninterrupted power supply in the agricultural offices’, ‘Hands -on training through coaching and counseling’, ‘Allocation of enough budget to buy latest ICT tools and programmes’, ‘Regular updating of recent advances in ICT’ and ‘Special budget for capacity building for the Agricultural Officers’ were the suggestions given by the Agricultural Officers.

KEYWORDS:

Constraints, suggestions, agricultural officers, ICT utilization.