The Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Agricultural Risk Management by The Agricultural Extension Services in Malaysia

Abstract

Climate change is one of the serious challenges to agricultural extension services that affect farms and farmers in various dimensions. According to Mulder [1], impacts of climate changes should not be ignored for sustainable development. However, the extension service providers are not yet fully sensitized and equipped with techniques to help farmers in managing agricultural risks through immediate and low cost solutions. In Malaysia, extension services are offered by public (Department of Agriculture) and private sector. The extension wing of public and private sectors is responsible t o d i s s e m i n a t e u s e f u l i n f o r m a t i o n a n d agricultural technologies among farmers through field level staff. However, extension services are mostly focused on just traditional style of agricultural technology transfer but less attention has been paid on using ICTs for agricultural risk management. As day by day farmers have to face different problems dissimilar to the past so, there is a need to opt digital options for quick solutions and making this sector sustainable. Extension service providers can motivate the farming community to use available digital options for minimizing the risks associated with agricultural sector. These risks can be related with production, price, market, technology, legal, health, and personal [2]. Risk in agricultural sector is related to various factors which leave negative impacts originated from different variables like natural, biological, climatic and input and output prices [3, 4, 5]. Similarly, Wossen et al. [6] highlighted that adoption of technologies were not only alleviating poverty but also increasing income and productivity of farmers. That is why, adoption of technologies would ultimately trigger economic growth along with wide marketing opportunities, reducing poverty at large [6]

National extension policy and state-level implementation: The case of Cross River State, Nigeria

“…Interestingly, approximately 28 percent of rice processors received extension services through electronic media and ICT. This finding corroborates previous studies (Nwagwu 2015;Masuka et al 2016;Ali et al 2018;Beru, Cheserek, and Kiptui 2018) arguing that the use of electronic media and ICT is vital in delivering high-quality, accurate, and speedy extension services. Additionally, village-level extension-related meetings and agricultural cooperatives / farmers' associations provided extension services to 11 percent and 19 percent, respectively.…”

Factors affecting use of information communication technologies among extension agents in North-East, Nigeria

“…The implication of this findings is that for ICT use by the agricultural extension agents to be fully successful in the study area there is an urgent need to remedy, improvise where possible and provide alternatives to the above mention critical problems. The results agreed with the findings of Ali et al, (2018), Umar et al, (2019) and Dire et al, (2016 in separate studies. • = Critical problem.…”

Influence of Subjective Norms on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Agricultural Risk Management: Empirical Evidence from Malaysia

“…Importantly, extension agents of public and private sector need to create cordial relations and offer the solution at the door step or through ICTs. That is why Ali et al (2018a) highlighted that farmers do not get support from extension field staff to use ICTs for agricultural risk management in the context of Malaysia.…”