Agricultural Sciences: Techniques and Innovations Vol. 9

Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKIS) is a concept to describe the exchange of knowledge and supporting services in rural areas. Elements of an AKIS are diverse actors from the private, public and charitable sectors relating to agriculture. Studying Agriculture Knowledge Information System (AKIS) in terms of generation, dissemination, transformation, utilisation, storage and retrieval of knowledge and information is needed for agricultural development. AKIS describes the sources and mechanisms of agricultural knowledge generation and exchange around innovations in agriculture so that farmers can address challenges around food security, resource use and climate change. Farm advisory services are an essential component of AKIS. The current study was undertaken to identify the sources of technological information & their extent of utilisation by actors in the agriculture knowledge information system for betel vine growers in Nadia district of West Bengal, and respondents included betel vine growers, extension workers, and researchers. Growing betel vine is a significant horticultural practice, and it's becoming increasingly popular in Nadia as a cash crop. The majority of the farmers in the study area have been using their own traditional planting materials for a long time and rely on their accumulated knowledge, skills, and past experiences to grow their crops. They weren’t very aware of the newer, improved and scientific cultivation methods of Betel vine. The study also found that participants got better information and technical advisories about growing betel vines from key influencers by attending training sessions, discussing with extension persons, input suppliers, neighbours, and various NGOs, and to some extent from electronic media. They considered family, neighbouring farmers and cooperatives as the most trustworthy sources of information, followed by demonstrations, outreach extension events, agricultural exhibitions, university experts, farmer fairs, informational flyers, input dealers, and electronic media to some extent. Setting up research centres, improving how knowledge and information would be transferred, and enhancing marketing systems could help betel vine growers achieve better profits. Young farmers are keen to grow betel vines, so this crop should be promoted in other parts of the district to enhance farmers’ income, supported by technologies with proper market linkage for gainful employment through need-based and location-specific technology support system.