Mobile-based Applications for Livestock Information Dissemination: The Way Forward

Mobile-based technologies have redefined the way in which agriculture is being done in the recent years. Beginning with the short message service and voice-based knowledge delivery, they have crossed leaps and bounds in catering the diverse information needs of farmers who are geographically dispersed. The public extension programmes are often under funded, suffer from weak agricultural research and lack adequate contact to farmers. On this backdrop, the mobile applications have a larger role to play to supplement the extension efforts to reach the farmers. Although communication mediated by mass media were thought to be less effective than individualised approach which demands more cost and time, mobile applications offer some novel and sustainable solutions to disseminate the customised information with a personal touch. This is very critical for livestock sector where information needs of the farmers are unique and instant. With the surge in the use of smart phones as well as mobile applications for agriculture, it is expected that farming can be made more profitable and remunerative in the coming days.