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Importance of information and communication technology tools among

livestock farmers: A review

Article  in  Scientific Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences · March 2013

DOI: 10.14196/sjpas.v2i2.466

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Scientific Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences (2013) 2(2)
ISSN 2322-2956

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Review article
Importance of information and communication technology tools among
livestock farmers: A review
H.R. Meena, Y.P. Singh
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, Uttar Pradesh (India).
*
Corresponding author; Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, Uttar Pradesh (India).

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Agricultural extension services in most of the developing

Received 10 January 2013 countries including India are usually designed around crop
Accepted 18 February 2013 husbandry, while public sector initiatives towards animal husbandry
Available online 28 February 2013 are often dominated by animal breeding and health services (Morton
Keywords: and Matthewman 1996).ICT has been used in abroad widely for the
ICT study and improvement of various aspects of livestock production,
Animal husbandry research and education. Mainly the ICT is playing a greater role in
Mobile telephony livestock disease control, dairy herd management, livestock
production and for marketing of livestock and livestock produce.

© 2013 Sjournals. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Livestock sector plays a multi-faceted role in socio-economic development of rural households and
contributes about 4.2 percent to the Gross Domestic Product and 25.6 percent to the Agricultural Gross Domestic
Product in the country. Over the last three decades, livestock sector has grown at an annual rate of 7 percent,
which is more than double the growth of the agriculture sector. Empirical evidences indicate that livestock is an
important component of the agriculture system, providing an additional source of income and nutritional cover to
a large section of the rural population, particularly the disadvantaged and poor households (Rao et al 2003; Birthal
and Ali 2005; Ravikumar and Chander 2006, Singh et al 2007). The distribution of livestock, as a liquid asset to poor
families, is more egalitarian as compared to land (Taneja and Birthal 2004; Ali 2007). However, the recent trend in
livestock sector growth suggests that in order to meet the emerging demand for livestock based products, both in
domestic and global markets, there is a need to reorient the production system by enhancing the efficiency and

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creating quality consciousness. Verbeke (2001) argued that the consumer concerns about food safety of animal
based products have led to an increased demand for information and transparency in food chains, and have acted
as the major driver for the development of traceability systems. Adhiguru et al (2009) argued that farmers are not
only looking for various information sources for carrying out their production and marketing tasks efficiently but
also for ensuring delivery of safe and quality products to the consumers.
With the changing environment of food and agriculture sector including livestock based high value agriculture
segment, information and knowledge has increasingly become an important factor of production for effective
decision-making (Birkhaeuser et al 1991; Cash 2001; Galloway and Mochrie 2005; Adhiguru et al 2009). In most of
the developing countries, information on improved agricultural technologies and practices are public goods and
agricultural extension services are one of the most common means of public-sector knowledge dissemination
(Birkhaeuser et al 1991; Dancey 1993; Umali and Schwartz 1994; Nirmala et al 1995; Dinar 1996; Umali-Deininger
1997, Anderson and Feder 2004). However, dissemination of information on livestock production has rarely been a
priority for centralised extension services in developing countries (Morton and Matthewman 1996). Though
veterinary services are being provided by the public sector in India, the financial constraints with most of the state
governments have made it difficult to expand the reach of livestock services as well as to improve the quality of
service delivery (Ahuja et al 2003; Bardhan 2010).
Information adoption among farming community is widely acknowledged as one of the critical factors for
efficient and effective agricultural decision-making (Cash 2001, Galloway and Mochrie 2005, Rao 2006). Sasidhar
and Sharma (2006) have emphasised that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools has
potential to change the economy of livestock, agriculture, and rural artisans in India. Tiwari et al (2010) argued that
the livestock sector should come up with the need based, location specific and local language contents in the form
of computer software’s and other electronic material in regards to livestock disease control, dairy herd
management, livestock production and for marketing of livestock and livestock produce. ICT based information
delivery to livestock sector can significantly improve the quality of decision-making in livestock farming system.
With intensification of crop/ livestock production systems and increased market demand of animal based
products, the importance of information is growing in many developing countries (Morton and Matthewman
1996). In this process of structural change and potential growth in high value products (Gulati et al 2007), ICT
based livestock advisory services for knowledge dissemination to the farming communities for better and informed
decision-making at the farm level, have become essential.

2. Sources of information on animal husbandry

Agricultural extension services in most of the developing countries including India are usually designed
around crop husbandry, while public sector initiatives towards animal husbandry are often dominated by animal
breeding and health services (Morton and Matthewman 1996). Several argue that the concentration of
government focus on livestock health is justified as farmers gain confidence that diseases are under control and
are thereby prepared to invest more on livestock production (de Haan and Bekure 1991; Morton and
Matthewman 1996). However, the changes in Indian livestock production have necessitated the provisions of
delivering seamless information on various aspects of animal husbandry including processing and market linkage
for animal based products.
A Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) on Access to
Modern Technology for Farming indicates that only 5.1 percent of the households access information on animal
husbandry (NSSO 2005). Figure 1 provides details of types of information used by the famers for livestock
decision-making in India, most of the farmers seek information on production related activities such as health care,
breeding and feeding, while information on livestock management is being used by only 9 percent households. In
case of Uttar Pradesh, the use of information becomes even more skewed towards livestock production system
where about 70 percent households use information on livestock health care followed by breeding and feeding
(Figure 2). The dominance of production related information does not mean that farmers do not require
information on livestock management, prices and market linkages; rather this may be due to the supply constraints
of livestock extension services.
A closer look on the type of livestock extension services delivered clearly indicates that health and breeding
information has been given more attention by the policy planners and agricultural extension organizations,
whereas value addition aspects have been largely neglected. The importance of information for livestock based

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processing, product prices and marketing has significantly increased in the present market-driven high value food
economy, demanding reorientation in livestock information delivery by the public as well as private agencies

Fig. 1. Distribution of households by types of information on animal husbandry – India.

Fig. 2. Distribution of households by types of information on animal husbandry – Uttar Pradesh.

Source: Report No. 499(59/33/2), Access to Modern Technology for Farming, NSSO, GOI, 2005

3. Use of ICT for livestock development in abroad

ICT has been used in abroad widely for the study and improvement of various aspects of livestock production,
research and education. Mainly the ICT is playing a greater role in livestock disease control, dairy herd
management, livestock production and for marketing of livestock and livestock produce.
Ryan and Wilson (1991) reported that, the ‘National Disease Control Information System’ (NDCIS) of New
Zealand, consists of a set of independent computers database on animal diseases such as tuberculosis and
brucellosis, which is a good example of possible applications of ICT in improving the animal health. A decision
support system for managing a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic is being developed at Massey University on
behalf of the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The system will comprise a database management

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system, a geographic information system, a spatial simulation model of foot-and-mouth disease and a number of
expert systems (Sanson et al. 1991).
Jalvingh et al. (1995) and Sanson et al. (1999) reported that, because of their economic importance,
contagious animal disease outbreaks require rapid identification and elimination of all virus sources. For managing
the vast amount of data and for help in setting the correct priorities, the use of computerized decision support
systems (DSS) seems to be promising. EpiMAN of New Zealand is the first decision support system for controlling
of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. The system was initially developed to control FMD but now has been
progressively expanded to manage other exotic and endemic diseases. Santos (2002) reported that, the National
FMD Task Force of Philippines uses an information system in managing data regarding disease situation,
vaccination, and animal movement, which gives accurate information on the animal disease situation of an area at
the quickest possible time. In Italy to control the blue tongue disease in cattle effectively, a surveillance system
was established that included clinical, entomological and serological surveillance elements. The National Reference
Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology developed a Web-based National Information System (NIS) and a Geographical
Information System (GIS) to collect and manage data from Veterinary Services across Italy. Surveillance data are
displayed to the user in different ways: reports, tables and interactive maps (Conte et al. 2005). Garner et al.
(2005) reported that Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia, developed a sophisticated spatial
model (AusSpread) for foot-and-mouth disease control that operates within a geographic information system
framework. The model allows for interactions between herds or flocks of different animal species and production
type, and considers the role that such interactions are likely to play in the epidemiology of a regional outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease. The user can choose mitigations and eradication strategies from those that are currently
described in Australia’s Veterinary Emergency Plan. The model also allows the user to evaluate the impact of
constraints on the availability of resources for mitigations or eradication measures. Outputs include a range of
maps and tabulated outbreak statistics describing the geographic extent of the outbreak and its duration, the
numbers of affected, slaughtered, and, as relevant, vaccinated herds or flocks, and the cost of control and
eradication. To get rid of various animal diseases in Tanzania, a strategic approach is proposed that involves the
collection of animal health information using active surveillance techniques and the introduction of a geographic
information system. Assessment of the Tanzanian animal health information system revealed two major problems:
firstly, the absence of disease information that accurately reflects the health status of the source population, and
secondly, an inefficient information management system, which is unable to provide useful information on the
spatial component of animal health (Kivaria and Kapaga 2005).

3. Status of use of ICT in India

The new information and communication technology (ICT) is the most powerful tool among the driving forces
of globalization. ICT through internet, CDs and mobile phones have become a powerful tool to contribute in the
development process. Similarly ICT has brought enormous changes in the service delivery in many sector saving
resources, time and money. Through internal computerization of small and medium businesses on-line buying has
already begun in the larger cities, with notable gains in efficiency. E-learning has paved the way to share the
knowledge across the country through educational satellite such as EDUSAT. Similarly Telemedicine is an emerging
sector where ICT have provided the urban medical facilities to remote rural areas in cost effective manner. ICT has
repeatedly demonstrated its potential for alleviating poverty in developing countries. In many instances, poor
people have experienced benefits in the form of increased income; better health care; improved education and
training; access to job opportunities; engagement with government services; contacts with family and friends;
enterprise development opportunities; increased agricultural productivity, and so on.

4. Use of ICT for livestock development in India

The ICT is being used in the country in many ways for animal health management, disease control, feeding of
livestock, herd management, and for marketing of milk.

5. Animal health management and disease control using ICT

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Livestock are an asset for the landless farmers in India. Improvement in the health of the cattle goes a long
way in exploiting their production potential helping cattle owners in coming out of the poverty. In the post-WTO
global scenario and World Trade Organization’s SPS Agreement, the country is facing several constraints in
international trade owing to the presence of various contagious and infectious diseases of livestock like FMD in
animals, which acts as a non-tariff barrier. Chaouhan (1994) colleted data from 100 farmers of Kangra district of
Himachal Pradesh and reported that economic losses due to various diseases per year/farm by small, medium,
large farmer and overall calculated to be Rs. 2652, 2195, 2172 and 2509 respectively. Economic losses due to
morbidity were Rs. 1192 and mortality was Rs. 1317. Saxena (1994) reported that nearly 3508 million liters milk is
lost due to foot- and-mouth disease (FMD) in buffaloes and cattle in India, a direct loss of milk due to reduction in
yield, reduction in milk due to delayed conception and reduction owing to abortions in pregnant animals. Similarly
Singh et al. (1997) estimated an economic loss in dairy cattle due to mastitis was Rs. 1607.2 crore which included
Rs. 889.51 crore for cows and Rs. 717.69 crore for buffaloes. The reasons are poor health facilities, lack of
awareness and inadequate vaccination cover etc. ICT tools can play important role for awareness. The existing
information kiosks and SMS service of mobile phone network can be used for the information dissemination.
Similarly with the help of computer based Information system and Expert system such as “Animal Health
Information System” (AHIS) and ‘Poultry Expert System’ (PES) farmers can be enabled for tentative diagnosis of
animal diseases at their level so that they can understand the seriousness of the situation and seek veterinarian
help as early as possible. They can also try appropriate first -aid measures with the help of such software. For the
easy access of computer, to these cattle owners the existing network of computerized milk collection center can
play important role. Since such softwares are being developed in India the same can be made available to these
centers. Two interactive softwares, one for the Para Veterinarians and stockman entitled “Animal Health
Information System” (AHIS) in English and another for the farmers of Maharashtra entitled “Health information
system for dairy animals” in Marathi, have been developed at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar,
for animal health management particularly for animal disease diagnosis (Phand et al. 2009)
Ramkumar et al. (2003) reported that, demand-led information deliveries through the Touch Screen
Information kiosk installed in Veterinary institution of Pondicherry helped farmers in preventing diseases and
improving health of animals, saving time, labour and money for this disadvantaged group. They further reported
changes in adoption practices including different steps in clean milk production especially washing of udder with
dilute potassium permanganate solution and washing of hands by the milker after obtaining information through
Touch Screen Information kiosk at Puducherry.
The ICT has already proven its worth for animal health care systems and for disseminating its information to
the livestock owners in an effective manner. Various other such information system softwares and expert system
could be developed based on the needs of different clients and locale. Further these may be made language
specific for the clientele to cater in a more effective and precise manner. Researches are in the way to develop
such systems in the various parts of the country.

6. Dissemination of livestock related information

Fast and efficient dissemination of suitable technological information from the Research Station to the
farmers in the field and reporting of farmers’ feedback to the research system is one of the critical inputs in
Transfer of Agricultural and animal husbandry Technology. The extension personnel have been disseminating the
technological messages to the farmers manually. This approach has not been able to reach majority of the farmers
who are spread across the whole country due to scarcity of expert human resource, especially in terms of
manpower. This gap remains a challenge for the extension system even today. To reach over 110 million farmers,
spread over 500 districts and over 6000 blocks is an uphill task. The diversity of agro-ecological situations adds to
this challenge further.
Modern communication technologies can apply to conditions in rural areas, which will help improve
communication, increase participation, and disseminate information and share knowledge and skills. It is being
said that “Cyber Extension” would be the major form of technology dissemination in the near future. However it is
observed that the rural population still has difficulty in accessing crucial information in order to make timely
decisions. It is essential that information availability is demand driven rather than supply driven. The challenge is
not only to improve the accessibility of communication technology to the rural population but also to improve its
relevance to local development. Next to the radio and television the mobile phone users are increasing rapidly in

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India particularly in rural areas, creating platform for information dissemination through value added services like
Short Message Service (SMS).
According to the latest report released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI, 2011), India had
851.70 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of June 2011. Out of which 538.38 million were Urban
Subscribers while 267.74 million rural subscribers. The mobile growth in rural areas is higher at 3.07% as compared
to urban which was about 2.06% in January. The share of Urban Subscriber has declined to 66.79% from 67%
where as share of Rural Subscribers has increased from 33% to 33.21%. With this, the overall Tele-density in India
reaches 67.67 percent. As the fastest growing telecommunications market in the world, India is projected to have
1.159 billion mobile subscribers by 2013. Several leading global consultancies estimate that India will become the
world's largest mobile phone market by subscriptions by 2013. The mobile phone looks like today’s most likely
access device for information dissemination. The livestock related information such as vaccination alert can be
delivered through mobile service provider before monsoon. Internet possibly a very effective and low cost medium
for reaching the masses, these community information centres can motivate the local people into starting
entrepreneurial ventures. According to I-Cube 2008, a survey conducted jointly by IMRB International and Internet
and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), regarding internet users in India, there are 45.3 million “active” internet
users (who have used the internet at least once in the last one month) and 62.2 million “claimed” internet users
(who have used the internet sometime but not in the last one month). Among them urban users continue to
dominate internet use contributing to 42 million. Moreover the recent report by LiveMint and Komli estimates that
India will have 80 million internet users by 2010.
To meet the information needs of the livestock farmers, latest advances in Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) have provided conducive environment for adopting new technologies and making the method
of instructions more effective and interactive.
Mobile telephony is growing manifold when comparing to other Information Communication Technologies
(ICTs) in rural areas. Mobile phones are the success story of bridging the rural digital divide bringing tangible
economic benefits and acting as agents of social mobilization through improved communication. According to
Waverman et al. (2005) of the London Business School, ten extra phones per hundred inhabitants can lead to 0.59
per cent extra annual growth in a typical low income country like India. Dissemination of information through
mobile phones is a newly emerging concept in agriculture and allied sector. According to a recent research,
introduction of mobile phones to Kerala fishermen could decrease price dispersion and wastage by facilitating the
spread of information which made the markets more efficient by decreasing risk and uncertainty (Jensen, 2007;
Abraham
2007). Recent ICRIER study (Mittal and Tripathi, 2009) among farmers highlights the key role played by
mobile phones in lowering transaction costs and raising the income-levels of farmers, by efficiently addressing
their immediate agricultural information requirements and also farmers emphasized that timing of precise
information is central to minimizing wastage and therefore increasing efficiency. Mittal et al. (2010) conducted a
study on impact of mobile phones on the crop sector and, in particular on small farmers in India. The key finding of
this research was that mobile phones can act as a catalyst to rejuvenate the extension services in the country.
Recent survey among farmers of UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra revealed that farmers were confident of the
utility of the mobile phone in reducing costs and enhancing earnings. Farmers can bridge or alleviate the
information gap by the use of mobile phones (Mittal and Tripathi, 2009). Mobile phones along with the mobile
enabled services provide lot of hope to improve the extension system. British Department for International
Development (DFID) found that people perceived mobile phones to have greater impact on social networking and
for reducing vulnerability but only have a mixed economical value (Myhr and Nordstrom, 2006).
Information through mobile phone has a major impact on the overall farm output in areas where biotic and
abiotic conditions are not so favourable for cultivation. Timely intervention through right kind of prescriptions can
help increase yields by 10.00-25.00 per cent (Gupta, 2009). Evidences are now gradually increasing about the use
of mobiles for dissemination of agricultural information among farmers. But, the relation between livestock
owners and mobile phones has not been explored much except a scanty coverage by newspapers with little
scientific reports based on empirical data on this group especially in context of India. As such, the Animal
husbandry field is the new arena for research to explore the role of mobile phones in delivery of livestock related
information among livestock owners.

7. Use of mobile phones by the livestock owners

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Mobile phones were used by majority of livestock owners to seek the information and service related to
animal husbandry and agriculture compared to other ICT tools and mass media sources like television and radio.
Therefore, mobile phones can play a pivotal role in dissemination of livestock related information among livestock
owners. The veterinarians and farmers if provided with ICT enabled mobile facility; they would act as powerful tool
to empower the livestock owners. The social and economic benefits obtained from mobile phones by the livestock
owners were useful for their endeavour. Majority livestock owners perceived medium level of satisfaction in
overall respondents. So, the service delivery may be improved furthermore to attain high level of satisfaction
(Gensis Ingo, 2010). The farmers were spending money on mobile phone calls to call or seek information related to
animal husbandry to veterinarians. It shows their willingness to pay for the service they received. Most of the
livestock owners from rural areas perceived language and network coverage as main constraints than in peri-urban
areas. Hence, providing mobile enabled services either by text messages or voice messages according to the
literacy rate of that area specific in local language may mitigate this constraint. Moreover, infrastructure with the
mobile service provider should be improved to cover remote rural villages so that, benefit of information can be
extended to vast majority of farmers including in remote areas.

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