‘ACCESS’ to bridge digital divide among Kudumbasree members

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ambalavayal, under Kerala Agricultural University in association with the State Kudumbasree Mission, is gearing up to launch an innovative project christened ‘ACCESS’ (Accelerating Sustainability through Synergy), a cyber extension programme for women in family farming to bridge the gender and digital divide in farm technology.

The project is aimed at accelerating technical literacy in agriculture fostering sustainability through synergy among knowledge-generating system and end users, Dr. P.K. Abdul Jabbar, assistant professor, agriculture extension, KVK, Ambalavayal, and the brain behind the project, told The Hindu .

The technology will reach farm women through cyber connected community development societies (CDS) of the Kudumbasree. Each group can mail their problems in farming, and photos of pests and diseases from field to the KVK.

The experts will prepare tailor-made technologies suited to farm women and they would be mailed to selected women information managers.

Technology tips

This would in turn reach nearly 3,000 master women farmers, Dr. Abdul Jabbar, said. Moreover, technology tips related to farming would be sent to CDSs of Wayanad and Kozhikode at regular intervals.

It would be discussed by joint liability groups, constituted under the Mahila Kiran Sasakthikarana Pariyojana project, in their monthly meetings, he added.

The project will be executed among the joint liability groups of the 115 CDS in Wayanad and Kozhikode in the initial stage and later it would be extended across the state, P. P. Muhammad, district coordinator, Kudumbasree Mission, Wayanad, said.

Apart from the cyber extension programme, special training for the Kudumbasree members on the use of modern farm implements, selection of seeds, pesticide and fertilizer application, and irrigation using modern apparatus is also on the anvil, Mr. Muhammad said.

K.B. Valsalakumari, executive director, Kudumbasree State Mission, inaugurated a one-day training programme for the block coordinators of the Kudumbasree in connection with the launching of the project at the KVK, Ambalavayal, recently. A. Radhamma Pillai, KVK head, presided over the function.