Adapting to the pandemic: Appraisal of methods for online agricultural technology transfer in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

Agricultural technology transfer methods refer to the techniques used by an extension system for imparting agrarian information to the farming community. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in agricultural extension, enabling farmers to access critical information and advisory services remotely. The study was conducted in Kerala among the farmers who received online training and extension personnel who conducted training. The data were collected from the respondents through personal interviews using a well-structured and pre-tested interview schedule. The objective was to appraise the methods adopted by the farmers and extension personnel for online agricultural technology transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different methods used by farmers and extension personnel include digital devices, digital platforms and digital applications. More than 62 percent of the farmers and extension personnel used mobile phones for online agricultural technology transfer. Among the digital platforms, both farmers and extension personnel preferred Google Meet and Zoom. WhatsApp was the most used digital application by the respondents.