ICT Digital Agriculture for Raising Farmers’ Income: A Case Study of West Bengal

The government of West Bengal launched Matir Katha, an ICT-driven tablet-based agri-tool, in 2014. Matir Katha was meant to empower farmers with easy-to-access knowledge about scientific farming practices, including pest control, seed production, water harvesting and price information. To evaluate the efficacy of this programme, we carried out a field study in the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal in 2022–2023, immediately after Covid. Through the Matir Katha app, agricultural experts recommended input variety, quality and dosage—and shared the relevant farm-based information promptly—to help farmers improve profitability. The results show an 8%–10% increase in productivity of key crops. JEL Classification: Q16, Q33, Q12, Q13, Q1