An Analysis of Farmers’ Profile in the Context of Digital Empowerment in Selected Districts of Rajasthan, India

Digital empowerment has become an important aspect of agricultural development, as it enables farmers to access agricultural information, government services, digital financial facilities and other development opportunities through digital technologies. In India, the Digital India Mission aims to improve access to digital services, while Common Service Centres (CSCs) serve as an important link between rural communities and digital service delivery. The socio-personal, socio-economic and communication characteristics of farmers may influence their ability to access and use these digital services. Therefore, the present study was conducted to analyse the profile of farmers in the context of digital empowerment in selected districts of Rajasthan. The study was carried out in Kota, Jaipur and Jhunjhunu districts, with a total sample of 300 farmers selected through proportionate random sampling. Data were collected through personal interviews using a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule. The data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The findings revealed that 60.00 per cent of respondents were in the adult age group, while 73.00 per cent were male. Other major characteristics included membership in the Other Backward Classes (54.00%), middle-level education (21.66%), medium annual income (46.33%), medium mass media exposure (52.00%) and medium innovativeness (56.33%). Furthermore, 47.34 per cent of the respondents had a medium level of extension contact, and 49.00 per cent had a medium level of achievement motivation. The findings highlight the need to strengthen agricultural extension services, improve access to agricultural information, and provide needs-based farmer training to address farmers’ existing informational and extension-related needs.