Utility perception of AgriStack among beneficiary farmers in Parbhani district of Marathwada region, Maharashtra

Keywords: AgriStack, Farmer ID, Utility perception, Beneficiaries, Marathwada

1. Introduction

Agri Stack is a digital public infrastructure initiative developed to create the a digital ecosystem for the agricultural sector in India. It brings farmer-related and agricultural information onto a common digital platform so that farmers can easily get access government schemes, subsidies, crop-related information and other services more easily on digital platforms of the official website og government of india. The Farmer ID created under Agri Stack identifies each farmer digitally and links the farmer with these services which are helpful for the farmers in various schemes related to the ahricultural works. In Maharashtra, related digital services such as the E-Peek Pahani mobile application are used for recording crop information and many others also.

The value of any such platform depends on how useful farmers themselves find it to get the access of various benefits of the schemes for the farmers. Few studies have examined the perceived utility of Agri Stack among beneficiary farmers in Marathwada. The present study was therefore undertaken with the following objective:

1. To find out the utility of AgriStack as perceived by the beneficiary farmers.

2. Materials and methods

2.1 Locale of the study

The present study was carried out in Parbhani district, located in the central part of the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. The district extends from 18°45′ to 20°10′ north latitude and 76°13′ to 77°39′ east longitude, covering an area of 6,250.58 km². According to the figures used in this study, the district has a population of approximately 1.836 million. Parbhani district comprises nine talukas: Parbhani, Jintur, Gangakhed, Pathri, Purna, Palam, Sailu, Manwat and Sonpeth. It has 841 villages, and agriculture is the main occupation of a large proportion of its rural population, which accounts for 68.24 per cent of the total population. The district is also home to Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, an important institution contributing to agricultural education and research in the region.

2.2 Sampling and selection of respondents

Random sampling was used at each level of the category. Three talukas are randamoly selected for the study namely Parbhani, Manvat and Purna, were selected from Parbhani district. Four villages were randomly selected from each taluka, giving twelve villages: Paralgavhan, Mirkhel, Signapur and Pokharni (Parbhani); Kinhola, Kolha, Somthana and Tad Borgaon (Manvat); and Balsa, Phulkalas, Sirkals and Makhani (Purna). Ten AgriStack beneficiary farmers were selected randomly from each village, making a total sample of 120 respondents ($12\times 10=120$).

2.3 Research design

An ex-post facto research design was used, because the phenomenon had already occurred and the researcher had no direct control over the independent variables.

2.4 Interview schedule and data collection

A structured interview schedule was prepared in line with the objectives. It covered eleven independent variables (age, education, family size, farming experience, land holding, annual family income, social participation, extension contact, innovativeness, network connectivity and techno-savviness) and one dependent variable, the utility perception of AgriStack. It also recorded the constraints faced by respondents and their suggestions for improving AgriStack services. The schedule was pre-tested with 15 beneficiaries in a non-sampled area and modified in light of the pre-test. Data were collected by personal interview between May and June. The investigator explained the purpose of the study to each respondent, built rapport and recorded responses item by item.

2.5 Measurement of variables

Age, family size, farming experience, land holding and annual income were measured in their natural units and classified using the mean ± standard deviation or equal-interval method, or the Government of Maharashtra norms for land holding. Education was scored from 1 (illiterate) to 5 (college level and above). Social participation was measured using the scale of Supe (2007) ^[1], extension contact using the procedure of Nirban (2004) ^[2], and innovativeness using the scale of Moulik (1965) as modified by Natikar (2019) ^[3]. Network connectivity and techno-savviness were measured with schedules developed for the study.

Utility perception was defined as the degree to which AgriStack, including the E-Peek Pahani application, is perceived as useful by farmers. It was measured through 17 statements on which respondents indicated agree, partially agree or disagree. Total scores were used to classify respondents into low, medium and high categories. Constraints were recorded through close-ended questions and suggestions through open-ended questions; responses were quantified and ranked by percentage.

2.6 Statistical analysis

Responses were transferred to a master sheet, coded and tabulated. Frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean and standard deviation were used to describe the data, and Karl Pearson's coefficient of correlation (r) was used to find the relationship between the independent variables and utility perception.

3. Results and discussion

3.1 Utility of AgriStack as perceived by the respondents

Respondents perceived AgriStack positively on every statement (Table 1). The highest agreement was that the Farmer ID helps farmers access information about government schemes (93.33%), followed by ease of using digital services (92.50%) and simpler online registration and application (92.50%). Ninety per cent agreed that AgriStack facilitates Farmer ID creation and eases access to subsidies. Time and cost saving (88.33%), ease of receiving PM-KISAN benefits (86.67%), easier decision-making (86.67%), reduced paperwork (85.00%) and easier PM-KUSUM benefits (84.17%) were also widely agreed. Agreement was comparatively lower for bank loans (82.50%), crop insurance (80.83%), timely advisory services (74.17%) and transparency in financial transactions (72.50%), where 25 per cent of respondents only partially agreed in the last two. Overall, 88.33 per cent agreed that AgriStack is useful and has improved farm management, and none disagreed.

Table 2 shows that most respondents (83.33%) had a medium level of utility perception, 16.67 per cent had a low level and none had a high level. The overall perceived utility of AgriStack was therefore medium. This is in line with Zinzade et al. (2024) ^[4], Lekule (2000) and Dabhade (2001). Although agreement on individual statements was high, many respondents agreed only partially on some benefits, which pulls the overall score into the medium range.

4. Conclusion

Farmers perceived AgriStack as useful on all 17 aspects studied, with the strongest agreement on access to scheme information, ease of digital services and simpler online registration. Agreement was weaker, with many respondents only partially agreeing, on transparency in financial transactions, advisory services, crop insurance and bank loans. Most respondents (83.33%) had a medium overall utility perception and none had a high one.

AgriStack services should be strengthened where perceived utility is weakest, namely timely advisory services, crop insurance and loan facilitation, and the transparency of benefit transfers should be communicated clearly to farmers. Future studies may examine actual utilization and the impact of AgriStack on farmers' livelihoods.

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