Abstract
India has a large population of people who live in rural areas. Regional differences prevent every part of the country from being well developed. Among other factors, there are differences in cultural practices, living standards, and ownership of agricultural lands. Closing the gap requires the adoption of technology and a good education. This study observed that society, technology, and development are interrelated in rural India. Through technology-driven poverty reduction, underprivileged people can obtain education, health care, financial services, and employment opportunities. It is possible to improve agriculture and farmers’ economies through technological innovation combined with traditional knowledge.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Not applicable.
Code availability
Not applicable.
References
Aghion P, David PA, Foray D (2009) Science, technology and innovation for economic growth: linking policy research and practice in ‘STIG Systems’. Res Policy 38(4):681–693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2009.01.016
Agwu ME (2021) Can technology bridge the gap between rural development and financial inclusions? Technol Anal Strateg Manag 33(2):123–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2020.1795111
Allain S, Ruault JF, Moraine M, Madelrieux S (2022) The ‘bioeconomics vs bioeconomy’ debate: beyond criticism, advancing research fronts. Environ Innov Soc Transit 42:58–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2021.11.004
Arrieta-Escobar JA, Derrien D, Ouvrard S, Asadollahi-Yazdi E, Hassan A, Boly V, Tinet AJ, Dignac MF (2020) 3D printing: an emerging opportunity for soil science. Geoderma 378:114588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114588
Ashley C, Maxwell S (2001) Rethinking rural development. Dev Policy Rev 19(4):395–425. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7679.00141
Autio E, Mudambi R, Yoo Y (2021) Digitalization and globalisation in a turbulent world: centrifugal and centripetal forces. Glob Strategy J 11(1):3–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1396
Ayamga M, Tekinerdogan B, Kassahun A, Rambaldi G (2021) Developing a policy framework for adoption and management of drones for agriculture in Africa. Technol Anal Strateg Manag 33(8):970–987. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2020.1858047
Bansal S (2014) Perspective of technology in achieving financial inclusion in rural India. Procedia Econ Finance 11:472–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00213-5
Baruah B (2015) Creating opportunities for women in the renewable energy sector: findings from India. Fem Econ 21(2):53–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2014.990912
Bhatnagar S, Schware R (2000) Information and communication technology in rural development. Case Studies From India, World Bank Institute, pp 1–192
Bisht IS, Rana JC, Pal Ahlawat S (2020) The future of smallholder farming in India: some sustainability considerations. Sustainability 12(9):3751. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093751
Bizikova L, Nkonya E, Minah M, Hanisch M, Turaga RMR, Speranza CI, Karthikeyan M, Tang L, Ghezzi-Kopel K, Kelly J, Celestin AC, Timmers B (2020) A scoping review of the contributions of farmers’ organisations to smallholder agriculture. Nat Food 1(10):620–630. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-00164-x
Borooah VK, Iyer S (2005) Vidya, Veda, and Varna: the influence of religion and caste on education in rural India. J Dev Stud 41(8):1369–1404. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220380500186960
Castañeda A, Doan D, Newhouse D, Nguyen MC, Uematsu H, Azevedo JP (2018) A new profile of the global poor. World Dev 101:250–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.08.002
Cecchini S, Scott C (2003) Can information and communications technology applications contribute to poverty reduction? Lessons from rural India. Inf Technol Dev 10(2):73–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/itdj.1590100203
Chand R (2017). Doubling farmers income: rationale, strategy, prospects & action plan. NITI Aayog Policy Paper No. 1/2017. https://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/DOUBLING%20FARMERS%20INCOME.pdf. Accessed 20 May 2022
Chand R, Saxena R, Rana S (2015) Estimates and analysis of farm income in India, 1983–84 to 2011–12. Econ Polit Wkly 139–145. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24482496
Cozzens SE (2021) Inequalities and STI policies: impact analysis. Innov Dev 11(2–3):229–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1973650
de Fátima Ferreiro M, Sousa C, Sheikh FA, Novikova M (2021) Social innovation and rural territories: exploring invisible contexts and actors in Portugal and India. J Rural Stud. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.04.013
Deguchi A, Hirai C, Matsuoka H, Nakano T, Oshima K, Tai M, Tani S (2020) What is society 5.0. Society 5(0):1–24
De Haan LJ (2000) Globalisation, localization and sustainable livelihood. Sociol Ruralis 40(3):339–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9523.00152
Dorin B (2022) Theory, practice and challenges of agroecology in India. Int J Agric Sustain 20(2):153–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2021.1920760
Fan S, Chan-Kang C (2005) Is small beautiful? Farm size, productivity, and poverty in Asian agriculture. Agric Econ 32:135–146
Galab S, Reddy PP, Raju DSR, Ravi C, Rajani A (2020) Impact assessment of zero budget natural farming in Andhra Pradesh. A comprehensive approach using crop cutting experiments. Report for the agricultural year 2018–19. https://apcnf.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CESS-2018-2019-Report.pdf
Goli S, Rammohan A, Reddy SP (2021) The interaction of household agricultural landholding and caste on food security in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Food Secur 13(1):219–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01109-9
Haldar S (2021) Sustainable entrepreneurship development in the renewable energy sector: insights from Gujarat, India. Afr J Sci Technol Innov Dev 13(7):873–885. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2020.1796004
Hesham AEL, Kaur T, Devi R, Kour D, Prasad S, Yadav N, Singh C, Singh J, Yadav AN (2021) Current trends in microbial biotechnology for agricultural sustainability: conclusion and future challenges. In: Yadav AN, Singh J, Singh C, Yadav N (eds) Current trends in microbial biotechnology for sustainable agriculture. Environmental and microbial biotechnology. Springer, Singapore, pp 555–572. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6949-4_22
Himanshu, Lanjouw P, Murgai R, Stern N (2013) Nonfarm diversification, poverty, economic mobility, and income inequality: a case study in village India. Agric Econ 44(4–5):461–473. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12029
Horton P, Brown GW (2018) Integrating evidence, politics and society: a methodology for the science–policy interface. Palgrave Commun 4(1):1–5. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0099-3
Internet – no author, 11/09/2021-70% of agricultural households possess land less than 1 hect. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/70-of-agricultural-households-possess-land-less-than-1-hectare-finds-survey/articleshow/86102412.cms. Accessed 24 May 2022
Internet – no author, no date- India population. https://www.populationu.com/india-population. Accessed 19 May 2022
Jha K, Doshi A, Patel P, Shah M (2019) A comprehensive review on automation in agriculture using artificial intelligence. Artif Intell Agric 2:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aiia.2019.05.004
Johnson DG, Wetmore JM (eds) (2021) Technology and society: building our sociotechnical future. MIT Press, Cambridge
Kalinowski S, Rosa A (2021). Sustainable development and the problems of rural poverty and social exclusion in the EU countries. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/82063/1/Sustainable_development_and_the_problems_of_rural_poverty_and_social_exclusion_in_the_EU_countries.pdf. Accessed 12 May 2022
Kareemulla K, Krishnan P, Ravichandran S, Kumar BG, Sharma S, Bhatta R (2021) Spatiotemporal analysis of size and equity in ownership dynamics of agricultural landholdings in India vis-à-vis the world. Sustainability 13(18):10225
Kumar SA, Ilango P (2018) The impact of wireless sensor network in the field of precision agriculture: a review. Wirel Pers Commun 98(1):685–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-017-4890-z
Lowenberg-DeBoer J, Huang IY, Grigoriadis V, Blackmore S (2020) Economics of robots and automation in field crop production. Precis Agric 21(2):278–299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-019-09667-5
Maertens A (2013) Social norms and aspirations: age of marriage and education in rural India. World Dev 47:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.01.027
Masot AN, Gascón JLG (2021) Sustainable rural development: strategies, good practices and opportunities. Land 10(4):366. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10040366
Muhardi M, Mafruhat AY, Cintyawati C, Ramli TA, Sabar R, Ahmad H, Shaharruddin S, Bohari AM (2022) The contribution of social, economy and technology in rural development. In: Rachmiatie A, Triwardhani IJ, Alhamuddin, Abdullah CU (eds) Islam, media and education in the digital era. Routledge, London, pp 27–33
Naika MB, Kudari M, Devi MS, Sadhu DS, Sunagar S (2021) Digital extension service: quick way to deliver agricultural information to the farmers. In: Food technology disruptions. Academic Press, pp 285–323
Pattnaik I, Lahiri-Dutt K (2022) Do women like to farm? Evidence of growing burdens of farming on women in rural India. J Peasant Stud 49(3):629–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2020.1867540
Poblete-Echeverría C, Fuentes S (2020) Special issue “Emerging Sensor Technology in Agriculture”. Sensors 20(14):3827. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20143827
Ravallion M (2011) A comparative perspective on poverty reduction in Brazil, China, and India. World Bank Res Obs 26(1):71–104. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkp031
Ray N, Clarke G, Waley P (2021) The impact of contract farming on the welfare and livelihoods of farmers: a village case study from West Bengal. J Rural Stud 86:127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.06.003
Ruel MT, Quisumbing AR, Balagamwala M (2018) Nutrition-sensitive agriculture: what have we learned so far? Glob Food Secur 17:128–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2018.01.002
Ryan M (2020) Agricultural big data analytics and the ethics of power. J Agric Environ Ethics 33(1):49–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-019-09812-0
Schafft KA (2016) Rural education as rural development: understanding the rural school–community well-being linkage in a 21st-century policy context. Peabody J Educ 91(2):137–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2016.1151734
Shamdasani Y (2021) Rural road infrastructure & agricultural production: evidence from India. J Dev Agric Econ 152:102686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102686
Sharma S (2015) Caste-based crimes and economic status: evidence from India. J Comp Econ 43(1):204–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2014.10.005
Smith LC, Haddad L (2015) Reducing child undernutrition: past drivers and priorities for the post-MDG era. World Dev 68:180–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.11.014
Sparrow R, Howard M (2021) Robots in agriculture: prospects, impacts, ethics, and policy. Precis Agric 22(3):818–833. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-020-097579
Sahoo AK, Sangha D (2010) Diaspora and cultural heritage: the case of Indians in Canada. Asian Ethn 11(1):81–94
Tiwari C, Bhattacharjee S, Sethi P, Chakrabarti D (2022) Internal migration and rural inequalities in India. Popul Res Policy Rev 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-022-09707-5
Ton G, Vellema W, Desiere S, Weituschat S, D’Haese M (2018) Contract farming for improving smallholder incomes: what can we learn from effectiveness studies? World Dev 104:46–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.11.015
Truelove RN, Lellyett SC, Issaka AI, Huda S (2023) Agricultural value chains in developing economies: a theoretical framework. In: Sustainable food value chain development: perspectives from developing and emerging economies. Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore, pp 107–152
Wang D, Zhou T, Lan F, Wang M (2021) ICT and socio-economic development: evidence from a spatial panel data analysis in China. Telecommun Policy 45(7):102173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102173
Yadav A, Ahmad I (2022) Indian agriculture sector: impacts from COVID-19. Int J Global Environ Issues 21(1):4–22
Acknowledgements
None.
Funding
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors equally contributed to the development of this study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The author’s declares that we have no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Verma, R., Verma, K., Verma, J. et al. Indian rural development: a review of technology and society. SN Soc Sci 4, 42 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00831-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00831-x