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Access to information and improved communication is a crucial requirement for sustainable agricultural development. Modern communication technologies when applied to conditions in rural areas can help to improve communication, increase participation, disseminate information and share knowledge and skills. It is being said that Cyber Extension would be the major form of technology dissemination in the 21st century. However, it is observed that the rural population still has difficulty in accessing crucial information in order to make timely decisions. The challenge is not only to improve the accessibility of communication technology to the rural population but also to improve its relevance to local development. The world is rapidly shrinking to a Global Village. The merger of communication (audio and visual) and computer technology has suddenly made this combination so powerful that no sector of human activity can afford to ignore it.

This book explores the potential of cyber tools for the development of rural masses by utilizing the power of online networks, computer communications and digital interactive multimedia to facilitate dissemination of agricultural technology.

Solving the problems of agricultural and rural development in developing countries requires sufficient number of well trained and skilled professionals. Unless the extension workers and agricultural graduates have the wide knowledge of the cyber extension methodologies for transfer of farm technology, they cannot be effective in solving the problems of farmers. In this context, this book brings together highly rich information on cyber extension tools and communication technology.

For creating a better India through rural upliftment and agricultural development, the extension base in the country should be fortified. For strengthening the existing extension base, a thorough knowledge of cyber tools are needed for the agricultural graduates both at under graduate and post graduate levels, as these graduates are tomorrow's agricultural policy makers, extension workers and pillars of rural development. Considering the above urge this book on cyber extension has been written to suit their requirement.

We are sure that this book would prove helpful to the extension workers in planning and manipulating communication strategies. This book will also be useful to the undergraduate and post graduate students in the fields of extension education for transfer technologies. Keeping in view the fast developing nature of communication technologies, the recent development in the field of cyber extension involving effective use of information and communication technology, national and international information networks, the internet, expert systems SATCOM, multimedia learning systems and computer based training systems, to improve information access to the farmers, research scientist and extension managers have been highlighted in this book.