From your understanding and experiences, what is the role of ICTs in sustainable intensification of horticulture crop based s

Thanks to Dr. Baudoin for such a thought-provoking discussion and to all the wonderful contributions so far.

ICTs will play a pivotal role in the sustainable intensification of horticultural crop systems by ensuring that the data captured on the data loggers is shared among the relevant parties for interpretation or for further processing. This means that research work and farm management is no more localized, many people can equally contribute to the underlying process even though they are not in the same place. The internet has provided the possibility to create databases of all necessary information and have this information more readily available. This information can be used for the purposes of building models for forecasting and projection of various farm outputs. This will, in turn, contribute to the efficiency of horticultural systems.  Communication has also made it possible to disseminate information on plant disease outbreak, weather, planting time etc.  ICTs also contribute in terms of providing a nexus in the value chain. This would mean that there is more coordination among the players and access to markets for the farmers, case in point is "La Ruche qui dit oui" in France.  In the case of developing countries, the introduction of mobile money transfers has made it easier for farmers to instantly access their cash. This conveniently facilitates financial transactions for the purposes personal use and purchase of inputs.

 

Esteemed Colleagues, 

Our sincere thanks go to all of you for the active participation , informative and the open exchange of views during the first week of our Global discussion.Indeed the quintessential role of ICTs-in the sustainable intensification of horticulture crop based systems  cannot  be emphasised more.

Moving on, we are equally excited of the week ahead  and we would like to kindly remind you that from Monday the  13th to  Friday the 17th  of March , we will take this discussion to  an even  more interesting phase . Where we are kindly asking you  to share the practical examples / success stories on ICT technologies and / innovative practices  that have been used /in use for  sustainably intensifying  horticulture crop-based systems.( mainly fruits , vegetables, roots and tubers) for both small holder and commercial farmers in your respective localities. For easier readability of your cases/stories,  may  we suggest that you succinctly describe the following when sharing your  case : have the ICT technologies / innovative practices you are sharing  proved to work well and produced good results, can they be recommended as models? Are they successful experiences that has been tested and validated in the broad sense and deserves to be shared so that a greater number of people can adopt it? Alternatively, have these ICT technologies / innovative practices demonstrated a high degree of success in a single setting and guarantee the possibility of replication in the same setting. 

You may want to further  include details on what has been done, where, how, who, when and the results/ impacts of  the ICT technologies / practices.

Once again we are happy to re-introduce our first case study providers :
1.    Dr Azzam Saleh Ayasa - Head of Programme Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) │West Bank and Gaza Strip Mount of Olives .Jerusalem.
2.    Prof Manuel. R. Reyes, Ph.D. Research. AgroEcological Engineer. SIIL Coordinator, Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification CE SAIN, Cambodia. Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL).Kansas State University.USA
3.     Mr Hasib Ahsan -ICT Head of Operations -mPower Social Enterprises Ltd-ICT Head of Operations, USAID Agricultural Extension Project (ICT in Agriculture Extension).Bangladesh. 
4.    Mr Keron Bascombe, Agricultural Blogger, Creator and Editor of the blog Tech4agri.com,Trinidad and Tobago- Country representative in the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) Steering committee.
5. Mr Erick Zvavanyange, Country representative under the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development. Zimbabwe.

We are looking forward to continue learning from  your practical examples/ success stories. 

On Behalf of the forum moderators. 

Innocent Chamisa
Rural and Urban Crop and Mechanization Systems Team
Plant Production and Protection Division.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).Rome. Italy

 

Hi everyone, 

I have just joined the forum,  

I am interested to know what experiences you have had with the the use of ICT to improve peri urban and urban agriculture/horticulture systems. We have started to explore the potential of vertical farming and community gardens in Australia and India.  We are interested to see how Decision support systems and real time monitoring for climate and fertilizer and irrigation can improve production and quality of the crops 

Briefly, I think ICT can be used by both small scale and commercial farmers for keeping farm records especially in keeping track of the daily/weekly cultural activities carried out on specific crops. This facilitates the quick sharing of such informtion whenever needed and may help the small scale farmers in meeting the traceability requirements set by the export market.

Dear All

It was a pleasure to read some of the many solutions that were provided by participants. I'd like to share another case/field example of ICT use in agriculture here in the Caribbean.

RevoFarm provides weather and market information as it relates to project windspeed, rainfall, UV index etc via SMS stext messaging system. This information is provided by their business partner in the USA who analysis this data through their systems. 

As it relates to pricing information, farmers have been able to get up to 50% more in the market by knowing the price via RevoFarm's ICT system. Prior to this producers would have to depend on the buyers to access price information and this was sometimes inaccurate.

 

Farmers are paying 200 Jamaican dollars per month which is equivalent to $2US per month to access which RevoFarm refers to as their basic services. There are other services with a larger range of fees but this is the minimum making it extremely affordable. The aim is to reach all farmers no matter their level of busines and to assist in boosting their income.

 

Clearly in this case the cost of technology is not a barrier to its access, while its sutiability is of the best fit. This also exemplifies the power of knowledge and information sharing which has an empowering effect on many differnt types of stakeholders, hence hence its powerful role in this situation. Despite these benefits the uptake of new technologies have always been quite slow in the regional agricultural sphere with some island sectors ahead of others.

 

"The uptake of the technology is not as we want. We have approx 1000 farmers on our platform. We have not gathered farmers via advertising or traditional marketing just yet. Our farmers are through our current network. We are now working with key stakeholders/partners to push our services out to boost our user numbers by the end of this year."

--From Mr. Ricardo Gowdie, Co owner Revo Farms

 

Best

Keron

Tech4agri

 

 

 

Technology is most important.The one which we can implement at present is making maure/soil mixture out of bio degradables. The second and most important is drip irrigation.Making the roots wet and using sensors at 03.m away to know the degree of wetness,and stopping water supply.These are very essential,where there is starvation for water,and where there is more populations in cities.
Using the waste water by using simple storage and filtration systems apartment blocks can use the waste water for horticulture.

ICTs play an important role in agriuclture.  ICTs are being used by farmers, enrrepreneurs, extension workers and other stakeholders to disseminate information on various innovation in agricultural technology.  Most common ICTs being used by the majority are radio and TV.  Majority of the farmers own a radio.  Anytime they listen to the radio.  Even if they are on the field working they listen to the radio most especially the School on the Air (SOA).  If they are at home, they watch TV for latest news and updates.  There are TV programs which focus on agriculture.  Good paractices are being shown here with the hope that these will be replicated on the farmers' fields.  Latest technologies, research breakthroughs, innovations and enhancements are also being shown to update our farmers and other stakeholders.  Mobile phones are also common among the farmers in the Philippines.  Mobile phones provide easy exchange of information among farmers  and expedite communication among them. In fact, through use of mobile phones by dialing 8888, they could air their issues and concerns, ask questions anytime and there is immediate action or reply.  The Rice Crop Manager (RCM)  requires the use of mobile phones or internet by the farmers.  Wth the use of mobile phones or internet, they could easily get information such as the correct amoount of fertilizers to be applied on their farms and other pertinent information.   Internet enables rural communities stay up-to-date and to receive information on technology updates, market prices and other vital agricultural information.  Internet can facilitate dialogue among communities and help to share information between the government planners, rural development agencies, researchers and technical experts.However, for those living in the remotest areas, the problem is connectivity.  The radio is the popular channel of communication.  Even if there is no power, they could still listen to the radio which is battery-operated.  But there are some challenges to be addressed such as digital divide, capacity building due to lack of competence and expertise on ICTs by the farmers, inadequate communication and power infrastructure, limited financial resources allocated for ICTs, and others.  For capacity building, I have seen in one of the rural communities in our province, a "Computer Education on the Wheels".  The van equipped with computers and accessories is traveling from one place to another place teaching farmers and residents in the community computer skills.  Indeed, ICTs are important tools in improving the productivity of the agriculture sector.    

Minitry of Food and Agriculture, Republic of Ghana

Vision

The vision of the Ministry is a modernised agriculture culminating in a structurally transformed economy and evident in food security, employment opportunities and reduced poverty. read more at www.mofa.gov.gh 

Mission

MOFA’s Mission is to promote sustainable agriculture and thriving agribusiness through research and technology development, effective extension and other support services to farmers, processors and traders for improved livelihood.

GHANA E-AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Information Communication and Technology Unit has implemented the E-Agriculture Programme which is an ICT initiative through the West African Agriculture Productivity Programme (WAAPP) with funds from the World Bank. 

The programme covers all aspects of Agriculture in Ghana with focus on crops, livestock, vegetable production and Gender. 

The main objective of the E-Agriculture Programme is to provide affordable, prompt and efficient agricultural service delivery through the use of the internet; Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s). This gives the actors of the agriculture value chain access to comprehensive and up-to-date information on Crop and Animal Production, Market Prices, Farm Management Techniques and Practices, and Traceability in the Ghanaian Agriculture.

The E-Agriculture Programme has a concept to embrace models that improve the communication and learning process of the actors in the agricultural value chain. This will help in bridging the gap between knowledge generators and users, where ICT is used to improve Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Development.

Horticulture exports from Ghana have grown tremendously since 1997. Pineapples and citrus fruits form the major bulk of horticultural exports, and these are sent to countries using air and sea route. The government has taken proactive steps to help horticultural exporters by linking them to the SPEG. This enables a ship to anchor at the port of Tema, where one or more holds are loaded with the export and then transporte

 

Problems with Horticultural Exports from Ghana

Quality is a major issue when it comes to horticulture. The biggest challenge that Ghana faces today is educating the growers about quality issue. Using ICT platforms and portals can help farmers and growers on best farming and handling practices. The national e-Agriculture programme centre has a call center facility with a toll free number where farmers call for information on various Agricultural extension and advisory services. Othe private sector organizations such as ESOKO and VODAFON has call centres serving the purpose of e-Agriculture in Ghana. We need to increatse private sector participation on ICT applications in Sustainable Horticulture production.   

The components of the E-Agriculture Program Platform include the following:

• E-Farm Information (Farmer Audio Library/Interactive Voice Response System [IVR]); where an interested person calls a specific toll free line and is taken through the procedures of the desired crop / animal production in their local languages, anywhere and at any time.
• E-Field Extension; where extension officers are equipped with modern technologies and application for farmer data collection and report on occurrences on individual farms to boost accurate and prompt response to field needs and early control systems to safeguard food security.
• Call Centre; where the public can call the toll free line and get all the information needed concerning agriculture from the call centre agents, in whatever local language they can best communicate in. You can call the toll free number and IVR system on 1848 and 30037 in Ghana to access any information in Agriculture
• E-Learning and Resource Centre; a centre for information and technology training to promote youth in agriculture.
• Web Portal; for the publishing of news and current activities in the agricultural sector and have the information on all actors in the agricultural value chain.

 

THE IMPACT/BENEFITS OF E-AGRICULTURE

FARMER:

Greater access to expert information, services, and best practices. This project has made available a lot of information for farmer to make their work much easier. There are three main sources of information;

 

1. The Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
2. The web portal
3. The call centre

These sources have been made available to provide the expert information needed to make the farmer’s work much easier and more effective. Reducing the cost of trying remedies by the right information to remedy the situation at hand.

• A direct connection to a trusted supplier of seeds and fertilizer

• Access to cultivation best practices (land preparation, soil testing, best seeds and fertilizers, etc.)

• The benefits of aggregation, which drove better bargains

• Reduced fertilizer, pesticide, labour, and other costs, thanks to higher-quality seeds and improved processes based on best-practice information

 

 

EXTENSION OFFICER:

E-agriculture has reduced the work load on most extension officers as they wouldn’t necessarily need to return to their labs or various source of information/remedy before giving the farmers the solution to their problems.

It has made available:

• Direct access to otherwise unreachable farmers

• The ability to test and validate academic research and innovation in real world applications

• The opportunity to solve practical problems and share best practices with aggregated groups of farmers

PROCESSOR:

E-agriculture has proved very essential to the various processors in the agricultural sector. Their work has been made easier and more convenient.

 

This project has created the:

• Ability to directly and cost-effectively manufacture produce in bulk

• Ability to optimize market efficiency by connecting buyers and sellers

• Direct, inexpensive, and transparent access to larger groups of farmers

• Better forecasting for greater efficiency and fewer losses

• Stronger relationships with farmers and Technology companies

• New business opportunities using a proven model that increases readiness for technology adoption

• Ability to reach new customer base early, for longer-term benefits

• Opportunity to achieve business and social benefits by increasing access to technology

 

THE GENERAL PUBLIC:

The general public has directly and indirectly been impacted by e-agriculture. The various sources of information aren’t just limited to farmers but also anyone who needs any form of information about agriculture. Whether it’s about starting a farm, taking care of their pets, purchasing of agro-products, etc. the enquiries can be made without any problem, thanks to this project.

Submitted by Yussif Abubakar

ICT Unit, MoFA