Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Themba Phiri

Livelihoods Consultant
Zimbabwe

Colleagues

Information technology is the strongest tool in offsetting poverty and food and nutrition security. Zimbabwe and Mali in the past had made numerous strides in communicating farmer messages through the radio, and this led to Zimbabwe becoming one of the food baskets of Africa from the 1970s to the early 1980s, this was exacerbated by the fact that, farmer radio listening groups used extension messages to double their yields and produce the best livestock in Mali and Zimbabwe.

There is need to take a cue from these two countries and introduce new technologies especially in Africa, where we can even give farmers iPads so that they can be able to calculate yields, income and google pests and disease incidences this will make farming more easier and information technology more accessible.Organisations and governments should set out satellite stations or experimental projects that will set up internet networks in the rural areas, which will be used by farmers and these would be termed technology innovation centers of excellence, which will offset all the challenges that are being faced by farmers now, climate change challenges, can only be tackled by providing rural and urban farmers with access to internet. Internet service providers such as MTN, Vodacom and other international networks should plough back to the communities by engaging farmers in technology advancement where they have access to internet at affordable rates, but at the same time benefiting and this will cut even the current challenges faced by departments of extension where farmer ratios to extension officers are a great challenge.

Regards

Themba Phiri

Livelihoods Consultant