I am Karin Nichterlein, Agricultural Research Officer, Research and Extension Branch, FAO, Rome, Italy. The comments so far have shown the vast and various ICT innovations that have been developed to help farmers access and exchange information they need through various service providers. It is true that different access to ICTs must be considered for the best form of adoption to engage farmers along with documenting and disseminating issues and innovations experienced by farmers. As it has been mentioned, the use of ICTs is very diverse in rural areas in regards to the different medias such as rural radio, mobile phones and internet. ICTs provide the possibility for farmers and stakeholders to share their experiences, to improve practices, learn from each other, as well as provide linkages to different markets and information. Wide use of mobile phones and internet may be difficult in some rural areas due to limited literacy, low level of connectivity and/or high costs. Here,  intermediaries with skills and access to ICTs play a role in letting farmers benefit from ICTs.

 

In response to these particular aspects, I would like to introduce the Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (TECA) platform that combines a knowledge repository with a tool for discussions (please see: http://teca.fao.org). TECA has been developed by FAO to facilitate access to practical information that can benefit small producers around the world. Through the knowledge repository  information on applied technologies and practices can be accessed from partner organizations agreeing to share their descriptions on TECA. The focus is on concrete technologies presented in a non-academic, simple and descriptive language, complemented by photos, presentations and videos. Users or intermediaries can leave comments for sharing similar experiences or posting questions. An additional tool is the online forums, or Exchange Groups, where members can enquire a community of practitioners about a specific agricultural technology or practice, and at the same time share their own experiences with other members looking for support.

 

In regards to intermediaries providing ICT services, I would like to share with you information about  recent initiatives of one of TECA’s partners, the Grameen Foundation Uganda’s Local Knowledge Project (http://teca.fao.org/partner/grameen-foundation). Through a network of 800 community knowledge workers based at village level in different regions of Uganda, local practices in agriculture  - often communicated only verbally across communities and generations - are collected and documented, translated into English and shared for discussion and feedback with members of an Exchange Group on TECA. The community knowledge workers are equipped with smart phones which they use to capture farmers’ local innovations. These experiences, together with the contributions and comments from the TECA platform are then compiled into a comprehensive document that is shared with farmers and other stakeholders through various channels of communication.  Another initiative, is the establishment of a call centre by Grameen Uganda, where farmers can receive advice by experts in local languages. The TECA platform is one of the sources from which they draw information for their advisory services.

We have seen in this discussion forum many exciting examples of using ICTs for farmers, but need to keep in mind that the successful implementation of ICTs to benefit farmers requires a careful assessment of many factors including information needs of various farmer groups, capacities of farmers or intermediaries, communication culture, costs, available resources etc.

Dear all, let me present you a concrete information and communication system that focuses on sharing of information on problems, technologies and good practices relevant for  small producers. This system is provided by the tri-lingual platform on Technologies for Agriculture (TECA) established by FAO in English, French and Spanish that was first introduced as a supply-driven repository for technologies validated with producers. An evaluation revealed that TECA is a good system to document and share otherwise dispersed information on technologies for smallholders with the advantage of providing a standard framework for description. The evaluation as well found that the platform lacked interactivity and needed to become demand driven. A new TECA version in Drupal was launched that combines the repository with communication tools allowing exchanges by users on technology and information needs and sharing of experiences. The new platform and its new functions such as an exchange group function was tested a) with rural users in a field pilot in Uganda and b) with a community focusing on the subject area beekeeping and marketing,  in close collaboration with the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, both groups using facilitators to encourage sharing of experiences and technologies. Lessons learned are being used to further improve the platform to make practical information easier accessible (low band use)  and understandable for those working closely with small holders: producer organizations, public and private extension agents, NGOs, training institutions,  research systems or institutions, input suppliers, marketing agencies, etc. While improving the TECA platform http://teca.fao.org/ (including upgrading it to Drupal 7), we are also revising the TECA guidelines and will soon have a package ready consisting of the improved TECA Drupal components and the guidelines that will help to integrate TECA into national programmes, institutions, development projects etc. for sharing of technologies and good practices with those most in need and often neglected, rural people and small holders and those directly supporting them. Related to the content management system we use for the platform, we closely collaborate with the AgriDrupal community. The platform under revision will also be adjusted to the latest Agrovoc developments.

Kind regards

Karin Nichterlein

FAO, Research and Extension Branch