Evidence have shown that technology has the potential to improve agricultural productivity. Specifically ICTs can help governments and developmental organizations to enhance food security and improve rural livelihoods through both knowledge and skills transfer. In most cases also improve the capacities of communities in agricultural productivity, pests control and easier access to markets. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) adopts innovations in information and communication technology (ICT) for agriculture and rural development. In a recent article by its President,...
African Union publishes a Decision EX . CL/Dec. 986-1007 (XXXII), the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), requests the AU and Member States to harness drones for agriculture as one of three emerging technologies of relevance for African development. The recently held African Union saw its Executive Council of the African Union requesting the AU and Member States to harness drones for agriculture. Drones or the Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been in existence for decades and initially used in the military. Today drones have permeated the development world and has been applied in...
The recently ended Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference under the auspices of the 10th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (organized by Federal Ministry of Agriculture ) held in Germany affirmed to the role of ICT technologies as an important tool to agriculture, for example in improving water-use efficiency. The theme of the meeting as “ Agriculture and Water – Key to Feeding the World ”, and pointed out that climate change, land degradation and many trends such as urbanisation, population growth, migration have increased the competition for the demand of water, resulting in the need...
The Palawija Forum article reports on the implementation of ICTs to support agriculture in Indonesia. Agriculture is a key sector which accounts for 31.7% the country’s labour-force. Therefore, the investment in ICT in the agricultural sector supports the economic development and poverty reduction as well as a strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The article notes that ICTs play a role in crop production within the following stages, (i) pre-cultivation; (ii) crop cultivation and harvesting; and (iii) post-harvest. This is particularly important for Indonesian...
The 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development (6th ICSD 2018) will be held in Rome,Congress Center, Piazza della Pilotta, 4, Rome, Italy Wednesday 12 to Thursday 13 September, 2018. The conference is organized by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT...
Do you have an innovative project in ICT4D? Do you think that your project is supporting the SDGs with the ICT4SDGs? Do you want international recognition of your project and also want to share to others what you are working on? Then ITU invites you to submit your entries by the 14th of January 2018. The extension allows for time for interested projects to bid for this prestigious award. You can read the ITU Official Call for Submissions in all UN languages are available here [ AR ] - [ ZH ] - [ EN ] - [ FR ] - [ RU ] - [ ES ] Read the submission rules and guidelines here All nominated...
CTA publishes a policy brief that seeks to concertize policy makers on the need of smallholder farmers to be included (in technological innovations) and to empower them to leverage information and communications technology (ICT) innovations for greater productivity and efficiency. In the western world, farmers can now use their smartphones, and other emerging technologies, to remotely monitor their equipment, crops and livestock and better control farming practices and productivity. However, the typical African smallholder farmer is still unable to effectively use these technologies due to a...
Rwanda and Estonia are reported to have started to create a professional network between ICT entrepreneurs that could benefit these countries bi-laterally. This follows a working visit by the President of Estonia Her Excellency Kersti Kaljulaid who expressed interest in ICT oriented partnerships in Estonia and Rwanda. She held talks with Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and visited K-Lab (a center that provides an open space for IT entrepreneurs to collaborate and innovate). More information about the visit here ICTs in agriculture : The Rwanda situation This visit of the Estonian...
Do you have a good and promising practices in agriculture? And you are in the Europe and Central Asia region? Then why not submit your good and promising practice before the 30th of November 2017. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the e-Agriculture Community of Practice (CoP) are launching a call for good and promising practices on the use of ICTs for Agriculture in the region of Europe and Central Asia. The call aims at collecting lessons learned and recommendations of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), also called digital technologies, for...
The FAO Director-General, Mr. Jose Graziano da Silva launched one of the FAO flagship publication, " The State of Food and Agriculture ", which this year focuses on leveraging food systems for inclusive rural transformation. The publication was launched during the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) which started on the 9th of October 2017 in FAO headquarters, in Rome. He noted that some 815 million people suffered from hunger in 2016. Key messages of the report The State of Food and Agriculture aims at bringing to a wider audience balanced science-based assessments of important issues in...
The 6th International Conference on Sustainable Development (6th ICSD 2018) will be held in Rome,Congress Center, Piazza della Pilotta, 4, Rome, Italy Wednesday 12 to Thursday 13 September, 2018. The conference is organized by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT...