Mucho Gusto Dos semanas con un tema muy interesante "El Rol de las TIC en el mejoramiento de la competividad de las cadenas agroalimentarias". Mi nombre es Henry Benavides, funcionario del Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA), Economista Agrícola y seré facilitador de este interesante foro. Tuve la oportunidad de participar en un foro sobre la misma temática el pasado diciembre, organizado también por e-agriculture, pero con participantes más de Asia y Africa, y los resultados fueron muy positivos para todos. Los motivo a participar activamente e intercambiarnos conocimiento y poder al final de la jornada tener mayores y mejores elementos de análisis, para fomentar la implementación de TIC's en el sector agroalimentario. Saludos Cordiales, Henry Benavides Facilitador del Foro

Question 5: What suggestions do you have for integrating ICT into agricultural value chain development projects and programs? What consideration must be given to the people, institutions and processes that are impacted by the introduction/use of ICT? ------------------ Some variables that I believe should be considered for integrating ICT into agricultural chains. I mention four (there are more) and not necessarily in order: a) Quality of Information: If the information is useful for decision making, or provides information which impacts positively on the chains. is easier to incorporate information technology as a means for this information flow. b) Costs: Variable very important. The costs are often the most limiting for the incorporation of ICT in the chains. The NGOs have relied on this subject, however, the public sector can and should provide greater support to agricultural chains in this area. c) Public infrastructure: There are cases where public infrastructure does not allow private use of ICT .. This is a variable that limits the development of ICT in agricultural chains. In rural areas of Latin America's communication infrastructure is low and totally absent in many countries. d) Training: Always needed. It is a constant work where public and private institutions can support each other. I know there are more variables, and the weight of each depends on the country and area

Good day. I agree with Sea and Sameera that the middleman is necessary to maintain the dynamism of the values chains, but in some cases, as consequence of lack of transparency, they abuse of the "ignorance" of all "actors", mainly the small producers. When ICT are used like a tool of transparency of prices some middlemen try to avoid that the agrifood chains use technologies. How to avoid this problems? "This is the a million Dolar question". One idea... It is necessary to use ICT to give more transparency to the market and try forcing the transformation of the middleman into agents of change that give more value added to the agri food chain(credit, transformation of product, training, support the organization, etc.). Sounds simple, but I know that is a very difficult challenge.

Response to this question. What positive impact can ICT have on the agricultural value chain? More specifically, where in the value chain can ICT reduce transaction costs? To reduce cost, to reduce times of transaction, to inform about prices and other variables of the commercialization (place to deliver, payments conditions, quality). A case, is common that a farmer transports his products from his farm (Point A) to wholesale market (Point B); most of the time, without knowledge of the price of selling, quality conditions, and obviously he has to pay costs of transportation. Sometimes, someone buys this product in the wholesale market (Point B) and transport again the product to the "Point A", because this buyer has his enterprise in this Point. This situation is called "Freight false". Using an information system we can avoid freight false and to inform the farmer all variables of the market including place to deliver, prices, etc. Sometimes the product could be selling before, directly from "the origin", avoiding to transport this product to the wholsale market. The commodities exchange use ICT (information system) and the commercialization of agri products increase his efficiency.

Does anyone think it would be useful (and possible) to assign different roles in the value chain to different types of ICT? Or would that be too much of a generalization? Good Question Michael. The answer could be YES but in others cases NO, let me try to explain. Agrifood chains use Internet to obtain information, but in some occasions it is used to offer their products (web pages). TV: In all countries TV is a media to disseminate information, in others countries for example Argentina and Uruguay, TV programs are been using for cattle producers to offer their animals, is a way to commercialize products. Mobile phones: It is a media of communication, and in some countries associations of producers send messages to their members through this technology.

Today, the ICT systems are playing an important role in Agricultural Value chains. The level of use depend on different variables: 1) Level of educations of the producers or "actors" of the Agricultural food chains (more level more use) ; 2) Level of organization of the agri-chain (associations of producers, cooperatives) (more level more use); 3) Type of goods produced ; if the product has a international market of reference, for example commodities like rice, sugar, cereals in general, coffee, that have commodities exchange at international level is so common that the main producers and actors of these agri chains use Internet and other ICT (mobile phones, radio) to obtain information to take the decision to sell or not. More linkage to international markets more use of ICT. 4) Price transmission. When the prices transmission is more direct or in other words, the international prices affect more the national prices, the actors of the agri chains use more technology to obtain information about the market.

Subject Matter Expert I'm Henry Benavides, Costarican, Agricultural Economist, Magister in Agribusiness and Specialist in Policies and Trade of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). I have worked with agri-food chain of commodities in Central America and others American Regions; supporting this agri-food chains with the issues of agricultural trade (multilateral and bilateral agreements). I'm part of the IICA ICT Team.