Question 1 (opens 25 Feb.)

Greetings to all of you!   Here in Abidjan, it is 8:15 a.m. on this 25 February. My rolre here is to facilitate for the next two weeks our discussion of e-agriculture policies and strategies in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries. As you may know, the outcome of this discussion will serve mainly two purposes:  - To prepare the upcoming ICT Observatory that will be held from 24 to 26 April 2013 in the Netherlands  - To feed into the WSIS+10 activities pertaining to e-agriculture, as part of the Tunis Agenda's Action Line C7 relating to ICT applications (a WSIS Forum  will be organized to that effect from 13-17 May 2013 in Geneva)    Note: WSIS is the World Summit for the Information Society which, after a series of regional and thematic preparatory meetings, took place in two phases: Geneva, 2003 and Tunis, 2005. The main outcomes were captured in the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society. The WSIS+10 activities kick off as we launch our discussion, this very 25 February, with UNESCO holding a WSIS+10 Review conference entitled "Towards Knowledge Societies, for Peace and Sustainable Development."     So before tackling the first question on our list for discussion, let me recall the main elements in the basic definition of e-agriculture included in my Terms of Reference for this assignment, drawing on the FAO definition. E-Agriculture: 
  - stands at the intersection of agricultural informatics, agricultural development and entrepreneurship. - refers to the use and application of the Internet and related technologies to agricultural services, technology dissemination, information delivery and knowledge services. - involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of new or innovative ways to use existing or emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to enhance agricultural information processing, maintenance and transmission as well as to improve communication and learning among agriculture sector's stakeholders.   As some of you might have read from Michael (Riggs) post on our discussion platform (www.e-agriculture.org) the first week of the forum will consider the concept, need and adoption of e-agriculture strategies in ACP countries and beyond. Then the question to focus on is as follows:    1) Why are national e-agriculture strategies (also referred to as “ICT for agriculture strategies” or “cyber-strategies for agriculture”) needed for the agricultural sector to fully realize the benefits of ICTs?   Please let us know your take on that based on your experience and expertise. I wish us a great discussion ahead.   Best regards,   Mawaki

Sure, this is an interesting topic for discussion.

There is great need for setting up national e-agric strategies in order to coordinate and promote the introduction, access, use and application of ICT in order to improve rural development in a more sustainable and participative way.

As in many developing countries, the agricultural sector employs a large proportion of the active workforce. In Uganda for instance, it is claimed that poverty is due largely to low productivity and the ever fluctuating commodity prices.

NGOs and producer organisations suggest that improvements in these areas are severely hampered by the inadequacy of the infrastructure, inefficient distribution methods and a lack of information. Although small farmers lack access to information, they are not isolated from markets and are highly vulnerable to fluctuations in prices and production volumes, as well as to diseases that affect production.

Thanks.

My name is Henry Hunga working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi. The Malawi Government has an ICT policy under the Ministry of Information which has tried to encompass the other Ministries that need ICT for their effective deliverly of services. Nethertheless there is are e-agriculture stategies in place that may help achieve the original idea of the ICT policy. I have put and extract of the Malawi ICT policy especially the part that touches on agriculture. It these objectives were put into use and the strategies expounded I am sure the agriculture sector could improve in terms extension delivery, marketing of products and management of natural resources. On the other hand to access funding from donors and partners would be easy with e-agriculture strategies in place.

Excepts of the National ICT Policy in Malawi
3.6.1. Modernization of the Agriculture Sector
Objective(s)
Objective 1
To promote the utilization of ICTs in agro-business industry
Strategy
• Promote the exploitation and utilization of ICTs in the production and
processing of non-traditional export commodities to enhance the
foreign exchange earning power of the country.
Objective 2
To strengthen the development, application and transfer of agro-based
technologies using ICTs to support sustainable agriculture production and
improve quality of agricultural produce
Strategy
• Encourage the incorporation of ICT in the production of agroequipment
and the processing of raw materials.
Objective 3
To support and promote research in Agricultural production and processing
using ICTs in order to come up with more efficient methods and inputs
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Strategies
• Encourage the exploitation, development, adaptation and utilization of
ICTs to reduce pre-harvest and post-harvest losses in agricultural
production.
• Promote and support agricultural e-research targeting the development
of a modernized and globally competitive agriculture sector.
• Encourage the use of ICT to improve research competence and promote
the application and transfer of new technologies to support improved
agricultural production and processing.
Objective 2
To strengthen agricultural and natural resources extension using ICTs
Strategies
• Revitalize the agricultural extension services by empowering and
equipping farm extension service workers with relevant ICT skills.
• Utilize ICTs to link farmers and farmers’ groups and associations to
resources and services that they need to improve their livelihoods
through agricultural productivity, profitability and food security.
• Establish clear forward and backward linkages between agricultural
education (formal and informal), Research and Development, farming,
agro-industry and marketing through ICT.
Objective 3
To support the modernization and commercialization of the key subsectors
of agriculture using ICTs in order to achieve long-term growth in
the agricultural sector and the economy as a whole.
Strategy
• Develop Geographical Information Systems (GIS) applications to
monitor and support sustainable environment usage in areas like land
and water management, yield assessment and livestock management.
- 26 -

les stratégies nationales d'e-agriculture, "Les TIC pour les stratégies agricoles» ou «cyber-stratégies pour l'agriculture» sont nécessaires pour le secteur agricole pour réaliser pleinement les avantages des TIC du fait :

• de leur simplicité et leur faible coût de plus en plus en progression, donc de leur utilisation par le maximum de producteurs
• des possibilités offertes aux chercheurs, agents de conseil agricole et décideurs de toucher plus rapidement le maximum de cibles
• de la possibilité offerte aux organisations paysannes de se concerter plus rapidement 

Good evenning from Uganda to everyone.
This is a very important forum to shape the future of our respective nations' e-agriculture policy developments and implementations.

Right, I would like to register my response to Question 1: (Why are national e-agriculture strategies (also referred to as “ICT for agriculture strategies” or “cyber-strategies for agriculture”) needed for the agricultural sector to fully realize the benefits of ICTs? )

In my opinion, based on the rural experience I have, I think e-agriculture strategies are needed because of the following below:

(a) Because of lack of formal e-griculture strategies in variours ACP countries, this will Help to shape the formal legal development in connection to access, protection and utilization of ICTs in Agriculture at all industrial development levels of the sector.

(b) Because of lack of enough knowledge and information on e-agriculture strategies in a great number of ACP countries, this will help majority of players within or indirectly linked to the agricultural sector to begin a learning process on how the incooperation and utilization of ICTs in Agriculture can be of greater benefit and in turn, they will be able to rightfully advocate for the same at all levels of the value chain.

(c) Because of lack of proper guieding principles on e-agriculture strategies in majority of ACP countries, this will help to create a frame-work into which existing tradition and future sectoral policies can be directly fitted in.

I thank you

Robert

First, I will suggest the need to clarify the concept of e agriculture for decision and policy makers. Some of them understand the importance of ICT, but have no clue how to indicate it inside a policy less how to implement.

Clarified the concept, the question comes well in terms of showcasing the benefits. What are the benefits and to whom:

Agricultural technicians: improve their work and communication.
Farmers: More precise tools and real time information access.

Before I address the question, it’s important to understand the terminology and also the reason for developing e-agriculture strategies. Not all countries have national e-agriculture strategies and this is apparent in some of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. However, they do have national ICT strategies which highlight agriculture, forestry and rural development. The terminology e-agriculture is fairly new and it’s usually associated with sharing and disseminating agriculture information and also deals with innovative ideas of developing applications on agriculture through the use of ICTs.  Although these e-agriculture strategies are not existing, organisations, partners and or government ministries are working towards initiatives that are sharing and disseminating information through the use of ICTs. Example, applications such as m-application (mobile application) are developed to provide market prices on agriculture commodities. Another example would be the use of social media and web 2.0 training to promote information sharing in the agriculture and forestry sector. These are some very popular initiatives being implemented in countries. However, the activity may not be outlined in the agriculture and or national ICT strategies.

ICT for agriculture strategies is very vague and we cannot discuss this aspect unless we discuss the main national strategy. For example, Fiji has the Strategic development plan which highlights Information and Communication Technology sector and Agriculture/livestock and forestry sectors. One of the key indicators under ICT is to develop Fiji as an attractive information communications hub in the region and in order to achieve this; they have a goal to increase the number of rural tele-centres which can be linked to the agriculture sector but unfortunately, this is not mentioned specifically under the strategy. There is support for sustainable activities in agriculture in relation to developing infrastructure, research and extension. Under the Fiji national broadband policy, government is taking the lead by delivering its services online over broadband. “Lead Government applications – additional to the above, Government shall develop a range of lead applications for delivery of new, enhanced or extended services online using broadband in agriculture and fisheries to assist in production, marketing and logistics associated with the industry”.

As a starting point, it’s important to ensure that agriculture, forestry and rural development is mentioned in the national ICT strategy. The Ministry of agriculture should ensure that during the formulation of a national ICT strategy, they should highlight access, use and application of ICT in the strategy to improve agriculture, forestry and rural development in a sustainable way.  During national consultations, it’s important that all the sectors are well versed and aware of what the national strategy entails. It’s obvious that during stakeholder consultations, not all ministries are involved in the process of establishing the national ICT strategy. Ministries are usually in-charge of establishing their own strategies and it should be aligned to the main national strategy to full realise the benefits of ICTs.  It’s important to have a committee that is set up to coordinate at national and also community level. This way the ministry will have ownership and support for the ICT strategy in the agriculture sector.

A few questions arise from the posts I have read so far.   This first of question of our discussion entails a number of things. Note that we start from the view that ICTs hold benefits which the agricultural sector stands to realize, to take advantage from. Can national e-strategies be the an effective means to bring those benefits to fruition? What is the justification to the “race” to national e-agriculture strategies (assuming this move was as fast as the notion of race implies)? To what ends are they set up? What are their anticipated benefits? And most importantly how are they instrumental in helping the agricultural sector harness and benefit from ICTs?   For instance, when Robert you write in (b) of your response that e-agric strategies will help majority of relevant players to begin a learning process on how the incorporation and utilization of ICTs in Agriculture can be of greater benefit, the question precisely is about what your presumed, anticipated or even proven notion of that greater benefit is, what it entails.   And Bertrand, could you clarify how RFID chips have played a role in address the Praedial larcency bug issue (assuming that’s what you meant).  As Ken also noted, it would be good to hear more about your experience with RFID (at least to the extent of addressing this first question of the discussion for now). Clearly, RFID may be useful in situations involving the distribution of massive production. Jimmie mentioned how in Uganda it is said that low productivity (along with price fluctuations) is part of the factors contributing to poverty among farmers. So it is counter-intuitive to think of RFID as an important need for agriculture in ACP countries. Any experience that shows otherwise will be really valuable to share.   As Ben pointed out, if there are people who think e-agriculture strategies in ACP countries are irrelevant or counter-productive, it would be of interest for this forum to see that perspective elaborated on as well.   Thanks,   Mawaki

Dear all,

Thank you for your contributions on this first day of our discussion.

First of all, please allow me to clarify a little further the general
procedure for a productive discussion here. We should strive to
address the current question put forward as specifically as possible.
By that I mean our responses should articulate elements that will
enable us to formulate a clear answer directly to the specific
question at hand. While you have a total choice over what those
elements (i.e. your response contents) may be, please make sure their
formulation clearly links back to the question --thus, helping the
reader clearly understand in which ways they provide or constitute an
answer to the question.

So far, I have noted some of the replies provide a direct answer to
the question, some other do so more indirectly by, say, listing a
number of positive impacts e-agriculture strategies may have or are
expected to have. In those cases, I take it that the author of the
message implies that those are reasons --albeit not all the reasons,
and maybe not even the main reasons-- why those strategies need to be
put in place. That's the way I'm going to be reading all your posts
over the next two weeks from the perspective of the question it is
meant or expected to address, whether they do so specifically or
indirectly and implicitly. However, the more direct and specific, the
better.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

Dear Abou/Cher Abou : Merci pour l’effort de lecture des contributions en anglais et pour la traduction de votre message en français. Nous encourageons ceux qui suivent ce débat et qui ne parlent que le français d’envoyer leur contribution dans cette langue, mais d’ajouter une traduction en anglais (si nécessaire en faisant une traduction automatique avec un outil comme Google traduction http://translate.google.com/) – idéalement dans le même message). Dear Abou Thank you for your contribution and the translation you provided in English. Regards Ken Lohento ICT4D Programme Coordinator, CTA CTA | P.O. Box 380 | 6700AJ Wageningen |The Netherlands | www.cta.int  Tel: +31 (0) 317 467100

These strategies are important because as technology has really advanced, proper strategies need to be implemented so that all the stakeholders, especially those involved in agriculture, can be aware of the possibilities that technology can deliver to their activities. Technology is an enabler of other sectors or operations, meaning that what technology does is to add value to whatever is that we all do.

Some reasons that underlay of the importance of ICT strategies in agriculture include:-
 
·         Its costs (relatively cheaper compared to paperwork)
·         Increases efficiency in terms of time and accuracy
·         Increasing knowledge sharing among partners disregarding the physical barriers or time and distances
·         Improving collaboration, networking and partnerships
·         More reliable information
·         Eases information storage and retrieval

ICT for agricultural strategies are very key to agricultural development. the penetration of ICts in Rural areas preferably mobile phones and Internet (3G)  gives  farmers  the opportunity to have a direct access to information. however, what is hindering  the information flow  is the lack of a clear policy on how farmers can benefit from the new and upcoming  ICT innovations.

I have just  looked at the  Uganda National Agricultural policy( December,2011)  and discovered that   the issues of ICT  intergration in market information was  not fully considered!

Community Radios could be another avenue to channel through agricultral information  to farmers  but little attention was also given to this wonderful opprotunity. In uganda  we have a total  of 200 Radios  and if  the policy is desiged to at least each Radio to have a program on agricultural issues  it can benefit the farmers and agro-processers etc.

Because serious investment is required to build a sustainable ICT based advisory service where:
 
1. The content is valuable - demand driven, timely, accurate, and relevant
 
2. The means of delivery is user friendly - via technology that is suitable to the local context, language compatible and interactive
 
3. The service is affordable - robust partnerships between advisory service providers and telecom service providers (who are often not the same) are one way to offer subscription to extremely affordable voice and data services at scale to farmers in a country
 
Through the e-choupal program (http://www.itcportal.com/sustainability/lets-put-india-first/echoupal.aspx), a private company, ITC limited, provided price info and other ag advisory services to soy (and other) famers in India that also facilitated the sale of soybeans by the farmers directly to them making it not only profitable for the private company to implement the program due to more efficient procurement and lower transaction costs, but also profitable for the farmers to use the service due to higher prices.

Because, one, ICTs are pervasive and have become/are becoming accessible at a very rapid rate, and two, farmers/agriculturists are probably the most information poor section of the society especially in relation to their needs driven by the inherently uncertain nature of agriculture especially that which is rain-fed (read prevalent in most developing countries and affecting most small farmers, also a large proportion of teh poor of the world). 

To bring the information benefits to farms and farmers and to be able to do so with minimal losses of learning, it makes sense to design national e-agricultural strategies.  Needless to say, these whould include where and how governments would step in and where and how they keep away, letting the most efficient actors operate.