Question 1 (opens 12 Nov.)

Question 1: What roles does ICT play in producer organizations? Support examples with specific reference to an organization, the technology tool(s), and content delivered.

In particular consider:

How can ICT facilitate accountability and transparency among members of an organization and between different organizations?
How can ICT facilitate climate change adaptation among members of an organization and the rural communities where the organization is active?

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ravishankar manthaAgRisk ResearchIndia

15.11.2012

Principally, ICT as such is supposed to facilitate or enable transparency.

The level of application directly links up with the organisation which it wants to adopt.

In case of PO's , where there exists apprenhension and weariness towards the new element of ICT, often the technology looses its edge. For example , in India when first computers were introduced, it was seen as something which will take away employment. But today, It has become the biggest job creater and enabler enchancing job opportunities.

Similarly, the biggest challenge facing today either at PO level or individual farmer level is connectivity, again in India a grand scheme of connecting every village was undertaken, the results are astounding. Now each village is getting connected, a slow process but happening and results are great.

ICT plays the role of virtual connector- again , mixed response in the Indian context, where in various attempts were made to bring in the Information Kiosks- Common Service Centers- CSC's , announced with much fanfare, but on ground did'nt find any takers- as they lacked any concrete reveune model for self sustainence.

Today, mobile penetration as everybody is highest in India, however the mobile based platform for providing services, is much lower than what is prevelant in Africa, where in acceptability of M apps for livelihood is amazing.

ICT In indian context, has found more resistence then acceptance specially in the rural space, where farmers predominantly , this is despite the fact that both mobile and interest connections are farily well entrenched into the hinterlands.

However, what we are seeing is producer groups/organisations are making sporadic usage of mobile based services, like SMS for getting market information etc. Also some amount of good agricutlure practices are being sent across over the same medium.

The above is ground reality in Indian context.

Having said that, I personally think, ICT is the only medium which will enable effective crop production- as information is the key for making any decesion, hence if the farmer is empowered with the right kind of information , there is no reason why he would'nt be able to produce better.

Now today, if you look at , each of the following is avaliable:

1. WEather information ( most accuate)

2. Market linkage platforms ( exchanges)

3. Issue resolutions ( via video/IVR)

4. Pear to Pear connectivity ( CUG)

5. Crop survey- using GIS

6. Soil Testing ( with mobile N,P can be monitoered)

All that is needed is to bring across all of the above onto a portable device which is handy, easy to use and is accepted easily by the producers. I think Tablets will play a pivotal role in todays time, which can actually cover up all that is stated above.

So going forward, Tablets are key components, infact currently we have developed certain solutions whichi are based on tablets and is finding greater acceptance.

Michael RiggsFAOItaly

15.11.2012

Dear Ravishankar, thank you for this overview of the situation in India and the types of information and services involving ICT. As there are many types of producer organizations in India, from self-help groups to IFFCO, are you aware of any examples where the organizations are using or faciliting their members' use of ICT?

Thanks.

ravishankar manthaAgRisk ResearchIndia

16.11.2012

Dear Michael,

Yes very much, both IKSL & Reuters Money light are sms based programs-
both are active today. Efficacy of there success remains a big question,
given the overall response to SMS based services that we have experienced.

We ourselves have developed a different approach to reach our, via
corporates who are working with farmers. We are working on Andriod based
tablets to provide or bridge the connectivity and provide a multitude of
services.SO we are banking a lot on Tablets, which we belive will be
more robust then mobile's

Regards
Ravishankar Mantha
Founder
AgRisk Research Technology Pvt.Ltd
Mumbai
Mobile: +919892502419
www.agrisk.in
AgRisk Motto:"Sincerity & Integrity and Originality & Innovation"
Twitter Handle:rsmagri
Humata Hukhta Huvarshta
Good Thought Good words Good Deeed

On Friday 16 November 2012 01:33 AM, [email protected] wrote:
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> . *Michael Riggs *wrote *| *escribió *|* a écrit:
>
> //
>
> /Dear Ravishankar, thank you for this overview of the situation in
> India and the types of information and services involving ICT. As
> there are many types of producer organizations in India, from
> self-help groups to IFFCO, are you aware of any examples where the
> organizations are using or faciliting their members' use of ICT?/
>
> /
>
> Thanks.
>
> /
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ravishankar manthaAgRisk ResearchIndia

16.11.2012

Dear Michael,

Yes very much, both IKSL & Reuters Money light are sms based programs- both are active today. Efficacy of there success remains a big question, given the overall response to SMS based services that we have experienced.

The biggest issue in SMS acceptance is the dialect ie local languages, given each state and district practically has a different dialect, often it challenging to create a single sms which can be sent across to all the farmers.This has been a major issue.

We ourselves have developed a different approach to reach our, via corporates who are working with farmers. We are working on Andriod based tablets to provide or bridge the connectivity and provide a multitude of services.SO we are banking a lot on Tablets, which we belive will be more robust then mobile's

We stronlgy belive that Voice , is going to play a bigger role in Indian context & Tablets will surely be finding more accpetance. Now this will not be at farmer level, but at service provider or those interacting with farmers on daily basis say a company representative etc who are on the field working farmers regularly.

Maybe my assumptions are wrong,but they are based on what has been seen or experienced by us over the past 3-4 years.

Arnel GenzolaJilin University-Lambton College, People's Republic of ChinaPhilippines

19.11.2012

Hi Ravishankar,

I read from the Journal of Information Development that IKSL has recently started building a database infrastructure for the helpline and the source material for the delivery of the five voice messages per day, however, these databases are closed to public access. Too, IKSL farmers reported that the voices messages are preferred to regular SMS because of literacy concerns.

This raises the issues of developing the capacity of farmers in using this ICT platform and the access to digital repositories of public agricultural information, like the case of IKSL disseminating agricultural information to farmers for a fee.

-Arnel

Nallusamy AnandarajaTamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityIndia

20.11.2012

Dear Mr. Arnel

The problem in ISKL is interlinked with Airtel Service providers (Mobile). Other users like Vodafone, BSNL, Idea could not access the content, voice SMS, where they have to pay extra service charges. Further, it gives common technological information than the farm specific as like KCC (1551)

Regards

Anandaraja

ravishankar manthaAgRisk ResearchIndia

20.05.2013

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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Dear Michael,
 
Yes very much, both IKSL & Reuters Money light are sms based
programs- both are active today. Efficacy of there success
remains a big question, given the overall response to SMS based
services that we have experienced. 
 
We ourselves have developed a different approach to reach our,
via corporates who are working with farmers. We are working on
Andriod based tablets to provide or bridge the connectivity and
provide a multitude of services.SO we are banking a lot on
Tablets, which we belive will be more robust then mobile's 
 

<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Regards
Ravishankar Mantha
Founder
AgRisk Research Technology Pvt.Ltd
Mumbai
Mobile: +919892502419
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.agrisk.in">www.agrisk.in</a>
AgRisk Motto:"Sincerity & Integrity and Originality & Innovation"
Twitter Handle:rsmagri
Humata Hukhta Huvarshta
Good Thought Good words Good Deeed</pre>
On Friday 16 November 2012 01:33 AM, <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:[email protected]">info@e-agriculture.org</a> wrote: 
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Michael Riggs wrote | escribió
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Dear
Ravishankar, thank you for this overview of the situation
in India and the types of information and services
involving ICT. As there are many types of producer
organizations in India, from self-help groups to IFFCO,
are you aware of any examples where the organizations are
using or faciliting their members' use of ICT?

Thanks.

•
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Nallusamy AnandarajaTamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityIndia

16.11.2012

Dear All,

Thanks for sharing potential areas of ICT in Indian Context and rest of world.

I would like to add few more points to have better understanding of Indian farming,

National Commission on Farmers Report (2007) says that 40 % of farmers don't want continue the traditional livelihood system of farming. Many of the farmers are forcing their sons and daughters to get better education and leave the ancestral property and settle it elsewhere.

The most important crippling factor in agriculture is labour, irrigation and price for the commodity.

Keeping the above factors, how ICT tool like tablet alone will deliver the 60 per cent of uneducated farmers in 30 states with 18 regional language.

Our experience in TNAU, we need to use both conventional and new media tools on parallel way. It is sorry to inform that Edgar Dale who made the cone of learning experience in 1967. Till now, we don't have any quality research with different categories of farmers (in India, we are following the farmers category of Rogers & Shoemaker developed in 1969 for USA context).

Among the State Agrl. University in India, first of kind, an ICT center named e-Extension center was established by TNAU (2008) for experimenting Portal (http://agritech.tnau.ac.in), Video Conference (http://vcon.tnau.ac.in), weather network (http://tawn.tnau.ac.in), market information through mobile (www.tnau.ac.in), Agro Advisory services through mobile, IFPRI-TNAU (http://www.advanceagriculturalpractice.in/w/index.php/Main_Page), Expert System (Static, DSS and Crop Doctor-off line mode) and Call Agri. Network.

Our center is implementing the Precision Farming Project through which TNAU is facilitating to promote producer companies to over come the crippling factors in Agrl.

Further, we don’t have a policy or central hub in ICAR / Govt. of India to coordinate the various ICT-A initiatives. Many of the intervention are piecemeal kind of approach not the integrated or holistic nature.

Our vision is Participatory Farming with Producers Companies.

Looking forward to work collectively reaching the unreached,

Regards

[email protected]

Fatima CasconPhilippines

17.11.2012

Hi anandaraja_n, thank you for sharing this information with us. Participatory approaches can empower collective groups of farmers and help to put decision-making in the hands of the farmers. Although no single ICT will be satisfactory for farmers, the use of a wide range of ICTs in agriculture can improve the livelihood of the farmers in rural areas and help in their socio-economic growth. Various participatory approaches such as participatory communication and participatory learning for effective use of ICTs in agricultural domain may highlight how participatory approaches can assist in information and communication technology for rural farming community.

Nallusamy AnandarajaTamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityIndia

20.11.2012

Dear Fatimalorine,

Thanks for sharing your proactive feedback,

Kindly view the http://www.worldwide-extension.org/ which gives you world wide extension network linking five continents

With regards

Anandaraja