This is a very helpful information. Certainly, government agencies, particularly the Department of Agriculture and its sub-units, need to embrace ICT in extension services and thus conduct ICT training programs for producer organizations.

Besides this government-centered training approach though, I wonder whether it would be a feasible idea for the government to create a mandate for ICT training institutions to design academic programs that are specifically meant for farmers and producer organizations, coupled with scholarship. There would be complications and issues to be resolved of course, foremost among them woud be the availability of farmers. Still, when pursued and given a try, the benefits farmers would get from a formal ICT training could be myriad.

Thanks Riikka for your summary.

Following the discussion, my impression is that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the public sector can do so much to support the producer organization’s uptake of ICT. Ideas ranging from infrastructure to legislation, funding to education, etc. have been identified as excellent ways for the public sector, particularly the government, to provide assistance to producer organizations, as far as ICT is concerned.

Allow me to emphasize the importance of collaboration between the public sector and  producer organizations, knowing very well that each one needs the other to succeed in their respective and also common endeavors. Still, there are things in the area of ICT  which can be best done by the public sector only, particularly the government, owing to its extensive reach and extent of resources. Thus, the government could put up national and regional agencies specializing in information that will link up producer organizations with academia (for research), relevant private sectors (for funding and project partnership), and the rest of the civil society. Now, some of us might point out that this is already being done in some countries, which is excellent. Nevertheless, such collaboration between the public sector and producer organizations must come with clear agenda and sound strategy, not to mention a system of accountability, knowing as we do that corruption, red tapes and the likes could easily creep in and compromise a good ICT project.

The issue raised by Peter is to me valid. Indeed, “how to get things done?”

My take is that, as we discuss the ‘what and how’ of public sector’s role in supporting producer organizations on ICT, the ‘whys and wherefores’ should also be spelled out. The inherent need to (re)visit and make explicit the rationale of the public sector’s engagement with producer organizations must be seriously considered, if only to give all concerned parties a clear idea of what kind of support to expect from the public sector, as opposed to what the producer organizations actually need in their uptake of ICT.

Moreoever, the collaboration between the public sector and the producer organizations must be done in the spirit of dialogue, transparency, and, again, accountability. Short of these conditions, any ICT undertaking by the public sector purportedly to assist producer organizations could potentially become ‘white elephants’. In other words, besides infrastructure, funding, knowledge, expertise, etc., the public sector must exhibit integrity and moral leadership through appropriate legislations and credible and just implementation of policies.

Putting up ICT infrastructure can be in no doubt an expensive venture. Many farmers, particularly those in rural areas and whose groups are not well organized, could find themselves economically disadvantaged on any serious ICT undertaking. This does not mean however that solutions cannot be found both in long and short terms.

Dr. Flor’s question (cf. his post on 15/11/12 – 16:53)---“Will ICT technology and services ever be a viable investment destination for the agriculture sector?”---needs to be seriously considered and should be asked by every producer organization, not only once, but as often as possible. What every farmer and all producer organizations need to understand is that ICT is here to stay; its growing sophistication and domestic and universal applicability opens countless windows of opportunity to producer organizations. It will be part of the social, political, cultural and economic landscapes for years to come. And because “the agriculture sector is as informatized as other sectors” (Dr. Flor), it would be perilous for any producer organization to underestimate the relevance of ICT investment now and in the future.

Hello Joyce!

Thanks for this very interesting information. You've mentioned various ICT programs and projects undertaken by the Philippine government through the Department of Agriculture. Could you provide us with a bit of time reference as when these initiatives were launched and what have been the responses from the farmers and the benefits they have gained so far?  Thanks again. - Narciso

I agree with you Peter. Education as a way of empowering the people behind the organization should be given utmost importance. In the greater scheme of things, individual empowerment through education becomes social empowerment. And when an organization is socially empowered, their business enterprise becomes a social enterprise. Let me cite the example of an organization whose one of the founding officials I just had a discussion with on Facebook.

E-Veritas Trading (http://www.e-veritas.org/) is business enterprise with heavy emphasis on ethical and moral values. It believes in and promotes the interest of People, Planet, and Profit, in that order. Guided by the Catholic Social Teaching, it creates “a social enterprise that promotes the common good and human values of integrity, solidarity and creativity by making the urban and rural poor take personal responsibility for a common vision.” Among its various activities is establishing supply links with farmers from among indigenous peoples like the Mangyans in Mindoro and the Kalanguya in Nueva Viscaya (rural poor), have them deliver their farm produce to the members of the cooperative of the Parish of the Risen Christ in Tondo (urban poor), who will then sell the products to the city folks through the use of computers and mobile phones.

Here, we are seeing a partnership and a forming of a society of poor people from both rural and urban areas, and together empowering one another through an enterprise that is both business, social, and moral. The organic farming techniques employed by the indigenous people ensure that the planet is respected and sustainability is observed. The rural farmers communicate with the urban distributors through mobile phones, but all them are aware of their responsibility and accountability to one another (People), to the environment (Planet), and to their source of living (Profit).

If education is seen as empowering to producer organizations (for, indeed, it is), let it be an education on ICT and its business and social implications and moral values.

I share similar view, sir. While research and development hold undeniable importance, producer organizations and individual farmers are far too immersed into the praxis of their trade that they are prone to doing things not so formally and systematically as far as knowledge-creation and information-sharing are concerned. While there might be a few producer organizations that seriously invest in ICT and subsequently venture into research on the technology, they tend to be steered somehow by financing institutions or contracted and assisted by the government. On their own though, producer organizations are inclined to use ICT as they know best, that is, without taking the trouble anymore of studying and analysing methodically the use of the technology.

A few years ago, I visited the office of a vegetable farmers’ cooperative in Indang, Cavite (Philippines). The office had a desktop computer and a printer. What I found interesting though was that the office workers were transcribing their monitoring and evaluation reports the old-style, using pen and paper, and, in some cases, pounding the good-old typewriter. Later I was told that only one of them knew how to operate the PC, and he was not around at that time.

My take is that investment on ICT and human skills must be done hand in hand. Leilanie mentioned capacity development, and I agree with her, but argue further that, for producer organizations, this must be taken as top-most priority.

ICT is evolving very fast. On the other hand, users of communication devices, particularly those in rural areas, are not as quick in understanding the operations of the modern communication devices.

A gap exists between ICT and the ICT knowledge and skills of members of producer organizations. A farmer can easily buy a laptop. Using it to benefit his/her farming business is an altogether different proposition.

Hello Dr. Flor. The importance of ICT in areas affected by extreme weather conditions can never be undermined. This is, of course, working on the premise that ICT survives in the barest and hardest of circumstances. Let me recount a personal experience. In 2009, Kenya suffered from a long drought which claimed the lives of thousands of Kenyans and drove pastoralist tribes out of their animals’ grazing areas. An estimated number of 38,000 cattle believed to have died during the extended dry season. In the place where my missionary-colleagues worked, mobile phones and internet became their life-line. By using SMS, phone calls and emails, they were able to organize and mobilize food donations, and direct food supply to where people had moved. My colleagues were fortunate to be using solar-powered electric system to charge their mobile phones and computers.

And so, in dealing with issues regarding ICT’s ability to facilitate climate change adaptation (or survival?) among members of an organization or community, the most fundamental step to be undertaken is to ensure that ICT survives the ordeal and remains in place, particularly in rural areas, whenever tragedy strikes.

In the case of the 2009 Kenya drought, the awareness and information generated by ICT and the media in general regarding the vulnerability of people in the drought-stricken areas led the government to put up more mobile phone signal transmitters and solar-power systems in key centers, so that, in the future, people could be reached, forewarned and assisted early before another dry spell bites.