Most people will define e-agriculture based on their situations and their environments.  Some people in this discussion have limited e-Agriculture to farmers and farming but but some have also defined it to deal with all actors in the agricultural sector.  Many people see ICT in any field or sector as an enabler, hence ICT in agriculture is seen as a set of tools that enhances agricultural development.  To such people, an e-Agriculture strategy will necessarily have to be based on an existing agricultural strategy.  It has to address the vision and objectives of an existing agricultural policy and strategy.  It is true that in our parts of the world (developing country) e-agriculture is sometimes reduced to the use of ICT tools and applications to improve on agriculture.  This, I believe this is a developmental phenomenon. Agriculture in most developing countries is still in their early developing stages, bedevilled with many challenges – low productivity, incidence of pests and diseases, and most importantly, challenges with market access and inadequate information sharing.  These challenges have therefore influenced direction of perceived solutions.  My question however is that, is it possible to develop and e-agricultural strategy without basing it on an existing agricultural strategy?  Can it be developed based on just the knowledge of the critical challenges facing agricultural development in the country?

It is in response to this that I believe Ajit Maru’s 3-point dimensions are very appropriate.  To add to the discussions, I am of the opinion that if the agricultural vision and policies does not address the challenges of agriculture in the country, the e-Agriculture strategy cannot correct that.  Innovations in ICT could influence and to a large extent push for the development of an e-Agriculture Strategy as it is happening in a number of African countries now. On the other hand, governments policies can also stimulate the development of the e-Agricultural Strategies.  In both cases, as has already been mentioned, it is important that the relevant stakeholders are brought on board with clear roles and mandates.

There is definitely no doubt about the fact that having an National e-agricultural strategy is critical for any nation that is serious about its agricultural development, and especially for development countries who claim agriculture is the sector with most contribution to their economic development.  As has already been expressed by earlier contributors, a National e-agricultural strategy has the potential of consolidating the impacts of the various e-agricultural tools being implemented, thus enhancing agricultural development.  Experiences however shows that the existence of a strategy does not guarantee its implementation.  There are many examples of many “fine” strategies that have been developed, but have never been implemented.  The beauty of a strategy is that it can be implemented to improve the living standards of its beneficiaries.   This implies that if a ‘fine’ strategy is developed but it is not implementable, or the strategy is not implemented to benefit the citizenry, then that strategy could be said to be “useless”, and would not be worth the energy and resources invested in its development. The current situation where there is an explosion of e-tools for agricultural development, it is essential to have an e-agriculture strategy that will coordinate all those activities.  The question however is, what makes a strategy implementable?  How do you make the strategy impact on the lives of its beneficiaries?  These questions I believe will be addressed in the second question on this forum