Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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    • Mr. Alastair Marke

      Global Solution Networks
      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
      The keys to addressing food security as an interconnected global problem: “sharing” and “collaborating.” The digital revolution (or “new green revolution”) is creating new capabilities and networks for solving an old problem. To meet ambitious food productivity targets for nine billion mouths, we need to leverage the digital revolution into agricultural innovation against the threat of climate change and the current deficiencies in the agricultural supply chain.
       
      The digital revolution has created access to scientific and market information that was once only available to traders, academics and government officials and that information is increasingly directly available to agricultural producers, even those in remote villages. In fact, food producers are not only beneficiaries but also becoming knowledge creators—using their mobile phones and the latest Internet platforms to swap techniques, share experiences and even mobilize support from global audiences. All of these, in turn, stimulate agricultural innovation by helping spread and adopt best practices.
       
      With open-source code the web creates new opportunities for cooperative solutions to sustainable agriculture at lower cost and higher speed. Sequencing the cassava genome, for example, was once a 13-year task. Today, it can be done in 27 hours. When linked with phenotypes and climatic data observed in the fields, breeders in developing countries can use data derived from digital technologies to predict seedling performance and produce higher-quality yields in shorter cycles. 
       
      Other examples of emerging digital initiatives that could help address some issues in the troubled global food system for smallholder farmers include:
       
      1. Seeds4Needs
      Issue addressed: Seed and technology patenting
      Objective: Led by Biodiversity International since 2009, Seeds4Needs initiative researches how agricultural biodiversity can help minimize cultivation risks associated with climate change. It seeks to identify crop varieties better suited to existing or projected conditions and to strengthen local seed systems accessible for farmers.
      Approach: Being piloted as a crowdsourced approach whereby farmers participate in experimentation with climate-resilient varieties of seeds in their own fields as “citizen scientists.” Seeds4Needs uses GIS to identify promising seeds
      and planting materials for field trials by farmers. Farmers then report their observations to researchers through Internet-based technology or mobile telephony, with field weather data collected by iButton sensors.
      Progress: Over 6,000 farmers in 11 countries including India, Cambodia, Honduras and Ethiopia, are involved in research on rice, wheat, barley, sweet potato, beans, etc.
       
      2. E-Farming
      Issue addressed: Seed and technology patenting
      Objective: E-Farming is a text-messaging service in Kenya that has provided farmers with agronomic advice on crop management, fertilizer use and choice of maize varieties to plant since 2011.
      Approach: Farmers can register via SMS and indicate their crops of interest and whether they want information on agronomy, soils, fertilizer or pesticide application. They can also choose to send a separate SMS requesting specific information regarding ways to boost food production on their individual farms, costing as little as $0.12 per message.
      Progress: Farmers are able to purchase the most appropriate seed and fertilizers when they need them. Maize yields have doubled. Information can reach farmers much more quickly than an extension advisor visit, which is particularly important when heavy rains make road travel in rural areas difficult.
       
      3. M-Farm
      Issue addressed: Unfair trading condition
      Objective: Against “asymmetry of information,” M-Farm is a mobile app-based program developed in Kenya to provide smallholder farmers with market pricing information to help them negotiate fairer crop prices with brokers.
      Approach: The service supplies wholesale market price information on 42 crops in five markets (including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru) to farmers via a free mobile phone app or SMS . M-Farm offers farmers the chance to sell their crops as a collective of members in order to increase their leverage. Farmers can also create cost efficiency by pursuing group purchases of seeds and fertilizers simply by using their mobile phones or logging on to the M-Farm website.
      Impact: About 5,000 farmers are using M-Farm as a virtual middleman. In some regions, farmers selling collectively more than doubled their return for their produce.
       
      According to a 2012 World Bank report, access to market information through mobile technology has increased farmers’ incomes by 16.5-36% in Uganda and 10% in Ghana. A recent Vodafone report estimates a potential $48 billion agricultural income boost in African nations by 2020.
       
      I was the project leader of "Climate-resilient Agriculture & Food Security" at the Global Solution Networks. My white paper examined how the world can solve old food security problems for smallholder farmers in developing countries with new ICT solutions. A couple of case studies were used to illustrate the huge potential of digital innovations. The white paper is attached to this contribution or downloadable free of charge by clicking this link: http://gsnetworks.org/research_posts/food-security/ 

       

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