• Mobile Telephony

As an affordable and accessible means of communication, rural communities are realizing the potential of mobile telephony to create economic opportunities and strengthen social networks. Mobile telephony effectively reduces the “distance” between individuals and institutions, making the sharing of information and knowledge easier and more effective. The mobile telephone is no longer just an audio communication tool but capable of providing additional integrated functions. Yet, mobile telephony, like all technologies, does face limitations and challenges.

• Public-private partnerships (PPPs)

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in e-Agriculture are generally found at the community level where the strengths of the public and private sectors complement each other in providing information and advisory services that address the needs of farmers and rural communities. The public sector’s mandate for provision of information and services can be best achieved through harnessing the potential of the private sector to add local context in a commercial environment. However, there are key obstacles that must be overcome, including clarifying public/private sector roles, developing solutions to poor infrastructure, and generating sufficient awareness of services among farmers.

• The Role of ICT in Agricultural Value Chain

ICT play an important role in agricultural value chains, with different types of ICT having different strengths and weaknesses when applied to particular interventions. There are a diversity of thoughts on the nature of key variables, and how they influence market competitiveness in different ways. What is clear is that technology should not overshadow the people and institutions involved. While the positive impacts of ICT are being catalogued and discussed, many rural farmers still do not have access to or the capacity to use ICT.

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