Forum archive

Preparatory discussion 25 February – 08 March 2013

These activities are organized by CTA in collaboration with the FAO, the World Bank, the East African Farmers’ Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (Rwanda), The Ministry of Communication (Ghana), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), the NEPAD Agency and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA/ISTD).

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This discussion will gather opinions and recommendations from a wide audience of global ICT and agriculture stakeholders and identify additional initiatives and issues that could be discussed.
 
Even though in most ACP countries there are no specific ICT for agriculture strategies, the background report commissioned by CTA, prior to the workshop, informs that e-agriculture strategy initiatives have been or are being put in place in a few countries such as Ghana, Mali, Ivory Coast, Rwanda. Moreover, in most ICT policies developed with the support of organizations such as the UNECA, IICD, UNDP etc., there are provisions on sectoral strategies for agriculture. The report also illustrates that there is a lack of understanding or a lack of interest, and different approaches on that issue.
 
The specific questions to be addressed during the debate are:
 
Week 1:  The concept, need and state of adoption of e-agriculture strategies in ACP countries and beyond
1. Why are national e-agriculture strategies (also referred to as “ICT for agriculture strategies” or “cyber-strategies for agriculture”) needed for the agricultural sector to fully realize the benefits of ICTs?
2. What examples of ICT strategies targeting the agricultural sector do we have in ACP and in non-ACP countries (“ACP” stands for “Africa, Caribbean and Pacific”)?
3. What are the key target areas and value chain segments for these e-agriculture strategies? And Why?
 
Week 2: Stakeholders, challenges and lessons learned for formulating and implementing inclusive e-agriculture strategies
4. What are the key challenges faced in formulating and implementing these strategies/policies and what lessons learned from on-going or past processes?
5. Stakeholder roles: What are the roles of ICT and agricultural stakeholders in e-agriculture strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation? How can we ensure the full participation of farmers and other non-governmental stakeholders ? What are the role(s) of the Ministry in charge of ICT and the one in charge of Agriculture? What role(s) for international stakeholders?
6. What key policy recommendations can be made to support the implementation of effective e-agriculture strategies or policies?
 
Subject Matter Experts from various organizations will contribute to the discussions. A synthesis will be prepared following the debate and a policy brief, which will take into account key initiatives, recommendations and conclusions, will be prepared following the organization of the ICT Observatory meeting.
 
Subject Matter Experts:
• Benjamin Addom, consultant, ICT for Agriculture
• Justin Chisenga, Regional Office for Africa, FAO
• Aparajita Goyal, Economist, Agricultural and Environment Services, World Bank
• Stella Kamuyu Wanjau, East African Farmer Federation (EAFF)
• Ken Lohento, ICT4D Programme Coordinator, CTA
• Anju Mangal, ICT4D Officer, Secretariat of the Pacific Community
• Mary Rucibigango, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda
• Issah Yahaya, Director, Policy Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation, Ministry of Communications, Ghana
• Representative of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA/ISTD)

This was the fourth in a series of online discussions that stem from the launch of the World Bank's ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook and the growing demand for knowledge on how to use ICT to improve agricultural productivity and raise smallholder incomes. 17-28 September 2012

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can expand communication, cooperation, and ultimately innovation among the wide array of actors in agriculture. Building on Module 6 of the "ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook", this forum explored how ICT can improve the concepts and operations discussed in the Agricultural Innovation Systems Sourcebook.

The Benefits of Forming Strong Partnerships to Create Sustainable and Scalable Information Advisory Services - 21 November to 2 December, 2011 

The mFarmer Initiative, a partnership between GSMA, USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) was set up to support mobile operators and agricultural partners in launching mobile information services that benefit farmers and are commercially viable. This forum initiated a discussion around the types of partnerships that are conducive to creating sustainable and scalable mobile information and advisory services for farmers. The forum focused on the different roles of each partner, namely mobile network operators (MNOs) and agricultural organizations, the assets that each bring to the partnership, and the challenges currently experienced.

e-Agriculture et le Centre Technique de Coopération Agricole et Rurale (CTA) ont organisé une discussion en ligne en français, du 9 au 31 mai 2011.

Ce forum avait comme objectif participer à l’amélioration des politiques et des processus concernant l’utilisation des TIC et du genre au service de l’agriculture et du développement rural, afin d’avoir un impact positif sur les moyens d’existence en milieu rural. L’accès universel aux Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (TIC) est en passe de devenir un droit humain, et Les Nations unies encouragent un accès universel à l'Internet. La perception la plus répandue est que l’Internet et les autres TIC peuvent apporter des changements positifs ; et en milieu rural, ces changements touchent les moyens d’existence des communautés et des femmes en particulier.