E-Agriculture

Question 1 (opens 25 Feb.)

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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dear Mawaki,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thank you for your very capable facilitation of the forum. I have enjoyed following the discussion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>We look forward to taking this discussion to this year’s WSIS Forum. It is now 10 years since the process began in 2002. In 2015 we are looking forward to a major review of WSIS progress. For anyone interested, the e-Agriculture community collects information on WSIS agriculture related developments here <a href="http://www.e-agriculture.org/en/wsis-follow-up">http://www.e-agriculture... <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Michael <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Fr

Ssenabulya James
Ssenabulya JamesNakaseke Community Multimedia CentreUganda

Sure, this is an interesting topic for discussion.

There is great need for setting up national e-agric strategies in order to coordinate and promote the introduction, access, use and application of ICT in order to improve rural development in a more sustainable and participative way.

As in many developing countries, the agricultural sector employs a large proportion of the active workforce. In Uganda for instance, it is claimed that poverty is due largely to low productivity and the ever fluctuating commodity prices.

NGOs and producer organisations suggest that improvements in these areas are severely hampered by the inadequacy of the infrastructure, inefficient distribution methods and a lack of information. Although small farmers lack access to information, they are not isolated from markets and are highly vulnerable to fluctuations in prices and production volumes, as well as to diseases that affect production.

Thanks.

My name is Henry Hunga working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi. The Malawi Government has an ICT policy under the Ministry of Information which has tried to encompass the other Ministries that need ICT for their effective deliverly of services. Nethertheless there is are e-agriculture stategies in place that may help achieve the original idea of the ICT policy. I have put and extract of the Malawi ICT policy especially the part that touches on agriculture. It these objectives were put into use and the strategies expounded I am sure the agriculture sector could improve in terms extension delivery, marketing of products and management of natural resources. On the other hand to access funding from donors and partners would be easy with e-agriculture strategies in place.

Excepts of the National ICT Policy in Malawi
3.6.1. Modernization of the Agriculture Sector
Objective(s)
Objective 1
To promote the utilization of ICTs in agro-business industry
Strategy
• Promote the exploitation and utilization of ICTs in the production and
processing of non-traditional export commodities to enhance the
foreign exchange earning power of the country.
Objective 2
To strengthen the development, application and transfer of agro-based
technologies using ICTs to support sustainable agriculture production and
improve quality of agricultural produce
Strategy
• Encourage the incorporation of ICT in the production of agroequipment
and the processing of raw materials.
Objective 3
To support and promote research in Agricultural production and processing
using ICTs in order to come up with more efficient methods and inputs
- 25 -
Strategies
• Encourage the exploitation, development, adaptation and utilization of
ICTs to reduce pre-harvest and post-harvest losses in agricultural
production.
• Promote and support agricultural e-research targeting the development
of a modernized and globally competitive agriculture sector.
• Encourage the use of ICT to improve research competence and promote
the application and transfer of new technologies to support improved
agricultural production and processing.
Objective 2
To strengthen agricultural and natural resources extension using ICTs
Strategies
• Revitalize the agricultural extension services by empowering and
equipping farm extension service workers with relevant ICT skills.
• Utilize ICTs to link farmers and farmers’ groups and associations to
resources and services that they need to improve their livelihoods
through agricultural productivity, profitability and food security.
• Establish clear forward and backward linkages between agricultural
education (formal and informal), Research and Development, farming,
agro-industry and marketing through ICT.
Objective 3
To support the modernization and commercialization of the key subsectors
of agriculture using ICTs in order to achieve long-term growth in
the agricultural sector and the economy as a whole.
Strategy
• Develop Geographical Information Systems (GIS) applications to
monitor and support sustainable environment usage in areas like land
and water management, yield assessment and livestock management.
- 26 -

Benjamin Kwasi Addom
Benjamin Kwasi AddomThe Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)Netherlands

Dear Henry,

Thanks for this information from Malawi! Yes, as the background note for the discussion has indicated, most of the countries in ACP regions have National ICT Policies that have components for the various sectors including agriculture. Glad to see this from Malawai.

My question for you is whether any step has been taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security or Ministry of Information to elaborate on this agricultural component within the National ICT Policy? If yes, we will glad to know. If no, I wonder why? Also when was the National ICT Policy released?

Also with your position with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi, I will be glad to hear your thoughts on some other questions as the discussion proceeds. Also feel free to share the link to the National ICT Policy document for Malawi (that is if it is online).

Cheers.

Ben

 

Dear Ben and All

The Ministry has taken and is still taking steps towards the promotion of e-agriculture. The one that immediately comes to mind is the agriculture commodity price system which has used phones for some time. Farmers are able to get the prices of commodities including livestock through their hand sets.

Recently, about a week ago ACTESA with support from COMESA was in Malawi briefing Directors in the Ministry of Agriculture on the need to have a portal for food balance for SADC which can help policy makers and farmers track the levels of production, what is needed for local consumption, where is deficit and what prices can farmers get if they export to those markets. We have a loca Food Balance Sheet but its only used by policy makers and can no benefit the local farmers. These initiatives may be well supported with an e-agriculture strategy and policy in place. 

On top of commodity prices and food balance sheet the strategy should specifically look at the environment and livestock. On environment we may think of the Sustainable Land Managment Voucher which is to be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi. Those farmer practicing SLM within their catchments will benefit with inputs from government. Usiing e-agriculture these inputs may easily be bought online and the information easily shared among peers be it farmers or extension agents/partners using the same e-agriculture.

On livestock Im looking and the milk bulking groups/hides and other livestock products that need real time information for their marketing to avoid wastage and low prices. 

Below is the link to the ICT policy released in 2006. But of late the Office of the President and Cabinate has been working on the National ICT policy but its not out yet:    

      http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/unpan/unpan033688.pdf

mawaki chango
mawaki changoCôte d'Ivoire

Thanks, Henry, for this very informative outline of the steps taken at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Malawi for the promotion of e-agriculture, and for the link to the ICT Policy document. This post is also much relevant for the discussion of Question 2 started earlier today.

Mawaki

Benjamin Kwasi Addom
Benjamin Kwasi AddomThe Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)Netherlands

Thanks Henry for the information. Very useful! Sorry I am picking on you but these questions are not for you alone - I wish to hear similar experiences from other ACP countries.

a) Do we think what has been outlined for the agricultural sector (see pages 25-27 of Henry's link above) in the Malawian National ICT Policy document is enough to guide the implementation and monitoring of e-Agriculture in that country?

b) Or do we think of a kind of separate strategy/policy solely for the agricultural sector that elaborates on these?

c) Has your country moved a step further by developing separate strategy documents for the various sectors such as the agricultural sector out of the National ICT Policy Document? If yes, can you share some of these with us?

d) For Henry, has Malawi taken any step to develop separate cyber-strategies for each of the growth sectors identified in the national ICT policy document?

Ben

 

Thanks BKaddom

As for Malawi there has not beenn any sector identified in the earlier policy that has expanded on it. What I know now is that the government is trying to develop another policy (Office of the President and Cabinate) on ICT but I don't know how this will one will improve on the earlier oilicy in terms of benefiting the development sectors identified.

Link to a repot by a news paper on the new ICT policy.
http://www.faceofmalawi.com/2011/08/government-to-have-ict-policy/

greetings everyone,
I'm in Tobago (southernmost island in the Caribbean chain). (have a small farm, also spend a fair amount of time in the environmental sector as volunteer IT and greenspeak dogsbody)  
I was wondering if an argument for looking further at heavier implanting of RFID cards in the agri chain can be included in the discussions. The cards have potential to track goods in transit (if used in crates -containers or even on the produce). 
Praedial larcency is a huge bug for farmers here. But for RFID's to be useful the policy needs to dovetail  that of national security with agriculture's goals. In my view, the ability to not lose goods is every bit as profitable as selling goods. ICT's viewed that way help.
Further, the RFID removes the farmer to some extent from learning new skills - its always a bother to introduce tech which carries a learning curve.     

Ken Lohento
Ken LohentoTechnical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)Netherlands

Dear Bertrand

Thank you for your contribution. The way you are introducing RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification),  can fit in this week discussions. You are talking about the need to have rules on RFID use in agriculture, which appears as a strategy/policy issue. By the way, this example could also be seen as one of the reasons why strategic debates and orientations about ICT integration in agriculture can be important. 

Also, question 3, focussed on target areas of e-agriculture strategies, offers the opportunity to discuss RFID.

In any case, please feel free to provide further details on your experience/knowledge of the use of this technology in agriculture in the Caribbean/Trinidad and Tobago.

If others have inputs to share on that technology and its policy implications, please feel free to do so.

For the benefit of the discussions and other participants, I'm adding here this resource : The role of RFID in agriculture: Applications, limitations and challenges: http://oa.upm.es/9621/

Regards

Ken Lohento
ICT4D Programme Coordinator, CTA