E-Agriculture

Question 3 (opens 28 Feb.)

mawaki chango
mawaki changoCôte d'Ivoire

Dear All,

We've been having some good discussion so far and I appreciate your valuable and diverse contributions. I hope you stay engaged while we address the third and last question of this week (keeping in mind that we still have three more questions coming up next week.)

What are the key target areas and value chain segments for these e-agriculture strategies? And why?

Wherever you have identified e-agriculture strategies, what are the key areas targeted for changes/transformations/improvements as a result? And what are the segments in any agricultural processes where the strategies are expected to add value? Why are those targets chosen?

Let us hear from your experience and expertise, focusing specifically, please, on this set of questions.
Thank you.

Mawaki 

Henry Ligot
Henry LigotUniversity of Asia and the PacificPhilippines

In the Philippines, one key segment of the value chain the e-strategy of the Department of Agriculture with the help of private ICT enterprises is targeting is what can be called the KM chain, the transfer of data, information and knowledge from buyers to producers, older to younger farmers, financing sources to farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs, and vice versa. One application that has been operational since 2007 is ePinoyFARMS, a resource management platform that helps farmers, producers and agriculture educators to monitor movements along the whole value chain. The system also allows farmers, young and old, to learn new or review tried and tested agricultural technologies and practices.<div>
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Henry Ligot
Henry LigotUniversity of Asia and the PacificPhilippines

In the Philippines, one key segment of the value chain the e-strategy of the Department of Agriculture with the help of private ICT enterprises is targeting is what can be called the KM chain, the transfer of data, information and knowledge from buyers to producers, older to younger farmers, financing sources to farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs, and vice versa. One application that has been operational since 2007 is ePinoyFARMS, a resource management platform that helps farmers, producers and agriculture educators to monitor movements along the whole value chain. The system also allows farmers, young and old, to learn new or review tried and tested agricultural technologies and practices.<div>
<div><div class="gmail_quote">

Dear All

Agricultural extension mechanism drives all the value chains in agriculture, e-agriculture should be pivoted on agricultural extension delivery. The segments in the agricultural value chains are interdepent such that a failure in any segment affects the other.  e-agriculture or ICT in agricultural should play a role in providing information to strengthen all the segments in the value chain......

mawaki chango
mawaki changoCôte d'Ivoire

You're probably right, Eugene, about the importance of extension delivery in the agricultural value chain. But what are those other segments in the value chain (in cases of e-agriculture startegies you may be thinking of) and key target areas? Please also see my next entry to the general forum. 

Peter Balaba
Peter BalabaNakaseke Community TelecentreUganda

Mr. Eugene,  I buy your idea but the question is how can the exention officer be motivated to deliver their work to  maximum expectation? is our  governments aware of their  poor performance? and if they do or not  I think there must be a clear policy on Agricultural extension service delivery.

And your  focus on  the intergration of ICT is very  brilliant since mobile phones, Internet and Community radios are rapidly penetrating  the far reached areas. However, packaging  formats should also be  put into consideration ( ICTs should be easy to use and interactive enough)

zainul DR. SYED MD. ZAINUL ABEDIN
zainul DR. SYED MD. ZAINUL ABEDINwww.connecttask.comBangladesh

Agricultural extension service delivery is very important for e-agriculture interventions to be successful.
I like to know how the agricultural extension service delivery  operates.

Basically, agricultural extension delivery is the development of good agricultural practices, market and input informations into packages for agricultural extension agents to delivery to farmers in different value chains, it does not work in isolation to agricultural research. it is a knowledge transfer from research to farmers and now with the value chain approach it moves further down to processing, to kitchen, to market, to tables, etc..

Yes!  investing in e agriculture is on way of making agricultural service delivery effective, because the element of time and quality of information is dealt with.

Extension agents need mobility, capacity building coordination and remuneration . Extension agents involvement in agriculture should be driven from the community, that is the bottom approach of CDD. Local institutions and private organizations should be involved. Most importantly extension agents can be trained to offer paid services.

On the value chain strategies in e-agriculture, Nigeria is operating the e-wallet system for input delivery known as GES. It can be expanded to include GAP, which some practitioners like myself are thinking of developing, which include developing EA-Farmers' link database to be hosted on a web portal. EA means extension agents.