FAO and ITU meet with Papua New Guinea's government to consult on the e-Agriculture strategy

Papua New Guinea's Department of Agriculture & Livestock (DAL), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), among other partners working on ICTs for agriculture, met in Port Moresby on May 30th, 2017 to consult on the e-agriculture strategy for Papua New Guinea. The aim of the meeting was to advance in the implementation and adoption of ICTs in the agricultural sector.

Watch the video report on the consultation:

Credits: EMTV

Papua New Guinea's farmers (which represent the majority of the population) have always been visited by extension officers that trained and educated them to good practices in agriculture. But today extension officers are not only decreasing but also aging, and the youth is not interested in taking up a career in agricultural extension any more.

With this in mind, ICTs are a crucial tool to develop and spread knowledge across Papua New Guinea's rural population, especially on essential issues for the country such as food security, agriultural productivity, pest control, climate change and sustainable agriculture.

The stakeholder consultative workshop was conducted by the Department of Agriculture & Livestock and the National Information and Communication Technology Authority (NICTA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Source: EMTV