Dr. R.Saravanan of India's Central Agricultural University writes that he and colleagues are "experimenting an innovative e-Agriculture -ICT inintiative (e-Arik) among economically most backward tribal population dominated Hindu-kush Himalayan Region of North-East India."The research project aims to experiment with the application of ICTs in agricultural extension services provision and also to measure its impact on the tribal farmers.According to a recent article in i4donline: "initial experiences of e-Arik project shows encouraging results for farm technology dissemination, creating e-Awareness and e-literacy among rural tribal community members. Farmers have enthusiastically participated in the e-Arik project activities. Agriculture information and technology dissemination through...
Hanoi, 1 November: Yesterday, the Vice Minister of Information and Communications announced that Vietnam will host the 4th World IT Forum in Hanoi in August 2009. Planned for 26-28 August 2009, the organizers expect some 1500 people to this fourth WITFOR.With a theme ‘Information and Communication Technologies – ICTs – for sustainable development,’ the Forum aims to take forward the agenda of the recent World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS).Speaking for co-organiser, the Information Federation of Information Processing, Mr. Leon Strous announced that the event provides a global platform to share knowledge on computers and ICTs, answering the question – “what are the best ways of using ICTs?” In her remarks to the conference planning meeting, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao of...
In July 2008, the IAALD Africa chapter organised a workshop to examine the emerging field of e-agriculture and review specific cases of e-agriculture initiatives in Africa and their impact on sharing, managing and delivery of agricultural information and knowledge services. The report lists some issues raised during the meeting. See e-agriculture.org portal for more on this topic / see related posts on this...
On the e-agriculture.org web site, a report from the e-Agriculture panel at the recent IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Congress.“How can we make agricultural information and information technology truly accessible?” This question was put forward by Peter Ballantyne, IAALD President, on the first day of the IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Conference 2008.On the final day of the conference, the challenge was taken up by an e-Agriculture participatory panel discussion facilitated by FAO focusing on multi-stakeholder partnerships and the roles of mobile phones in support of agricultural development.There was a lively debate focusing on issues of ICT as enablers in various critical areas of development, as well as the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in support of e-Agriculture.Read the...
Following an earlier post on e-extension in Australia, other related sites and stories seem to be surfacing. Dean points to a recent initiative in the Philippines, and the USA has eXtension. There are surely many more examples ...The June 2008 issue of the Journal of Extension has a series of articles around e-extension experiences. The editor is "particularly happy" with the range of articles "going from 'in house' considerations, like a study of adoption of eXtension, Extension's role in bridging the broadband digital divide, and dealing with Web-based surveys, to ways we use the Web and other forms of technology to reach out to our audiences. Pretty cool." The articles dive into wikis, blogs, virtual learning, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, and more. If you wonder what...
In Australia, Dean Power and Think eExtension are all about the "use of Web 2.0 and Social Media tools in engagement, knowledge sharing and creation, and community cultivation of Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Environmental Stakeholders." Check out blog postings with the label e-Extension (also on the eco2oh blog ...There's also a nice paper by John James at a 2007 APEN event - Using e-Extension to better engage with clients and enable change. Reviewing various extension approaches, he identifies likely web 2.0 tools that can be applied, arguing that these tools will particularly increase engagement and collaboration among extension workers and their...
On 27 August, FAO facilitates an e-Agriculture panel at the IAALD-AFITA-WCCA World Congress. The panel will deliberate issues of ICT as enablers in various critical areas of development, as well as the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in support of e-Agriculture.The session will be an interactive discussion with the audience, with the panel anchored by:Alexander Flor, Dean, Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, University of the Philippines Open University;Manish Pandey, Deputy Director, Katalyst-Swisscontact;Michael Riggs, Information Management Specialist, FAO Regional Office for Asia-Pacific;Roxanna Samii, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD);and Stephen Rudgard, FAO, as the moderator.The panelists will share knowledge and experiences,...
On 26 August, CTA will organise a special session at the upcoming IAALD/AFITA World Congress in Japan.As a result of geographical isolation, poor communication facilities and limited purchasing power, many people working in agricultural development in ACP countries are unaware of the opportunities and resources that are potentially available to support agricultural development in ACP countries.This is particularly true in the fast moving field of ICTs which is heavily impacting on agriculture and shows great promise for ACP states. In recent years, for instance, technological advances coupled with falling prices in hardware have led to the appearance and increasing availability of low cost mobile computers (such as the XO “$ 100” laptop from OLPC), affordable wireless connectivity...
Box Canyon Dairy, a 2,500-acre dairy in Idaho, recently partnered with rugged Tablet PC manufacturer MobileDemand and agricultural industry software provider ProfitSource to implement a mobile computing system that improved the efficiency of daily operations and provides access to the information needed to give each individual cow the veterinary attention it needs.This simple implementation has resulted in significant time savings on the dairy that have helped streamline operations and reduce errors. For more information, read the press release, case study with photographs, or watch a case study...
A news story from IRIN asks what a poor farmer in Cameroon does when something goes wrong? Or when new information is needed. She doesn't have books and libraries or access to the Internet. Knowledge is passed down from generation to generation but that has limits, particularly for an enterprising farmer who wants to try growing something new. One solution is to pick up the phone and call ‘Allo Ingenier’ where an agricultural expert is always on call. This question and answer service is provided by the Documentation Centre for Rural Development in Yaoundé which is part of an agricultural non-governmental organisation (NGO) called the Service d’Appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement (SAILD). It is part supported by CTA and associated to the SICAC...
Between 2006 and 2007, ODI and partners were commissioned by the World Bank Information for Development Program (infoDev) to produce a Knowledge Map of ICTs and rural livelihoods.Written up in wiki format, the Map is designed to answer the following questions: How can the full range of information and communication technologies (ICTs), appropriately adapted, help to improve the livelihoods of poor individuals, families and communities in rural areas and increase their income opportunities, thereby improving their chances of escaping from persistent poverty? What do we know already, both from research and from experience in the field, and what do donor staff and their country counterparts most urgently need to know about these issues? How should we think about the role of ICT in enhancing...
FAO's Michal Demes forwarded information about a recently-concluded 'Regional training workshop for portal managers and coordinators of thematic communities in the AW Network.' Participants were drawn from the three AgroWeb networks - CAC, CEE, and SEE (check the sites for their scope).According to the introductory material for the workshop: "Lately, the development of the Network has stagnated, partially as a result of a lack of personal (face-to-face) communication. Attempts to share knowledge and best practices 'virtually' have not been as successful as workshops and conferences in the past." Hence, the organizers felt the need for this face to face meeting.Beyond the community aspect, the Network also faces technological challenges. The organizers felt it is "of crucial importance to...
The IAALD Africa Chapter Board has been busy planning activities for its members and partners.On 14 July, 2008, it organizes a one-day 'Seminar on Meeting Information and Knowledge Needs of Farmers in Africa Through e-Agriculture'. Part of the SCECSAL meeting in Zambia, up to 50 participants are expected. Also this year, the Chapter is planning a session at the upcoming IAALD World Congress in Japan. Contact Chapter President Justin Chisenga for more information.Preliminary planning has also started for the IAALD Africa regional conference to be held in Ghana, 13 – 17 July 2009. Mark you agendas!IAALD's Africa Chapter was launched in Nairobi in May...
The latest e-agriculture discussion begins 10 March.It will examine ways that Public Private Partnerships can help implement e-Agriculture successfully and explore the roles of different stakeholders in this area: government, private sector, and others.The discussions will lead into the eAgriculture India conference in July 2008.Tags: agricultural information e_agriculture...
The first e-Agriculture forum - Responding to Demand: The Focus of e-Agriculture starts on 9 July.
The Forum kicks off with an overview of the 2006 e-Agriculture Survey; it then explores 'Innovative Information and Communication Systems'; and ends discussing 'How to ensure that content is demand-driven'.
HOW TO JOIN and POST:
1. Sign in or register on e-agriculture.org
2. Go to the forum...
The first issue of the new CABI News E-Zine includes a piece explaining how CABI and the Sri Lankan NGO Sarvodaya have been working to improve the rural communities' access to much-needed information about improved farming practices, through a network of Telecentres.
Tags: agricultural information sri lanka e-agriculture internet...
This week, rural and information society policy makers, business people, and practitioners will gather to explore how Europe's less-developed rural and remote areas can gain from Broadband ICT services.
In her speech, Mariann Fischer Boel - the European Commissioner responsible for agriculture and rural development - suggests that the "second pillar" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is...
In September 2007, FAO, IAALD, CTA, CGIAR, IFAD and other partners are joining forces in a series of meetings in Rome.
The official launch of the e-agriculture.org web site will be one of the many events taking place during e-Agriculture Week: 22-28 September 2007.
The highlight will be the Web2forDev Conference focusing on ways that stakeholders in agriculture and rural development can make...
2 April 2007 Rome, Italy - A recent global online survey, conducted as a follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), indicates that improving information and communication processes should be the top priority in furthering global discussions and related actions in e-Agriculture. The survey identified ways to enhance sustainable agricultural development and food security by...