ict for asian farmers irri 2006

Jan-Peter Mund (PhD Geographer) - CIM/gtz Cambodia - Royal University of Agriculture10.11.2006

Recent Innovations and new Developments in

ICT for Agriculture

Potential applications to empower rural framers in Asia

Recent Innovations and new Developments in ICT for Agriculture empowering farmers in Asia 2

Introduction

“By linking rural farmers to market information, craft workers to customers, patients to doctors, and students to teachers, the internet can aid economic development.“(WWI 2002)

Access to Information Communication Technologies (ICT) and Internet will open doors to newest technology and recent information for rural farmers.


Content

ObjectivesIntroductionThe new role of an agricultural extension worker ICT trends in developing countries ICT-applications - Best practises and constraintsFuture perspective for rural agriculture and ICTConclusion


Cambodian farmer in 2004

Which crop shouldI plant on that poor

soil?I have no idea.

%

How do I find out about market

prices?

%

Where is the nextlocal cooperation

with access to smallcredits?

A lot of questionswithout access to reliable answers !

Population density 2001

Mobile phone

coverage2004


Farmers need help

They live under pressure to increase their output, to diversify their production and adopt new farming systems.Often they have to do all these efforts under decreasing prices in order to compete in national and international markets (WTO).They desperately need to learn of options, new techniques and innovative crops beyond the traditional practices inherited from the past.Therefore, they need help and the ICT development might become a hopeful but a challenging multi stakeholder solution.


Major trends in agricultural extension

Reduced public sector supportPrivatize demand-driven extension for commercial farmersIncreased differentiation among client groups and issue areas Focus on public livelihoods extension for poor and subsistence farmersSupport community management for environmental and natural resource management challenges (i.e. PLUP, NRM- Trainers in Cambodia)


Extensionist’s role has changed

Today they have to analyze field realities, to conduct activities and solutions in close cooperation with the farmer, based on good and up to date knowledge.They have to consider broader scope of ‘problems’ to address environment, biotechnologies, globalization, trade, etc.Modern Extension services move towards ‘market’ priorities


The mobile communities 2001

Source: ITU 2001


IT connection in Asia 2001

IT Diversity between haves & have-notsIT-Density per 100 habitants 2001

0 50 100 150 200

Hong Kong, China

Taiwan, China

Singapore

Japan

Korea (Rep.)

Average in Asia

Cambodia

Solomon Islands

Laos

Bangladesh

Myanmar

Fixed

Mobile

Internet


The rural digital divide in Asia

The information revolution has bypassed many rural farmers in Asia. (UNDP 2002)

Most of them belong to poor people who live on less than a dollar a day. (World bank 2003)

Many of them have never made a phone call in their lives. (World Watch Institute 2002)

The total number of Internet users in rural China has reached 600,000 in 2003. (China Daily 13.2.2003)

The total number of Internet users in China amounts more than 60 million. (ITU 2003 )

Only 0.6% of Indians have access to the Internet. 80% of internet users are urban (Keralastate Mission 03)


Literacy rates in Asia 2000


Rural ICT access centres

Rural Electronic Computer and Technology Center (NECTEC) Electronic Commerce

Resource Center (ECRC)

Rural Thailand


W-LAN to villages


Recent ICT applications

SMS-Info services: Market prices (Infoprix, Benin)W-Lan to Villages in Malaysia and IndiaCommune ICT Kiosks or Agri Malls (Thailand,India)Postmen carry mobile phones to deliver mail in villages (rural India and rural China)SMS to Voice services for illiterate personsLatest information access via local W-Lan (ManobiNet / Grameen Telecom's Village-Phone)Digital camera phone access to expertsAutomated decision support systemsOnline real-time Agro-Info GIS-Services (AGIS South-Africa)


Decision support systems


Online real-time GIS-Services

Agricultural Geo Information Servies(AGIS) South Africa with ARC IMS


Info Systems + Digital Cameras

Agro-monitor services to estimate annual yield through digital photography in Honduras


Info and decision support systems

ManobiNet for Senegalese fisher and coastal zone farmers


How can ICTs succeed ?

Capacity building and retraining with extension staff, not only skills how to use the technology effectively but also how to adapt materials for use in the field.Improvement of physical access to ICTs in rural areas.Provide training materials, adapt and translate content into local languages.Institutional change to strengthen and improve the function of the extension institutions.Establish new community structures such as Farmer Organizations, Cooperatives etc.Develop the most appropriate information content and most effective communication methodology.


E- and Distance learning

E-learning is…the umbrella that enclose education, information, communication, training and management knowledge education and training utilizing ICT and Web based networks.asynchronous "Web-based Training (WBT)distance learning via broadcasting networks possible via CD and other digital data the solution for discussions and real time examinationsnot feasible without standardization.


Where is the adequate content ?

In several countries agricultural “electronic” and “virtual” libraries already exist.IRRI created three well recognized electronic training and information courses (Internet or CD).Internet GIS-training modules are now commonplaces for studying land use planning and watershed management.Training and study courses for nearly agricultural topics are available in the WWW, but most of them are not adapted to the needs of rural farmers as the main target group.


Mobile Digital Convergence

2001 - Mobile Digital Systems

2004 Mobile Digital SMS - GIS-Systemsreal- time Internet-GIS

Wlan-GIS

+ ==+

GPS-Camera Phone

+ =


Digital Camera GPS-Tracking

Tourist Information System, Rwanda: Akagera-National Park


Rural Asia towards precision farming

Demand drivendecentralizedmobile Info-

Systems


ICTs transform current extension

ICTs will become ‘everyday’ tools of extension workersIncreased availability of information requires information ‘absorption’ capacitiesFeedback between extension workers and their clients respectively their service providers will improve, because of interactivity.More differentiated extension service clients, re-directed towards those who can pay for informationAwareness of ICT opportunities will focus attention on basic essential rural ICT access issuesExtension and farm communities will need to lobby for telecommunications reform


Impact of modern ICT Trends

Focus of extension worker shifts from agriculture to ‘rural services’Capacity is built and clients become more varied users of ICTs and informationAwareness of ICT opportunities will focus on basic essential rural ICT access issuesMore varied information demands will emergeExtension workers can reach more farmers that beforeExtension methods will be updated (ICT-enabled) to provide better qualityPeer to peer exchange among extension workersGreater gap between farmers that are ICT ‘haves’ and ICT ‘have-nots’


Potential of ICT for extension

Inter active - ICT develops a demand driven serviceEfficient - exchange of information in the society Economic - ICT reduces information transaction costs Topical - market pricing, trends and analysisUp to date - natural resource management: time-sensitive information on droughts, flooding, disease symptoms, pests and more Collaborative - learning among target groupsDecentralised - ICTs facilitate the distribution of information to many farmers at the same time


ICT benefits for farmers

Enhance farmers’ ability in assessing their own needs, solutions and to give feedback Farmers take ownership of media they needFacilitate multi-stakeholder brainstormingExplore alternative production technologiesProvide access to markets and creditReach and communicate with policy makers


Empowerment of farmers by ICT

Objective:Empowerment of rural farmers with ICT for economic development and environmental protection

Rural ICTKiosks

Mobile ITC

Decisionsupportsystems

Mobile real-time

GIS

w w

w.

Web-Content

E- anddistancelearning

Policy, rulesregulations

Farmergroups

Cooperatives

GIS DataSupportservice Management

tools

Extensionworker

Ruralfarmer

Concept

World, regional,

local marketinfo

CulturalSocio

economicconditions

Technicalinformation

BiophysicalConditions

(Biophysical) RequirementCrop/tree/…

PestDisease

information

New species, varieties


Conclusion

Change of the extension worker‘s role Implementation of ICT innovations in rural areas Use of ICT innovation in the fieldDifferent expectation to service provider (i.e. IRRI, FAO, IFPRI)Service providers adapt to needs of farmers and extension workersContent and service change:knowledge -> information -> education via SMS, GIS, GPS , e-learning, distance learning, etc.ICD-Capacity building for rural farmers is required !


Cambodian farmer in 2015

Still the same work…

with much more questions

but on a higher

level of information,

knowledge and capacity !

Jan-Peter Mund (PhD Geographer) - CIM/gtz Cambodia - Royal University of Agriculture10.11.2006

Thank you for your attention

ict for asian farmers irri 2006

Business

rural farmers

agriculture empowering

market information

rural framers

studentsto teachers