innovations in ict use in agriculture
DESCRIPTION
By Dr Michael Hailu, Director, CTATRANSCRIPT
Innovations in ICT Use in Agriculture
Innovation not Invention
©MHS Oxford
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Paul Townsend@Flickr
7% ICT’s Contribution to Africa’s GDP
USD 56B from the Private Sector in
Telecom
USD 150B Projected ICT Market by 2016
ICT Infrastructure Growth in Africa2012 2014 Projection
Over 615,000 km of National Backbone
Networks
x20 Growth of Internet bandwidth (2008–2012)
ICTs in Agriculture
Enhancing Productivity
Market Information ServicesSimple MIS Complex Platform
Communications and Extension
Supporting Innovation – iHubs in Africa
Crowdsourcing for Agriculture
Women's Use of ICTs in Agriculture
• Participatory GIS (PGIS)• Participatory Video (PV)• Capacity building• Online advocacy
ICTs Empowering Communities
Photo credits: Leon J.; Gawlik K, Rambaldi. G
Participatory GIS• Documenting, geo-referencing and
adding value and authority to local knowledge
• Giving a voice to local communities (advocacy)
• Facilitating community-based planning
(value chains; disaster risk reduction)
... and CTA impact in ACP regions
Centres of excellence established in East Africa, Caribbean and Pacific
Enhancing institutional capacity in the use of Social Media and Web 2.0
To empower agricultural stakeholders to better communicate, cooperate and
participate in policy processes and along value chains.
Key resultSome best entrants are becoming strong advocates and ambassadors of youth in agriculture
In order to
•Put into limelight youth in agriculture issues and successes• Encourage the use of ICT by young farmers’ groups
CTA has launched the
Activities include• promotion of youth-led ICT innovations in
agriculture• ICT training for rural youth centres and young
farmers• Business training sessions
Strengthening youth employment opportunities in Southern Africa in ICT and agriculture (SOFIA)
•Launched in Swaziland by the Prime Minister of Swaziland – April 2013
CTA is supporting the project
ICT4Ag: Major Constraints & Prospects
Mawingu - Low-Cost, Solar-Powered Broadband Access Using Cutting-Edge TV White
Space Technology
Google Loon Project – balloons connecting
ICTs for Agriculture Conference
Conference Streams1.Emerging innovations in ICT
2.Capacity strengthening 3.Enabling environments
• 4 – 7 Nov 13 in Rwanda, parallel conf. activity
• Aim: • showcasing and promoting ICT innovations enhancing agriculture during the conference
• supporting ICT innovations and entrepreneurship in agriculture (follow-up activities)
•Contribute to rebranding agriculture’s image for youth
• Collaboration with African ICT innovation spaces
In conclusion…• The potential for ICTs in Agriculture is high…..But it will take• Public-Private-Partnership
– Enabling environments– Investment in rural ICT infrastructure
• Capacity Strengthening and Empowerment– Recognize the potentials of the youth e.g. iHubs– Support innovative application development
• Support for Scaling Up of Innovations
More Information: www.ictupdate.cta.int