The Drum Beat 444 - ICT for Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) continue to expand the reach of development, particularly by bringing new sources of information and new tools for local knowledge dissemination into rural areas. This issue of The Drum Beat focuses on ICT innovation in agriculture and rural development, providing a selection of summaries of projects, strategic thinking articles and resources, and evaluations from across the globe.

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Please also see:

• the Information and Communication for Development (ICT4D) theme site - where ICTs are central to development.
• the Natural Resource Management (NRM) theme site - where communication and media are central to natural resource management.

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TELEPHONE

1.Banana Information Line - Kenya
This is a project of the Local Language Speech Technology Initiative (LLSTI), produced in partnership with National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Programme (NALEP) of the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture. The text-to-speech (TTS) telephone line provides farmers in Kenya with information related to how to plant, grow, and harvest bananas, in either English or Kiswahili. According to the organisers, because anyone with a land line or mobile phone can access the information line, communities that are more difficult to reach by traditional means can more easily access the agricultural information they need to more efficiently grow their crops. A TTS line bypasses the need for literacy, as well as the problem of reaching farmers living in very remote areas. Farmers can call the line any time of day, every day, thereby allowing them to get information when they need it, and when it is most convenient for them. This project ran as a pilot for several months in 2006, but has now been superseded by the recently-launched National Farmers Information Service (NAFIS) information line which covers a wider range of crops and livestock.
Contact: Roger Tucker roger@outsideecho.com

2.SMS Helped Check Bird Flu in Orissa
by Jatindra Dash
According to this March 2008 report, in order to check the spread of avian influenza in Orissa, India, state government officials have instituted the use of the short message service (SMS) tool of communication, a capability of hand-held digital devices - in this circumstance, cellphones - to help increase transmission speed of alerts and execute the necessary precautionary measures. The state's animal husbandry and veterinary services (AHD) introduced the 'SMS-based reporting system' in the department in 2007 to track the health of livestock and breeding services in the state. Under this system, villages and prevailing livestock diseases were codified in order to source data from about 10,000 officials, including 2,000 veterinary doctors, working across the state. The animal husbandry field staff, working at the grassroots level, send weekly reports via cellphone using SMS capacity to their directorate, which compiles the data for a consolidated weekly report that includes critical analysis and a list of appropriate remedial measures.

COMPUTERS/INTERNET

3.Farm Ideas - Global
Launched in the United Kingdom (UK), this is a magazine and information source designed to allow farmers to share ideas, so that each can benefit from the experience and development of others. The motivation for this effort is based on the belief that agricultural progress happens not merely by farmers listening to the marketing departments of machinery, chemical, and genetic companies, or banks and finance houses; instead, according to the founder of this initiative, over time, farmers have developed and applied ways of working that suit their needs, and these are a key source of knowledge. In addition to the print publication, the Farm Ideas website features agri-info, agricultural news, reports, and an interactive frequently asked questions (FAQ) section.
Contact: Mike Donovan mike@farmideas.co.uk

4.Evaluation of Computerisation of Land Records in Karnataka
by Manoj Ahuja and A. P. Singh
This January 2006 evaluation explores the extent to which computerisation of land records - required to obtain a bank loan, conduct a land survey, apply for government benefits, make land transactions, help resolve a land-related dispute, and so on - can solve multiple problems of farmers in rural India. According to the implementers of the project, the strategy of using information technology to foster economic development among farmers is a key issue in a country where nearly 63% of the population is dependent on agriculture. In this context, and with the objective of streamlining the maintenance and updating of land records, the Ministry of Rural Development sanctioned a scheme for computerisation of land records (CoLR) in 1991 in many states of India, with the assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The state government legally abolished all hand-written records after the implementation of this project.

5.Dimitra Project - Global
Launched in 1994, Dimitra is an information and communication project that aims to improve the living conditions and status of rural populations (women, in particular) in Africa and the Near East. It highlights rural women's contributions to the development of their communities and aims to give a voice to the grassroots through the promotion of information collection and exchange on gender, women, and rural development issues. Dimitra is increasingly involved in supporting its partners through the organisation of workshops which are in line with its objective: to improve the living conditions and status of rural populations, and women in particular.
Contact: dimitra@dimitra.org

6.Warana: The Case of an Indian Rural Community Adopting ICT
by Simone Cecchini and Monica Raina
This 2002 case study examines the Warana "Wired Village" project which was intended to bring agricultural, educational, and market information to Warana Nagar villages and to simplify the cooperative’s business operations. 54 village information kiosks facilitate the sugar cane production process by recording annual registrations for plantation, issuing harvesting permits, and coordinating payment information. Each kiosk had a computer and printer, and most had email and internet access and wireless connectivity to the main sugar administrative building. Farmers regularly visited the kiosks, where kiosk operators fed the data provided by the farmers into computers for coordinated processing. The kiosks issued farmers with payment slips for payments deposited directly into farmers' bank accounts, sold farmers fertiliser using credit, and entered into the system data about money spent on transporting the crop to the sugar factory.

7.ICT Needs For Improved Agriculture in Croatia
According to the findings of this 2004 study, especially needed in Croatia after the fall of communism was an effective information flow to serve the important income sources of agrotourism, hunting, beekeeping, and organic and traditional production. The adaptation of e-technologies for farmers, such as econometric models and interactive software for farm budgeting, has largely been undertaken by Croatian universities. Access to this information, however, assumes the farmer has the financial resources to own a computer. As a result, the main beneficiaries of this type of ICT are owners of large farms. For those who do have access to a computer, a comprehensive website, TISUP (TrzisniInformacijski Sustav u Poljoprivredi), provides a free market information system (MIS) in agriculture. This website features weekly minimum, maximum, and average prices for agri-products. Other services on this website include market cost calculations, the ability to buy and sell via telephone and the web, and media summaries of agri-news.

8.Analysis of Global e-Agriculture Survey
This 2007 report traces patterns revealed through a global online survey conducted as a follow-up to the November 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, Tunisia. This research was carried out based on the growing agreement that ICTs can have an impact on sustainable development - and, in particular - agriculture. The e-Agriculture Working Group (EAWG) designed a survey (in 3 languages: English, French, and Spanish) to accomplish the following: gauging stakeholders' familiarity with e-agriculture and definitions for the term; benefits and challenges of e-agriculture; and priorities to be addressed in an international forum. The report detailing the findings of this research indicates that a majority (57%) were unaware of the term "e-agriculture". With regard to patterns in access to e-agriculture, half of all respondents said they are affected by restricted access to digital media/technologies, but significant proportions (>25%) also cited the high cost of access, insufficient content in the correct language, lack of equipment, and lack of power.

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Please VOTE in our NEW ICT4D Poll:

Local knowledge is threatened by Western-dominated digital technologies that operate blind to national boundaries and local contexts. Do you:

• Agree
• Disagree
• Feel unsure

A Comments form is also provided for registered CI members. If you are not yet registered, with a username and password, please click here to register.

VOTE and COMMENT - Top Right Side of the website.

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RADIO

9.African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI) - Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda
This is an action research project implemented in 5 sub-Saharan Africa countries. A collaboration between Farm Radio International (formerly DCFRN) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC), AFRRI gathers, implements, evaluates, and shares best practices for using radio-based communication strategies to enhance food security in rural Africa. It also offers radio broadcasters capacity-building and training services that aim to improve their programming for rural listeners. The project hopes to provide answers to the following questions:

• How do African farmers use the information they hear on the radio? What information is most useful?
• What format is best able to engage and empower farmers?
• How can radio stations make use of cheap and accessible mobile phones, MP3 players, and other communication technologies to extend their reach and improve interaction with listeners?

Contact: Kevin Perkins kperkins@farmradio.org

10.Zambia: The Radio Farm Forum
by David M. Sibalwa
The Radio Farm Forum (RFF) was introduced as a pilot project in Zambia in 1967, starting with the Northern Province. As this document indicates, as of July 2006, the National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF) broadcasts 8 agricultural information programmes on radio in both English and in 7 Zambian languages. The primary objective of the programme is to communicate agricultural news and technical information, provided by the technical experts based at the MAFF, to peasant farmers in remote rural areas. According to the author, the programme's original educational objectives have remained consistent and relevant throughout the years and include the ability by listeners to efficiently apply the technical information received, correctly identify and describe some of the common crop and animal diseases and pests, and effectively advise other farmers on good farming practices.

FILM

11. ICT Update: Film-making Farmers
This edition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Update - a bimonthly printed bulletin, web magazine, and email newsletter - focuses on the use of ICTs in agriculture in developing countries. One of the articles includes: "Camcorders, Cassava and Crude," an investigation of how farmers and fishers in the Niger Delta are using a combination of participatory video, mobile-to-web messaging, and online video sharing to take on the oil companies that are polluting their lands and waters. An article on food security and market pricing in Burkina Faso features Chévrina, a puppet goat who has captured an audience in the hopes of boosting public awareness of key agricultural issues. "Ghanaian Cocoa Farmer Videos Tackle Pod Pest" covers a project in Ghana where cocoa growers are producing videos that teach improved cocoa cultivation principles to their fellow farmers.

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Please VOTE in our NEW NRM Poll:

Which natural energy source should receive the largest international development investment?

• Solar
• Water
• Wind
• Wind-up spring mechanisms
• Rechargeable batteries
• Other

A Comments form is also provided for registered CI members. If you are not yet registered, with a username and password, please click here to register.

VOTE and COMMENT - Top Right Side of the website.

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GATHERING AND MANAGING INFORMATION

12. Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook of Best Practices
edited by Anatole Krattiger
This instructional guide is designed for policy makers, leaders of public sector, research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists. It offers information and strategies for utilising the power of both intellectual property and the public domain.

13. Towards Customer Oriented Animal Health Services
This 2007 article describes 'participatory epidemiology' and reviews country experiences. According to the article, participatory epidemiologists rely on local knowledge to gather data on how a disease is spreading and is kept in circulation, and which diseases have most impact on livelihoods, from the perspectives of those affected. It is called a 'customer-oriented' approach to disease control and surveillance. The authors summarise current field applications of participatory epidemiology and highlight lessons learned, future challenges, and possible new areas for research. They argue for the need for veterinary and public health personnel to work together more closely and to apply participatory approaches, making the following recommendations: expand the field of participatory public health through active research to identify public health surveillance and response gaps that can be filled using participatory methods; provide advocacy for policies that recognise veterinary services as integral to public health; devise innovative ways to integrate participatory disease surveillance workers and participatory public health practitioners in the field; and create effective models for integrating public health and veterinary surveillance, including the development of unified 'public health' databases.

14.ICTUpdate: Indigenous Knowledge
This edition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Update has feature articles that include the following: 1)"Logging the forest" - on Mbendjele Pygmies using Global positioning system (GPS) computers to plot areas they want to preserve; 2) "Protecting the lions' share" - on a project to prevent conflict between predatory lions and Cameroonian farmers by tracking lion locations using a GPS-embedded collar; and 3) "Going local" - reporting on the Pacific island of Pohnpei restoring interest in eating traditional crops through the use of television, radio, the web, and printed publications.

15.Rural Information and Knowledge System - A Case Study from Russia
by Subramaniam Janakiram
According to this 2005 paper, the communist system of the former Soviet Union created a narrowly-based and modulated flow of information about agricultural development from the centralised government to farmers in the field. The problems of access to markets and technical information, and the lack of awareness by those engaged in agriculture of how to function in a market economy were particular challenges to the goal of modernising the Russian agricultural sector after the fall of the communist system. The main objective of this project was to facilitate the free flow of information and knowledge to improve the decision-making capabilities of different types of emerging public and private rural enterprises. It also sought to support communities and institutions during the transition from the old centralised planning system to a new market-based economy.

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Please make sure to visit:

The Information and Communication for Development (ICT4D) theme site - where ICTs are central to development.

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) theme site - where communication and media are central to natural resource management.

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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Julie Levy.

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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

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