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DISCUSSION No. 134 • FSN Forum digest No. 1277
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Using information technology in the agriculture of
APEC economies and beyond.
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The potential of Wisdom Agriculture for poverty reduction and improved food security.
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until 30 November 2016
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CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED
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Peter
Steele, Independent consultant, Australia
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Peter relates technological developments to broader societal processes. He highlights that the modern world has become
increasingly divided between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, and mentions that the minority has become richer at the expense of the masses. This leads in turn to the use of technologies to bridge gaps and improve lives, which brings with it significant socio-economic
changes. Related to this, Peter shares the example of a project aiming to boost passion fruit production in Burundi, in which the use of mobile phones was recommended. However, unlike other countries of the East African Community, the use of mobile phones
in Burundi has been limited due to inadequate infrastructure and high costs.
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the contribution
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Raymond
Erick Zvavanyange, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Zimbabwe
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Raymond sees the benefits of using ICTs in agriculture, but points out that the focus has rather been on the technologies
themselves than on the ‘designers’ or people behind these technologies, and their motifs, aspirations and worldviews. He argues that one of the steps in expanding on the possibilities of ICTS concerns revisiting our capabilities to address the problems associated
with utilizing ICTs.
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Olayemi
Samson Sennuga, Royal Agricultural University, Circencester, UK
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Olayemi elaborates on his research, which focuses on how mobile phones could be better used to improve the adoption of
Good Agricultural Practices and to increase the productivity of smallholders. In the context of his study, he trained Nigerian smallholders on 16 Good Agricultural Practices and on the effective use of mobile phones to improve the adoption of these Practices,
unlock market prices and increase bargaining skills. Olayemi concludes that the role of ICTs coupled with adequate resources cannot be underestimated; the intervention has created rural prosperity and an increase in agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes.
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the contribution
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Gao
Lois, CAAS, China
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In his
first contribution, Gao elaborates on the challenges associated with agriculture sensor technology. He argues that currently, this technology is relatively
expensive and not suitable for ordinary crops. In addition, the domestic sensor performance is not stable enough, and the exposure of equipment to natural environments entails high maintenance costs.
In his
second contribution, Gao stresses the need to promote the use of agricultural product traceability systems among farmers. In this regard, the government
should provide technical and policy support and should for instance help farmers sell high quality products at a good price.
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Fei
Gao, China
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According to Fei, Wisdom Agriculture may give China the chance to catch up with other countries in terms of the standard
of production, processing and distribution of agricultural products. He argues that research on Wisdom Agriculture has been conducted, but questions to what extent the knowledge generated has been applied in practice.
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Boris
Karpunin, Russian Federation
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Boris argues that in Russia, the use of robots in agriculture should be intensified and stresses that in his country,
robotisation will not have the negative consequence of creating unemployment as population density is low. Deploying robots in the agricultural sector will for instance facilitate the more efficient use of ploughed lands, allow for the implementation of landscape-specific
technologies, and significantly reduce food production costs. Boris defines the goal of a robotized agriculture as "production with the lowest possible cost and optimum yields with minimal impact on environment”.
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Senkosi
Kenneth, Forum for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa, Uganda
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Senkosi recognizes the potential of ICTs in terms of improving the coordination of agricultural activities and for generating
data, but points to the fact that in many African countries ICTs have not yet been fully embraced. Drones, for instance, can be very useful for the efficient gathering of data over expansive distances, but their usage has met resistance for security reasons.
Hence, the challenge is to convince governments of the appropriateness of their use. In general, awareness of politicians on the role of ICTs in poverty reduction and improving food security is needed for adequate government support.
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Chuang
Gong, China
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Chuan Gong introduces the ICTforAG projects, which have in particular behaviour change goals. For example, a goal may
be to change farmers’ practices in order to improve soil quality.
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Dhanya
Praveen, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Hyderabad, India
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Dhanya refers to the Bali Action Plan that was adopted in the context of COP 13, which has drawn attention to the role
of ICTs in climate change adaptation and mitigation. She points out that ICTs have been of great use to Indian smallholders, and mentions a number of initiatives that have been implemented in her country, such as the rice knowledge management portal and e-Choupal.
In addition, digital inclusion of farmers and the issue of strategically using ICTs in farming systems have been part of the Climate-Smart Villages-project.
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Jabar
Khattak, Agriculture and education, Sweden
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According to Jabar, providing the right information at the right time and in the right place is crucial in the fight
against poverty and food insecurity. He also points to the need for (cold) storage facilities in order to reduce food waste due to excess produce in the agricultural sector.
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