ICTUpdate 85: Applications for Agriculture
A selection of interesting websites, online platforms and literature on web-based and mobile applications for agriculture in the context of developing countries.
ICT4Ag
As the digital springboard for inclusive agriculture, ICT4Ag aims to keep policy makers, extension service providers, agricultural researchers, farmers and farmer organisations up-to-date on emerging ICT innovations. This initiative of CTA supports stakeholders to identify viable ICT solutions to address agricultural challenges. With ICT4Ag, CTA facilitates the co-creation of new ICT4Ag applications and provides platforms for discussions with policy-makers. The Apps4Ag database is part of the ICT4Ag initiative. You can join the ICT4Ag Dgroups or subscribe to the mailing list on the website.
AppsAfrica
AppsAfrica.com is a pan-African technology news portal and advisory service, dedicated to delivering the latest insight on mobile, tech and innovation in Africa. It organises the AppsAfrica.com Innovation Awards to celebrate the best in mobile and tech from across Africa. The organisers are now accepting entries with the deadline on 8 September 2017.
Mobile Ecosystem Forum
The Mobile Ecosystem Forum is a global trade body that acts as an impartial and authoritative platform that addresses issues affecting the broadening mobile ecosystem. Its members get access to a global and cross-sector platform for networking, collaboration and advancing industry solutions. The goal is to accelerate the growth of a sustainable mobile ecosystem that drives inclusion for all and delivers trusted services. Insights are shared with the public through official reports and a blog. It has chapters across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Latin and North America.
https://mobileecosystemforum.com/
Research ICT Africa
Research ICT Africa consists of a network of researchers in 20 African countries. It conducts public-interest research on ICT and mobile application policy and regulation. It provides African researchers, governments, regulators, operators, multilateral institutions, development agencies, community organisations and trade unions with the information and analysis required to develop innovative and appropriate policies, effective implementation and successful network operations that can contribute to sustainable development.
http://www.researchictafrica.net/
Working with mobile operators
“Opening Doors: A start-up’s guide to working with mobile operators in emerging markets” is the title of a guide that aims at start-ups interested in collaborating with mobile operators in emerging markets. The GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator programme and Match-Maker Ventures teamed up to produce this guide, which is about the process of securing a partnership with a mobile operator. Engaging with a mobile operator and building a partnership is a journey, and this guide has identified four main stages of this journey: understanding the industry, understanding the market, pitching, and making the collaboration work.
PitchIT Caribbean
PitchIT Caribbean is a two-tiered partnership approach to support growth-oriented mobile app business in the Caribbean. It is part of the Caribbean Mobile Innovation Project (CMIP), which is part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC) and is executed by the University of the West Indies Consortium. PitchIT Caribbean is designed to strengthen the Caribbean mobile innovation ecosystem and enable sustainable and competitive mobile enterprises to grow through activities that will target early stage innovators and guide them to market readiness.
http://www.pitchitcaribbean.com/
e-Agriculture Global Community
e-Agriculture is a global community of practice that facilitates dialogue, information exchange and sharing of ideas related to the use of ICTs for sustainable agriculture and rural development. As an e-Agriculture member you can contribute blogs and participate in forum discussions. e-Agriculture global community is made up of over 12,000 members from 170 countries and territories, members are information and communication specialists, researchers, farmers, students, policy makers, business people, development practitioners, and others. They have a common interest of improving policies and processes around the use of ICTs and mobile applications in support of agriculture and rural development, in order to have a positive impact on rural livelihoods.
Report: mobile apps for agriculture
Although this World Bank report is from 2012 it still is a worthwhile resource on mobile applications and its impact on agriculture. The report, titled “Mobile Applications for Agriculture and Rural Development”, reviews country examples and extracts policy lessons and good practices. It also presents detailed studies of cases from Kenya, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as summarises 92 case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the development impact, ecosystem, and business models for mobile applications in agriculture and rural development. One of the main findings is that an enabling platform can facilitate interactions among ecosystem players, increase access to users, provide technical standards, and incorporate payment mechanisms.
Read More
IT solutions are disruptive: they change the way things are working
by Martin Njeru
Interview with Martin Njeru, the Account Director for Cojengo in the East Africa region.
Read MoreCreating ICT opportunities with the apps4ag database
In ICT Update and on websites as ICT4D, CTA has covered the explosive growth and proliferation of digital and mobile phone technologies for agriculture. Now CTA takes the next step with developing the Apps4Ag database, a comprehensive, up-to-date and responsive database of ICTs including mobile, web, animation, audio, and video applications involved in the food value chains.
Read MoreMeet the Apps4Ag database
The Apps4Ag database is developed by CTA and is an online collection of over 500 applications, which provides new ways to find and discover worldwide ICT innovations for agriculture. How can you make the most of this database on www.apps4ag.org?
Read MoreWhat is in the Apps4Ag database?
The Apps4Ag database has over 500 online and mobile applications and services for stakeholders in the food value chain. ICT Update gives you an insight what users from farmers, traders, researchers and decision-makers can find in the database.
Read MoreFacilitating change in agricultural value chains with app services
Investment in mobile agricultural services is likely to be most effective where the technology is integrated into specific systems and organisational routines that are developed by new or established local innovators. They are the drivers for developing new processes and new networks on the ground that promote scale efficiencies along the value chain.
Read MoreFour building stones for a vibrant ICT environment
by Serge Kedja
A vibrant enabling environment is vital for creativity, stimulus and optimism on which ICT4Ag initiatives can generate impact. Developers and innovators have to learn from cases, either successful or not, when it comes to the environments or contexts where they have been deployed. There are four areas on which an enabling environment depends.
Read MoreInvesting in the ICT4Ag application space
ICT4Ag models in the developing world are proliferating. Yet most players are not yet translating momentum into impact at scale. Despite the growth of opportunities, a very small proportion of the global ICT4Ag funding targets smallholder farmers in developing countries. Rethinking strategic approaches for ICT4Ag funding can change this.
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