The ubiquity of ICTs, especially mobile technologies, is noticeably transforming the way individuals and institutions exchange information and interact. Still, rural populations in developing countries,in particular the millions of smallholder farmers, only marginally benefit from the potentials linked to adoption and use of these new technologies. The solution to speeding up the uptake of ICTs, mainly through mobile devices, by smallholders is two-fold: firstly, ensuring that smallholders are aware of the benefits of using the applications on their devices, and secondly, ensuring that smallholders are able to benefit from the penetration of the internet into rural areas. Both are eminent for improving production and marketing efficiency and the effectiveness of farmers’ business and livelihoods.
In this issue
IT solutions are disruptive: they change the way things are working
Interview with Martin Njeru, the Account Director for Cojengo in the East Africa region.
Creating 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.
Resources
A selection of interesting websites, online platforms and literature on web-based and mobile applications for agriculture in the context of developing countries.
Meet 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?
What 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.
Facilitating 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.
Four 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.
Investing 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.
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.
