Microsoft India has collaborated with ICRISAT to develop Artificial Intelligence based system to help farmers in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya, Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana. The technologies are part of the Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite and include Cloud Machine Learning, Satellite Imagery and Advanced Analytics. The developed app sends sowing advisories to participating farmers on the optimal date to sow. Through their cell phones farmers receives these advices as text messages. Read more about this app here
Highlights: AI use growing in agriculture AI is applied in some aspects of the farming practices Some examples of AI are offered by Thembani Malapela (FAO) When l reflected on the future of agriculture, l could not avoid thinking about the power of technology to solve problems bedeviling this sector. Climate change, population growth and food security concerns have pushed for innovative technological solutions to farming. Artificial Intelligence is emerging as part of the solutions towards improved agricultural productivity. In this item, l will look at what AI is, how it is used in...
Are you a start-up or a company with an innovation that could help end hunger? If so, this call is for you. The World Food Programme’s Innovation for #ZEROHUNGER has opened a call for ICT and innovative ideas that are meant to end hunger. WFP is calling on inspiring and new ideas, tools and solutions that make sure no one goes hungry. To apply for the programme click here . Those who apply will participate in a week long bootcamp and access a 3-6 month sprint programme. The selected projects will get access to mentorship, financial support and access to WFP’s networks, operations, partners...
Quick read The world still need more food to feed the growing population Internet of Things (loT) is being used in agriculture Some advantages of Internet of Things (loT) Learn more about Internet of Things (loT) The Agricultural revolution of 1930s to 1960s focused on increasing agricultural production and mechanization; technology was at the center of its success. However, in reality 50 years later, there are still many people who are hungry, today 815 million people are chronically undernourished. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) predicted that the global...
The proliferation of smartphones and their usage has spread throughout the world, including in Africa. In Liberia, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has supported and funded the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to train extension workers in the latest data collection technology. The Daily Observer reported that 24 extension officers, including 6 employees from the Liberia Institute for Geo-Information Services had a three-day training at the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko District, Bong County. The attendees received a training on the...
SciDevNet published an article supported by the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The article focuses on the various apps that are available in agriculture as curated by the Apps4Ag database . The example of Farmerline app is highlighted; this app gives smallholder farmers voice-based messages in their local langauges. Through this service farmers can get price related information; the use of insecticides and weather information. Other cited in the article that are popular in agriculture include the iCow – cattle information services in Kenya; Mrittikā – weather...
Quick read Indigenous territories are facing threats of illegal activities, such as land grabbing and territorial boundary encroachments Technologies such as drones facilitates mapping and monitoring of indigenous land and other natural resources Review of 5 projects on the use of drones in Peru, Guyana and Panama by indigenous communities Indigenous lands are facing a lot of increasing pressures from numerous legal and illegal activities, causing severe environmental degradation and threatening indigenous territorial rights and livelihoods – proposes are recent article . The article reviews...
Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID) hosted the seminar session titled “ Smart Agriculture, Smart Future ” at Digital World 2017 with support from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). On the 2nd day of the mega event, speakers highlighted the importance of use of Big Data and other...
In this article, you will Learn about the possibility of using ICTs to combat illegal logging Review some Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) that have been used elsewhere Appreciate some few cases from LAOs, Cameroon and Greece where ICTs have been used to combat illegal logging. In the beginning of the year, l wrote a piece focusing on ICTs and Forestry management in general. Additionally, for more information on how ICTs can be used to improve forestry governance, see Module 14 of the ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook . However, in this present piece l would like to focus on...
According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has projected that the number of mobile subscription stands at 7.74 billion now exceeds the global population. Similarly, the number of apps were reported to be on the increase , for example, as of March 2017 the number of apps available for download on Android stood at 2.8 million apps while Apple’s Apps store recorded 2.2 million apps. While the figures for apps related to agriculture is not readily known, the verity is that equally numbers are on the rise. This has led many to predict that mobile technologies are poised to...