E-Agriculture

April 2017 News and Events

April 2017 News and Events

  • Drone regulation: A guide to the laws governing UAVs

    The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has published a guide or laws governing the use of UAVs. As of April 2016, 73% of ACP countries did not have any rules or regulations in place; 19% had some regulations in place; and 8% were in the process of formulating them. The data gathered in the course of the study have been published on a site hosted by The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) and are accessible at w ww.droneregulations.info . The use and application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or popularly known as drones is increasingly becoming common in...
  • m-Omulimisa, the mobile extension officer

    In Uganda, the spread of agronomical information is quite challenging, and the number of extension officers cannot meet the growing demand from farmers who often need immediate assistance. Thanks to innovations in information technology, mobile and web-based platforms are proving to be a huge help. m-Omulimisa provides smallholder farmers with real-time farming information and solutions written in local languages via mobile technologies. Farmers can use their phones to ask questions in languages that they understand, and receive understandable feedback from extension officers in the region...
  • WeFarm: Connecting Small farmers without internet

    There are about 500 million small-scale farmers on Earth, and most of them live on less than $1 a day. They’re often separated from larger population centers, or lack the means to educate themselves on specialized farming methods. Internet connections might be less common in the developing world, but mobile technology is pervasive. Today, 90% of smallholder farmers are able to access a basic mobile phone. In Africa especially, people have turned directly to mobiles instead of owning first personal computers. WeFarm is a peer-to-peer (P2P) knowledge sharing platform for small-scale farmers in...
  • Mdiet: The app of the Mediterranean Diet

    Mdiet is an application designed for smartphones and tablets providing essential knowledge on the Mediterranean diet. What is the Mediterranean diet?, which kind of food does it include exactly?, what are its recipes? Mdiet provides an answer to all these questions. The human right to access to food, established in 2000 by the Millennium Summit of the United Nations , goes through proper nutrition for good health. The Mediterranean Diet is an essential element to achieve these goals and that is why it was declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO in 2010. The 300 type foods...
  • Fisher folk in Ghana to benefit from 'Tigo Fishers Network Initiative'

    The USAID’s Ghana Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP) signed a partnership agreement with the Ghana Fisheries Commission and Tigo Ghana called "Tigo Fishers Network Initiative." which aims to provide fisher folk with tailored mobile solutions using Tigo platform. In Ghana, 10 per cent of the population work directly or indirectly in the fishing sector, which generates over one billion dollars in revenue annually and accounts for at least 4.5 per cent of Ghana's GDP. Photo Credits: stopillegalfishing.com Tigo Fisheries Network will provide fisher folk information access on best...
  • FAO develops a new tech app to boost national agric targets in Rwanda

    The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in conjuction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Ministry of Youth and ICT has launched a new project called ' Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Rwanda ". Mobile applications in this project This project is set to develop four mobile applications: "Cure and feed your livestock","eNtrifood","Weather and crop calendar"and "AgriMarketplace". The applications centre around the four themes - animal health and feed,weather and climate change adaptation services, nutrition and agricultural market. These Apps will be...
  • FAO Policy Portal goes online!

    Are you seeking a policy within the framework of the FAO's mandate? Do you need policy guidelines in policy formulation within these agricultural themes ? And how can FAO adapt its policy presentations to the fast-paced world of social media and on-line communities? The Good news is that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ) created the FAO Policy Portal and today (05 April 2017) the portal is online ! The FAO Policy Portal The FAO Policy Portal was designed to present a comprehensive overview and a common access point for all FAO policy work.It provides access to FAO policy...
  • SMS Gateway: Improving animal health through Information and Communication Technologies. Information factsheet

    For poultry farmers in Bangladesh, avian influenza can be a devastating problem. The avian influenza, called H5N1 HPAI, is highly pathogenic and spreads very fast. Once the flu is spread out, birds can die in 5 to 10 minutes from it and the farmer sees its poultry farm devastated. This information fact sheet sets out to show how an SMS Gateway system developed by FAO has been used to improve rural communication, support animal disease crisis management and contribute to livelihood resilience for small-scale farmers in Bangladesh. Focusing on the case study of avian influenza in Bangladesh,...
  • Forum Closure: The role of ICTs in SCPI of horticulture crop based systems

    The online discussion forum, entitled “ The Role of Information communication and Technologies (ICTs) in Sustainable Crop Production Intensification (SCPI) of horticulture crop based systems (mainly fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers) ” has officially ended. Participation The online discussion ran from the 6th to the 27th of March 2017. We received a total number of 75* contributions from participants from the following countries - Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Netherlands,...