There has been much hype about blockchain and their application in various sectors. In the agricultural domain, e-Agriculture has reported some of these initiatives. We came across an interesting blog by Sam on Disruptor, and provides interesting use cases of this technology in western and advanced farms. The technology has been applied in “managing warehouses, silos, and supply chains more intelligently, or utilized in the field as a tool to transmit real-time data about crops and livestock”. The following use cases are explained in detail, Overseeing Farm Inventory Enhancing Agricultural...
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have recently published a title called, ‘ Blockchain for Agriculture, Opportunities and Challenges ’ as part of the E-Agriculture in Action series publications. This is part of the collaboration of working together of the two UN Agencies to work together to promote the use of sustainable information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture. The focus of the publication is on blockchain technology in agriculture. The aim of the book is to demystify the technology,...
Tiny automated machines could soon take care of the entire growing process (Source: The Guardian) The Guardian reports that in the rural Hampshire, a robot called Rachel is pootling around an overgrown field. Rachel has four USB ports, a disc-like GPS receiver and the nuts and bolts of a system called Lidar, through which she can move and orient herself using laser beams. As she moves she is taking close-up photograph of the plants and soils around her which is sent to a central database. The data she collects will be used into a forensic map of the field and the wider farm beyond. Rachel was...
The ICT4D Conference organising committee is pleased to announce the "Call for Speakers" to the 11th ICT4D conference which will take place on April 30th to May 3rd 2019 in Kampala, Uganda. ICT4D conference is a yearly gathering that bring together public, private and civil society organizations from across the humanitarian and international development community. Participants share how they have used innovations in technology to solve today's humanitarian and developmental issues and also how ICTs increase impact of their work. Conference themes for 2019 Agriculture Digital Financial...
The growing world population means that food production will have to increase to meet the growing demand. ICTs are touted as one of the boosters and possible contributors to increased agricultural productivity. In a recent blog , it has been argued that the Internet of Things is one of such technologies to be watched. The Internet of Things in agriculture is construed as a “group of technologies that include soil sensors, cameras, weather stations and other technological gadgets that gather data about farming activities”. The data obtained is analysed by algorithms and other software and...
CTA has launched a Call for Proposals to support the implementation of blockchain use cases addressing the agri-food sector in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries. Proposals must be submitted by Monday 12 November 2018, in English or French. A maximum of six grants will be awarded. The maximum amount per grant is Euro 60,000. The objective of this call is to support the implementation of blockchain uses cases addressing the agri-food sector in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries, in order to contribute to its transformation. Information for applicants A maximum of six grants...
The UNIN ‘Innovation in the UN’ Update #03/2018 has been published and it highlights the innovation activities of the UNIN members . In the lead story, UNIN reports that it was tasked to lead the development of an innovation toolkit to promote more innovation in the UN. The toolkit, which is being developed in collaboration with Deloitte, will contain an innovation self-assessment tool and modules on Strategy, Architectures, Partnerships, Culture and Monitoring & Evaluation. The Food and Agriculture Organization joins other 17 agencies with contributions of its innovations, which include...
Image credit : FAO/ART Project In Rwanda, one main constraint limiting the development of the potato value chain is related to a lack of reliable information on the prices of potatoes and quantities available in the market which makes forecasting costs of processors difficult, a constraint which is outside the direct control of the firm. Furthermore, the impact of climate change is putting unprecedented stress and threats on the livelihoods of potato farmers in north-western districts of the country. Reducing climatic risks require robust and innovative tools that can help producers and...
The CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agricultur e has announced “ The Inspire Challenge ” which calls upon partners, universities, and others to use CGIAR data to create innovative pilots projects that can be scaled up. The winning teams will receive $100,000 to put their ideas into practice and the teams will be given 12 months to implement small-scale proof of concepts pilots to demonstrate viability. “We’re looking for novel approaches that democratize data-driven insights to inform local, national, regional, and global policies and applications in agriculture and food security in real time...
The application for the mobile for humanitarian innovation fund for Round 2 opened on the 16th of July 2018 and will close on the 10th of August 2018. Eligible e-Agriculture CoP members are encouraged to apply. The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund aims to promote innovation in the use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges. The fundings will test new technical solutions, catalyse ideas to improve or transform institutional systems and to empower and assist individuals and communities affected by complex emergencies...
