E-Agriculture

Applied ICTs News and Events

  • Drones and Fly week

    International Data Week (IDW) will be co-located with SciDataCon, CODATA and Research Data Alliance’s (RDA) 12th Plenary in Gaborone, Botswana, November 5-8, 2018. IDW is set to be a unique gathering of data professionals from all corners of the earth. Since many have begun to use drones/RPAS/sUAS1...
    Botswana, Gaborone

  • Funding call : Development Innovation ventures

    Do you have an idea that can solve peoples’ problems, such as end hunger, malnutrition and poverty eradication? Are you willing to transform those bright ideas into global solutions? If yes, the opportunity has arisen with the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), the USAID’s open innovation program that tests and scales creative solutions to any global development challenge. DIV recognized that innovative solutions come in many forms - whether a product, technology, service, or application of a creative business and delivery model. DIV is an open door to USAID - anyone, anywhere can apply...

  • Call for Proposals: Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth

    The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Dutch Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies, and the International Labour Organization ( ILO) have launched a call for concept notes for research to boost decent employment for young African men and women. The call supports action-oriented research that will help design effective and innovative interventions to develop soft skills and digital skills among youth and offer apprenticeships and mentorships in Africa. Nested within the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, the call aims to provide key insights,...

  • Funding sources for ICT4D Research

    The UNESCO Chair in ICT4D has published a page that provides a catalog of funding for ICT4D research. This page comes in handy as funding information is haphazardly littered on newsletters, funders’ websites, social media and many other diverse sources. Once can constantly check their page and also contact them for additions. For our e-Agriculture community, we reproduce the list below (we are however not responsible for the up datedness of the information) UK funding agencies EPSRC (physical sciences) – current funding calls Cross-ICT priorities 2017-20 ICT strategy ICT theme ESRC (social...

  • ICT Update focuses on Blockchain applications for Agriculture

    Blockchain or distributed ledger technologies are relatively new technologies and have been adopted in a number of sectors. The recent ICT update explains what blockchains are and their applications in agriculture. The most appealing aspect of this technology is its focus on trust, transparency of transactions, immutability and incorruptibility of transactions, low operating and transactional costs and distributed governance in a large network. In light of these reasons, one of the article cites the following applications in agriculture Value Chain Blockchains can allow consumers to track and...

  • In-house collaboration to increase access to market prices and climate risk information for small potato farmers in Rwanda through ICTs

    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...

  • Can Bitcoin technology help farmers get a better deal?

    BBC news reports that digital technology from apps to blockchain technology are opening new ways for farmers and smallholders to new ways of doing business. The featured article focuses on one farmer, Take Muhammed Adams who is a cocoa farmer attested that technology run by commodities giant Olam has helped him improve his productivity and pest management. The case of Olam is previewed as an avenue for digital initiatives used in agriculture, and they have done so for the past 18 months. Olam apps allow farm products to be tracked from the farm to the markets and allows farmers to check cocoa...

  • The Digital Innovation to Tackle Climate Change project

    The Digital Innovation to Tackle Climate Change Project was initiated in Senegal and Rwanda in December 2017 after the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This MoU seeks to strengthen cooperation between the two entities and tostrengthen cooperation to respond to climate change and variability. The project is led by the Digital Innovation Unit at FAO. Through this project, FAO and WMO are joining forces: To enhance capacity for the countries to provide meteorological and...

  • Invitation to the ‘Youth Employment in Africa as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa’

    The e-Agriculture Community is invited to participate to the ‘ Youth Employment in Africa as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa ’ online discussion hosted on FSN Forum Africa. Members in Africa and/or who work or are knowledgeable to the issues under debate are welcome to participate. The discussion is part of the conference " Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa: Engaging through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship ". This online discussion is held to collect views around the three...

  • Applications for "Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund" open

    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...