On the 25th of April 2018 the e-Agriculture team organized a webinar in partnership with Grameen Foundation on the FarmerLink in the Philippines: Digital Innovation for Agriculture . The webinar presented the strategy used to develop and deploy FarmerLink, and review results of an 18-month pilot implementation.You can watch the presentation here Grameen Foundation, in collaboration with the Philippine Coconut Authority, Franklin Baker, and People’s Bank of Caraga launched FarmerLink to increase farming households’ incomes and resilience by improving their productivity, providing them access...
This announcement is shared for informational purpose to the e-Agriculture Community as announced by CTA in dgroups . CTA is looking for articles for the forthcoming issue of ICT Update , which will deal with blockchain in agricultur e Blockchain can be defined as a digital ledger that allows storage and exchange of information in a decentralized, immutable, autonomous and trustworthy manner. It allows actors engaged in a transaction to quickly share information, which can include financial data, without a central authority. No single actor can damage the records. Blockchain technology is...
A review of research on how information services based on mobile phone technology can improve the lives of smallholder farmers has found only patchy evidence of success. The study conducted through an exploratory literature review focused on the impact of mobile phone-enabled services on farmers. They looked at 23 studies of such services in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The study was conducted against a commonly held notion that these services hold a promise for developing world farmers and that these mobile services can improve their yields. Mobile phone services for farmers covered...
Image credit: JavaCoin News A recent study on blockchain for Food and Agriculture by GODAN partners TNO and Wageningen UR explored the use of blockchain technology (BCT). The study was conducted amidst the growth of bitcon and other crypto currencies and their acceptance in many other fields. In comparison, blockchain technology is believed by some to have a much wider application also within food and agriculture. For example 'bitcoin-derived applications have improved mobile payments, and credit and supply chain transaction administration, blockchain in agriculture and food is believed to...
Many smallholder farmers in many part of Africa produce fruits and vegetables alongside their stable food – such as cereals, tubers and roots. Yet farmers are losing more than 50% of their crops due to lack of cold storage. The Food and Agriculture Organization the United Nations estimates that one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption (approx. 1.3 billion tonnes) gets lost or wasted. Therefore, there is a need for post-harvest handling facilities for both horticultural produces and also for cereals. For ten years, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu has been producing radio shows for...
This event is reported here as announced and their text re-used UNESCO is pleased to announce that it will partner with ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs, to organize Mobile Learning Week 2018 under the theme 'Skills for a connected world'. The event will examine how governments...
Most farmers in developing countries face the challenge of marketing their produce and most often meet the unpredictable market prices. How can technology help these farmers? We came across the innovative The Maano- Virtual Farmers’ Market (VFM) which is an app-based e-commerce platform designed with farmers needs in mind. This app is the product of World Food Programme’s Innovation Accelerator, an initiative to support potential innovative solutions to solve hunger. In this case, the VFM seeks to provide a transparent, open and trustworthy space for smallholder farmers and buyers to...
Farmerline is a social software company with the mission to transform millions of farmers into successful entrepreneurs. Farmerline connects farmers to markets, finance, weather forecast, new farming tips, inputs dealers and equipment services. Farmerline has an information service that sends SMS and voice messages on weather forecasts, market prices, new farming techniques, agrochemical applications, and finance directly to the mobile phones of farmers in local languages. Through their mobile phones, farmers can also connect to global markets and buy farm inpunts and services. Farmers using...
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has recently published the issue Number 186 of Spore magazine , which focuses on Big data and climate insurance: Redusing risks and maximizing revenues. Spore Magazine aims to give the reader a global perspective on agribusiness and agricultural development. The topics covered in this issue include the role of ICTs in enhancing agricultural productivity, creating jobs and increasing incomes for young farmers, and the role of ICTs in climate smart agriculture and early warning systems. The following articles are of interest:...
Esoko, the platform that sends market prices and agricultural tips to farmers will soon retire its brand. After having begun with professional tips sent to farmers through SMS, the Esoko team started to explore innovations on mobile finance for smallholder farmers. In November 2016, Esoko developed a mobile commerce platform that allows farmers to save and borrow toward the purchase of inputs and to sell their crops. Two very different products were now developed, and the team started to face the first challenges. "Our limited management resources were being stretched thin and neither...
This event is reported here as announced and their text re-used UNESCO is pleased to announce that it will partner with ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs, to organize Mobile Learning Week 2018 under the theme 'Skills for a connected world'. The event will examine how governments...