The latest edition of SPORE magazine focuses on COP23 , however it has an article focusing on precision agriculture entitled, ‘Precision agriculture: A smart farming approach to agriculture’. The ability to use smart technologies could make today’s farmers manage their farming practices remotely. For this to happen these technology need access to data usually collected by satellites and drones. The ability of implementing sensors in the field, on animals and in the soil which transmit real time data allows for cost-effective and accurate means to predict and protect the growth of agricultural...
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has released the " Measuring the Information Society Report 2017 ". This report was launched during the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS) 2017 , in Hammamet, Tunisia. According to ITU, the Measuring the Information Society Report 2017 is a flagship publication widely recognized as the key reference point for the world's most reliable and impartial global data and analysis on the state of global ICT development. Brief notes on the Measuring the Information Society Report 2017 Abstract (as published in the official website)...
The regional forum on e-agriculture for Central and South-East Europe began on the 13th of November 2017. The forum is themed, “ Precise and integrated response for sustainable farming and inclusive food systems ” is being held in Novi Sad, Serbia. The agenda of the event is available here , and is comprised of an opening ceremony, high-level roundtable discussions and parallel sessions. Some of the themes to be discussed, Sustainable intensification of agricultural production ICTs assisted Food Systems ICT assisted Climate Smart Agriculture Empowerment of smallholders and family farmers...
The CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas team won US$100,000 grant to refine a mobile application that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose crop diseases . This new app will attempt to solve the problem of pests and diseases that be face farmers with small holder farmers hardly hit. Its estimated that every year pests and diseases costs billions of dollars to potential agricultural economy as they damage agricultural outputs such as crops, livestock and fish harvests. Technology plays a big role in warning the communities of possible outbreaks and also as a monitoring tool...
Africa’s economy is based largely agriculture and most of them being smallholder farmers. One of the challenges these family farmers face is access to weather information and forecasting services. Lack of access to relevant weather information is due to lack of access of weather source information, dilapidated weather stations that fail to accurately provide reliable weather data, amongst many other reasons. Kukua is an initiative whose vision is to close Africa’s weather information gap by providing new weather station technology and improved weather forecast accuracy. Kukua seeks to...
On the 24th of November GFAR (Global Forum on Agricultural Research) has convened a syposium on farmers' rights and access to data in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event is co-funded by GODAN and CTA and organized by ITOCA . In order to learn more about the event or to register for the event, click here . During the symposium different angels of data access and data ownership will be adressed, specifically focussing on smallholder farmers. The fulll programme of the day is not yet available, but the announcement of the symposium gives us already a previeuw of some of the keynote speakers:...
Do you have a good and promising practices in agriculture? And you are in the Europe and Central Asia region? Then why not submit your good and promising practice before the 30th of November 2017. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the e-Agriculture Community of Practice (CoP) are launching a call for good and promising practices on the use of ICTs for Agriculture in the region of Europe and Central Asia. The call aims at collecting lessons learned and recommendations of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), also called digital technologies, for...
" ICT-centric economic growth, innovation and job creation ", is the title of a book written by leading scholars and experts. The book's objective is to address the challenges and opportunities offered by ICTs in the areas of innovation, governance, education, job creation and economic growth. The book is written against the background of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the book recognizes that ICTs are permeating all aspects of the global economy and society. This book was launched at the Ministerial Roundtable on ICT4SDG organized to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the ITU...
The role of the mobile phone in accelerating Africa’s social and economic development was reflectedby the UCT Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture , titled “ ICTs for development: the good intentions of the mobile phone ”. This lecture was delivered by Professor Rivett is the first woman to be appointed as a full professor at her department. While this address was academic, it provides an insight into the history and uptake of technology within the development and in the African context, in various fields. Some key excepts from the lecture :- “ One of the things the mobile phone allowed for...
Drones can have multiple uses in agriculture, from mapping to spraying. Here is a short list of how can drones help in agriculture. Precision agriculture uses information technology to ensure that the crops and soil receive exactly what they need for optimum health and productivity. Drones are an essential tool in precision agriculture, as they allow farmers to constantly monitor crop and livestock conditions by air. Mapping : With new drone models, the user only needs to draw around the area he needs to cover as drones come equipped with flight planning software allowing it to follow an...
