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Transforming the agriculture sector through ICT

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in Ghana and the Government of Ghana have launched a new project to enhance e-agriculture structures and mechanisms for extension, surveillance and early warnings in Ghana.

The modernization of Agriculture in Ghana holds great potentials in transforming the rural poor into a sustained economic growth pathway. Connecting farmers to financial institutions, knowledge banks, networks and other allied institutions via innovative technologies including Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will sustainably catalyze their productivity and profitability while ensuring food security and creating employment opportunities substantially.

The emerging e-agriculture systems in Ghana harbours many identifiable actors within the public and private sectors. Though Ghana is still at its teething stage in using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to modernize agriculture, bold steps have been taken in rolling out several innovative initiatives in using ICT to promote agriculture to make it attractive to the youth.

. The project, therefore, aims at bringing together all sector players working in silos in providing digitized solutions to farmers, fishers, foresters and animal husbandry to realize potential synergies, avoid duplication of interventions and increase the cost-effectiveness of their services and support.

Speaking at the inception workshop of the project in Kumasi, the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Nana Agyemang Prempeh reiterated that farmers reliance on outdated methods leads to inefficient flow of both advisory services and early warning information.

The low extension officer to farmer ratio which currently stands at one officer to over 750 farmers, and the weakness in formulating targeted early warning messages to farmers on weather patterns, pest and insect infestation, floods, bush fires, tidal waves, activities of herdsmen on croplands etc. influence negatively the response actions to safeguard farmers productivity and ensure profitability, food security and sustenance of livelihoods. 

The Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) contributes directly to the FAO, Government of Ghana jointly developed Country Programming Framework (CPF); said the Officer in Charge of the FAO’s representation in Ghana Ndiaga Gueye. “It also contributes to Government’s priority on modernization of agriculture through the use of ICT for an efficient institutionalized digitized system that drives the entire sector”. He added.

This TCP also aims at strengthening Ghana’s e-agriculture system or platform to allow digital and online applications to be harnessed in a seamless pattern that drives the efficiency and profitability of all stakeholders including informal players.

FAO/e-agriculture  

E-Agriculture is a global community of practice that facilitates dialogue, information exchange and sharing of ideas related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable agriculture and rural development.

FAO’s mission in e-Agriculture is to facilitate the discussion on the adoption and use of ICTs and digital innovations in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, natural resource management and rural development.

E-Agriculture was born out of Action Line C7 ICT Applications: e-agriculture from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO of the UN) was assigned as the facilitator of this action line and also took up the role of the facilitation of the e-Agriculture Community of Practice

FAO recognizes that many stakeholders in Ghana find existing e-agricultural services relevant to their work, and is working with partners to ensure a harmonized e-extension and e-services system in Ghana.