role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Role of ICTs as enablers foragriculture and small-scale farmers
Roxanna SamiiInternational Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
WCCA/IAALD/AFITA joint conference24-27 August 2008
![Page 2: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development
• International financial institution• Specialized United Nations agencies• Dedicated exclusively to rural poverty and agriculture• Mission and mandate:
Enabling poor rural people to overcome poverty
![Page 3: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Agriculture: engine of growth
• Agriculture is a source of livelihoods for 86% of rural people
• Agriculture provides 1.3 billion jobs for small-scale farmers and landless workers
• GDP growth generated by agriculture is 2-4 times more effective than growth in other sectors
• More than 80% of decline in worldwide rural poverty from 1993-2002 was thanks to agriculture
• Majority of poor people will live in rural areas until 2040
![Page 4: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Empowering poor rural people
• IFAD empowers poor rural men and women by ensuring they have better access to:
- natural resources- improved agricultural
technologies and effective production services
- financial services- markets- rural off-farm employment
and enterprise development
- local and national policy and programming processes
![Page 5: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Small-scale farmers: Future of agriculture
• Improve price incentives• More public investment• Better markets• Improve access to
financial services• Enhance performance of
producer organizations• Innovation through
science and technology
![Page 6: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Characteristic of ICTs serving small-scale farmers
• Affordable• Scalable• Self-sustaining• Sensible• Participatory• Appropriate
![Page 7: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Magic formula
• FOCUS on PEOPLE, not technology
• Ensure ownership and appropriation
• Develop local content• Ensure language and
cultural pertinence• Ensure participation
![Page 8: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
ICTs and small-scale farmers
• Increase in GDP• Access to information• Competition• Blending of old and new
ICTs
![Page 9: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
First Mile project: An attempt to link small-scale farmers, traders, processors to the market• Link small producers, processors,
traders and others in the market chain and help them to:
- communicate better- form partnerships- learn from each other
• Challenges:- Lack of access to relevant
information and ICT- Lack of ready access to key
players in the market chain (processor, traders and consumers)
![Page 10: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
First Mile Project: The approach
• Focus on PEOPLE and social aspects
• Focus on CONTENT and APPROPRIATE technology
• Blend old and new technology
![Page 11: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
The First Mile Project: The impact
• Farmers create and use local demand-driven content
• Farmers empowered to sell products to best buyer
• Access to time-sensitive information
• Blending of ICTs can help gain and disseminate market intelligence
• Increase in income from 6 million to 23.4 million shilling
• Farmers are knowledge brokers and innovative
![Page 12: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
First Mile Project: The lessons
• Build collaboration before infrastructure
• Blend the old and new ICTs• When local innovation drives
technology, it also drives change• Local knowledge is relevant
knowledge
![Page 13: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
What is holding up adoption of ICTs in agriculture?
• Lack of understanding and awareness of the needs and challenges of small-scale farmers
• Failure to use participatory approaches • Lack of systematic inclusion of ICTs in
national poverty reduction strategy• Building the capacity of communities and
local organizations to lead and own the process of appropriation
• Fragmented coordination among donors• Convergence of old and new technology to
create a three-tier system: public, commercial and community
![Page 14: Role of icts as enabler for agriculture and small scale farmers](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061220/54bc42734a79591f0b8b456d/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Thank you
• www.ifad.org• www.ifad.org/rural/firstmile• www.ruralpovertyportal.org
www.linkinglearners.net