Final background report - e-agriculture strategies in ACP

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)

Background Report

on

e-Agriculture Policies and Strategies in ACP Countries

In preparation of the CTA’s 2013 ICT Observatory

Working document

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Report prepared by Benjamin Kwasi Addom, PhD

January 2013

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CTA’s ICT Observatory was set up in 1998 as an instrument to advise the institution and ACP

partners on ICT strategies and applications relevant to ACP countries ARD and to identify ICT

policy issues, experiences and projects. The Observatory has taken the form of a two to three

day expert meeting, delivering recommendations shared within CTA and with the wider public.

Since 1998, several themes have been discussed; among them are: Introduction of ICTs in

agricultural information systems (1998); Gender and agriculture in the information society

(2002); ICTs – transforming agricultural extension? (2003); “Giving Youth a Voice” – ICTs for

Rural Youth Livelihoods (2004); and the potential of mobile applications to deliver rural

information services (2010).

The 2013 ICT Observatory will review and discuss the needs, formulation processes, and

strategic actions to be put in place to strengthen the implementation of effective and inclusive

ICT for agriculture (e-agriculture) strategies in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

CTA Officer in charge: Ken Lohento, ICT4D Programme Coordinator

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not

necessarily represent the views of CTA.

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LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................. V

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................... VI

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 1

SECTION I: GENERAL INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 6

1.1 The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) .............................................. 6

1.2. Background to the study ..................................................................................................................... 6

1.3 The purpose and scope of the report ................................................................................................. 7

1.4 Methodology .......................................................................................................................................... 7

1.5 Organisation of the rest of the report ................................................................................................. 8

SECTION II: E-AGRICULTURE ................................................................................................... 9

2.1 Definition of e-Agriculture .................................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Historical evolution of the e-Agriculture movem ent ....................................................................... 10

2.3 The e-Agriculture community of expertise ....................................................................................... 11

2.4 Overview of international e-Agriculture applica tions & initiatives ................................................ 11

2.5 e-Agriculture applications in the absence of po licies or strategies .............................................. 12

SECTION III: E-AGRICULTURE POLICIES & STRATEGIES ............................................ 13

3.1 Overview of experiences by international organi sations ............................................................... 13

3.1.1 FAO .............................................................................................................................................................. 14

3.1.1.1 Experiences with e-Agriculture policies & strategies ............................................................................. 14

3.1.1.2 Perspectives on e-Agriculture policies & strategies ............................................................................... 14

3.1.2 IICD .............................................................................................................................................................. 15



3.1.3 UNECA ........................................................................................................................................................ 17

3.1.3.1 Experiences with e-Strategies ................................................................................................................ 17


3.2 National experiences with e-Agriculture policie s & strategies ...................................................... 20

3.2.1 RWANDA - Africa ....................................................................................................................................... 20

3.2.1.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Rwanda .................................................................................................... 20


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3.2.2 GHANA - Africa .......................................................................................................................................... 23

3.2.2.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Ghana ....................................................................................................... 23



3.2.3 IVORY COAST - Africa ............................................................................................................................. 25

3.2.3.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Ivory Coast ............................................................................................... 25



3.2.4 SAINT LUCIA - Caribbean ........................................................................................................................ 28

3.2.4.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Saint Lucia ................................................................................................ 28



3.2.5 FIJI - Pacific ................................................................................................................................................ 31

3.2.5.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Fiji ............................................................................................................. 31



3.2.6 INDIA - Asia ................................................................................................................................................ 32

3.2.6.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in India ......................................................................................................... 32



3.2.7 BANGLADESH - Asia ................................................................................................................................ 35

3.2.7.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Bangladesh ............................................................................................... 35



3.2.8 BOLIVIA – Latin America .......................................................................................................................... 37

SECTION IV: KEY FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUS ION...................... 40

4.1 Key Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 40

4.1.1 Experiences from international institutions ............................................................................................. 40

4.1.2 Experiences from country cases .............................................................................................................. 40

4.1.3 Issues and challenges ............................................................................................................................... 43

4.1.3.1 Stakeholder involvement and policy ownership .................................................................................... 43

4.1.3.2 Multi-stakeholder partnership for policy development process ........................................................... 43

4.1.3.3 Lack of understanding of the role and potential of ICT in agriculture ................................................... 44

4.1.3.4 Lack of interest in e-Agriculture policy in most countries ...................................................................... 44

4.1.3.5 Poor collaboration between the ministries in charge of ICTs and agriculture ....................................... 45

4.1.3.6 Institutional and political malfunctions ................................................................................................. 45

4.1.3.7 Regulatory issues ................................................................................................................................... 45

4.1.3.8 Other implementation challenges ......................................................................................................... 45

4.1.4 Key orientations and target areas ............................................................................................................ 45

4.1.5 Expected areas of support ........................................................................................................................ 46

4.2 Recommendations to CTA and allied stakeholders ........................................................................ 47

4.2.1 Include discussion of the report and the conclusions of the ICT Observatory in the WSIS forum in May 2013 ............................................................................................................................................................... 47

4.2.2 Case studies ............................................................................................................................................... 48

4.2.3 Identification of related policies within agriculture and information sectors ....................................... 48

4.2.4 Creation of e-Agriculture policy or strategy development task force and committees ..................... 48

4.2.5 National e-Agriculture policy or strategy toolkit...................................................................................... 49

4.2.6 Lessons from ICT strategies and other e-sectoral strategies .............................................................. 49

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4.2.7 Lessons from existing ICT projects should inform the policy development process ........................ 49

4.2.8 More emphasis should be directed at implementation and M&E stages ........................................... 50

4.2.9 Involve government officials from the outset .......................................................................................... 50

4.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 50

Endnotes .................................................................................................................................................... 53

List of Tables Table 1: Experiences of international organisations with e-Agriculture policies & strategies ..................................................................................................................................... 19

Table 2: Country experiences with e-Agriculture policies & strategies .............................. 39

Table 3: List of Respondents .................................................................................................... 52

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List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ACP………………………………………..…………………….Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific AISI……………………………………………………….African Information Society Initiative AMIS…………………………………………..Agricultural Management Information System ARD……………………………………….………………Agriculture and Rural Development CAADP………………………...Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program CGIAR………………………….Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CILS……………………………………………………………….Crop Import License System CPMMR………………………………….Crop Production Monitoring and Market Research CSO…………………………………………………………………Civil Society Organisations CTA…………………………..The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation DESA…………………………………………….Department of Economic and Social Affairs EAWG…………………………………………………………….e-Agriculture Working Group ECAMIC…………………………………..Eastern Corridor Agro-Market Information Center FAO………………………………………………………...Food and Agriculture Organization FASDEP…………………………………..Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy FIMS……………………………………………..Fisheries Information Management System FMIS…………………………………………………Forest Information Management System GAINS………………………………………Ghana Agricultural Information Network System GIS…………………………………………………………….Geographic Information System GFAR…………………………………………..……..Global Forum on Agricultural Research GTZ……………………………………….…..Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit IAALD……………………..International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists ICT………………………………………………Information and Communication Technology ICKM……………………………Information Communication and Knowledge Management ICT4AD……………………………………………………...ICT for Accelerated Development ICT4D………………………….Information Communication Technologies for Development IDRC…………………………………………….International Development Research Center IICA…………………………………..InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture IICD……………………………….International Communication and Development Institute IFAD…………………………………………International Fund for Agricultural Development ISPs…………………………………………………………………..Internet Service Providers ITU…………………………………………………….International Telecommunication Union LCQIS…………………………………Livestock and Crops Quarantine Information System LRD……………………………………………………………………Land Resources Division MAAR………………………………………….Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources MDGs…………………………………………………………..Millennium Development Goals METASIP…………………………………Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan MIS…………………………………………………………………Market Information Systems MISTOWA………Market Information Systems and Traders’ Organisations of West Africa MNOs………………………………………………………………..Mobile Network Operators MOFA…………………………………………………………Ministry of Food and Agriculture NIC………………………………………………………………….National Informatics Center NICI………………………………...National Information and Communication Infrastructure PDSIS…………………………………..Pest and Disease Surveillance Information System PMIS………………………………………….Production and Marketing Information System

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REDACI………………………National Agricultural Documentation Network of Ivory Coast SIMA……Système d’information sur les marchés agricoles/Agricultural Market Information System SIA…………………………Système d’information agricole/Agricultural Information System SLARIS………………………………….St. Lucia Agricultural Resource Information System UNECA…………………………………….United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNCTAD…………………………..United Nations Conference on Trade and Development USAID…………………………………United States Agency for International Development WHO…………………………………………………………………World Health Organization WRMIS…………………………………..Water Resource Management Information System WSIS……………………………………………….World Summit on the Information Society YPO……………………………………………………………Young Presidents’ Organisation

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Executive Summary

This background report reviews the general state of e-Agriculture policies and strategies1 in

selected ACP and non-ACP countries. It is a desk research that has been developed in

preparation for the 2013 ICT Observatory meeting and only aims at providing a quick overview

on the issue. The nature of the research and the limited timeframe did not allow for a detailed

analysis on the status of e-Agriculture strategy processes in the selected countries.

The report identifies some of the key challenges, target orientations, and key areas of support

for national e-Agriculture policies or strategies’ development as reported by the various

stakeholders. Consultations with stakeholders took place between October and December 2012

mainly through Skype and phone calls, and supplemented with email interviews and analysis of

policy documents. Below is a brief summary of the findings and recommendations. (Detailed

findings and recommendations of the study are presented in the body of the report).

I: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

A) Overview of national e-Agriculture policies and strategies: The results show that there

are initiatives (at various stages) in a few countries to develop such strategies or policies.

However, the consultation reveals that in most ACP countries, there was no interest or

understanding of the need for e-Agriculture strategies or policies even though the

importance of ICT in agriculture is generally recognized. Reports from some UN

organisations, such as ITU and UNECA, recognize little progress has been made on e-

Agriculture strategies, whereas e-strategies in other sectors such as governance and health

do exist. Below is the state of national e-Agriculture strategies or policies from countries

examined.

• Ghana (Africa): The Ghana ICTs in Agriculture Implementation Strategy was developed in

2005, certainly as a follow-up to ICT provisions in the 2003 national ICT for Accelerated

Development Policy document, and a draft report on Implementation Strategy and Action

Plans for Modernisation of Agriculture and Development of Agro-Business Industry in Ghana

was released in 2007 for review and implementation. It was not clear during the study

whether the plan has actually been implemented and evaluated.

• Ivory Coast (Africa): A recent development in Ivory Coast shows a joint effort by the

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Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Post, Information Technology and Communication

to develop a national e-Agriculture policy. According to a press release on the Ministries’

website, a national strategy document for “e.Agriculture” has been developed and is

currently with the Council of State for approval.

• Rwanda (Africa): Consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources

(MAAR) in Rwanda revealed current efforts in formulating a national strategy to integrate

ICTs into agriculture and natural resource management programs across the country. It is

being described as a “Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation”, with a key component

on the institutional development of an agricultural knowledge and management system.

• Mali and Burkina Faso: Through contacts made by CTA, it appears that UNECA has been

collaborating with these two countries to develop a cyber-strategy for agriculture or rural

development in 2011. (Note: Mali and Burkina Faso were not among the countries selected

for the study).

• Saint Lucia (Caribbean): In Saint Lucia, there is no evidence of efforts to develop a

national e-Agriculture policy or strategy. However, the study found that the country’s national

ICT policy document has recognised the role of ICTs in the development of the agricultural

sector, which is one of the pillars of its economy. The St. Lucia Agricultural Resource

Information System (SLARIS) therefore has specific target areas for integration of ICTs into

agriculture and rural development.

• Fiji (Pacific): No evidence was found in Fiji for the existence of a national e-Agriculture

policy or strategy. Analysis of the National IT Policy of Fiji shows no mention of the

agricultural sector. However, one of the goals of the 2011 National Broadband Policy for the

country is to develop lead applications in agriculture and fisheries to assist in efficient

production, marketing and logistics in the primary industries, including agriculture.

• India (Asia): In India, while it has not been specifically described as a national e-Agriculture

policy, there are efforts to create awareness about the need to develop a “National

Agricultural Informatics Framework”. Also, the country has a national ICT policy within which

agriculture is a key component; moreover, in the national agriculture policy, the role of ICTs

for extension and dissemination of agricultural information is well recognised.

• Bangladesh (Asia): Not much progress has been made in developing a national e-

Agriculture policy and a recent initiative between the private and public sectors to develop a

policy guideline for public-private interaction in the area of agriculture information

dissemination has been stalled due to political changes. The proposed national ICT policy of

the country, however, recognises the importance of ICTs in agriculture and has a

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comprehensive section devoted to the agricultural sector. Also, with the “Digital Bangladesh”

agenda of the current government, there is hope for such an initiative in the future.

• Bolivia (Latin America): In addition to the above selected countries, the study found that in

Bolivia, an “ICT Strategy for the Agriculture Sector” was developed with support from IICD in

2002. The current status of this document could not be identified.

B) Issues and challenges: Below are some general experiences shared by stakeholders that

can inform future initiatives aimed at supporting ACP countries in developing national e-

Agriculture policies or strategies.

• Policy ownership: Experiences in ICT policy and other sectoral policy development show

that national ownership is critical in the entire process. The involvement of international

organizations, if needed, should be limited to awareness creation, and technical and

financial support.

• Multi-stakeholder partnership: The study found that multi-stakeholder partnership involving

the public sector, the private sector, civil society and international organisations is needed

for successful policy development, implementation, and monitoring. With respect to the

national e-Agriculture policies or strategies, a strong collaboration between the two key

ministries – the ministry in charge of agriculture and the one in charge of ICTs - is critical at

the national level. Strong collaboration between ICT-focused and agriculture-focused

international organisations (ITU, UNECA, FAO, CTA, IICD, etc.) is also needed on this issue.

• Other challenges recalled by stakeholders include the general lack of interest or

understanding of e-Agriculture policies or strategies by many stakeholders at the national

level; the sheer lack of understanding of the role and potential of ICTs in agriculture, even at

the senior official level; issues with institutional and political structures; regulatory changes in

the absence of formal policies; poor collaboration between ministries in charge of ICTs and

agriculture; among others. Other implementation challenges mentioned by the respondents

include: scarcity of electricity supply; poor ICT infrastructure; low ICT literacy; lack of

relevant content; non-integration of services; lack of advisory services; issues of localisation

of ICTs; and resource mobilisation.

C) Orientations and target areas: Respondents also identified some key target areas expected

to be covered in their national e-Agriculture policies. These include: local content, weather

services, farm health management informatics, infrastructure and equipment, universal

access, training and capacity building, post-harvest management, forest management,

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general production system, marketing and market research, commodity specific focus such

as livestock, crops, fisheries etc., water resource management, R&D, and risk management.

D) Expected areas of support: Among the few areas identified for support is capacity building

for national actors in the entire policy development process. While some of the international

organisations argued that the financial cost should not exceed the capacity of the national

governments, national stakeholders did ask for budgetary support for policy development,

implementation, and monitoring.

II: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CTA AND ALLIED PARTNERS

The key recommendations made for CTA and other international organizations, to be

implemented in partnership when required, are introduced below and presented in the last

section of the report.

• Include discussion of the conclusion of this report and of the ICT Observatory

meeting in the WSIS forum in May 2013: It has been acknowledged during the

consultation that the issue of national e-Agriculture policies and strategies transcends the

boundaries of ACP countries. Since the concept of e-sector policies emerged out of WSIS

2003-2005, a first target for CTA could be to present the outcomes of this study and the

stakeholder consultation to be held later, for consideration by the global stakeholders at the

May 2013 WSIS forum.

• Commission a more detailed case study: It is also recommended that a broader survey

study (this can include a formal survey covering most ACP countries), and a more detailed

analysis of on-going processes in a few countries be undertaken.

• Create a global level task force and national level committees: It is recommended that a

global level task force and national level committees be created, in collaboration with other

regional bodies within the ACP and international institutions with interest in the sector. These

new global and national bodies shall consist of a network of policy experts from the

agricultural and ICT sectors and shall act as the backbone for developing, implementing and

evaluating the national e-Agriculture policies or strategies.

• Build a national e-Agriculture policy toolkit: This toolkit can take the form of a living and

interactive database with various components of e-policy, to enable countries to explore

options based on their specific situation. Lessons and best practices from other sectors such

as health, education and governance shall be utilised to understand the models,

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approaches, successes and failures, etc. in these sectors, to prevent repetition of the same

mistakes.

• Awareness creation and monitoring of the policy process at national level:

Campaigning and awareness creation should be undertaken by relevant actors to sensitise

stakeholders about the importance of e-Agriculture policies. In the process, more emphasis

shall be directed at implementation and M&E stages and senior government officials shall be

involved from the outset, to ensure a high level of political endorsement and a pledge for

future implementation of the policies.

• Ensure local leadership in the entire process: CTA and allied institutions may be

responsible for raising awareness and providing guidance, but acting upon these

recommendations may rest on the national governments. In doing so, national governments

may be encouraged to allocate the responsibility for e-Agriculture policy or strategy

development to a specific directorate, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, and then be

guided by the national e-Agriculture policy committee.

• Factor in the why, which, how, and what questions of e-Agriculture: The success of the

national e-Agriculture policies or strategies program in ACP countries will depend on the

demand for ICTs by actors within the agricultural value chain. This is very high at the

moment across the regions. Therefore in supporting ACP countries in e-Agriculture policy or

strategy development, CTA shall ensure the policies aim at addressing: why the

stakeholders should use ICTs; what kind of ICTs should be recommended for use; where

should ICTs be applied within the agricultural sector; and how should the ICTs be applied for

agriculture and rural development in these countries?

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Section I: General Introduction This introductory section gives a brief background to the Technical Centre for Agricultural and

Rural Cooperation (CTA), its role in supporting Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) and

Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) in Africa, Caribbean,

and Pacific (ACP) countries, the background to the study, the goal and scope of the report, the

method used to carry out the study, and the organisation of the remaining sections of the report.

1.1 The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)

CTA was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the ACP countries and

European Union (EU) member states. Since 2000 CTA has operated within the framework of

the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement with a mission to strengthen policy and institutional capacity

development and information and communication management capacities of ACP agricultural

and rural development organisations. It assists such organisations in formulating and

implementing policies and programs to reduce poverty, promote sustainable food security and

preserve the natural resource base, and thus contributes to building self-reliance in ACP rural

and agricultural development. One of the three goals of CTA’s new Strategic Plan 2011–2015,

adopted by CTA in 2011, is to support favorable agricultural policies in ACP regions.

1.2. Background to the study

In Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005, the UN General Assembly endorsed the World Summit on the

Information Society (WSIS) which encouraged governments, as part of the implementation of

the Tunis Agenda, to establish before 2010, “comprehensive, forward-looking and sustainable

national e-strategies, including ICT strategies and sectoral e-strategies, as an integral part of

national development plans and poverty reduction strategies” (Para. 85), in order to unleash the

full potential of ICT for development. Seven years after WSIS, little is known about e-Agriculture

policies or strategies. The WSIS Plan of Action (2005) called for measures to put in place

strategic actions on e-Agriculture.

The next CTA ICT Observatory meeting, being planned for 2013, will therefore discuss the need

and requirements for adopting and implementing adequate e-Agriculture policies or strategies in

ACP countries, and analyse their level of implementation, lessons learned, best practices, as

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well as ways to strengthen these processes. It will also provide further orientations to CTA (and

key partner organisations) for specific targeted actions, including the production of a reference

publication.

1.3 The purpose and scope of the report

The purpose of this background report is to serve as an introductory resource for the 2013 ICT

Observatory workshop as well as a background note for an e-discussion to be organised prior to

the workshop. The report gives a general overview of e-Agriculture, the historical evolution, and

the current state. It covers issues relating to experiences and perspectives from international

institutions supporting agriculture, rural development and ICTs for development and the

progress at national level from a number of ACP and non-ACP countries in visioning,

formulating, developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating e-Agriculture policies or

strategies. The report also outlines some of the key challenges either experienced or anticipated

with e-Agriculture policies or strategies, some target areas for integrating ICTs within the

national e-Agriculture policies, and some of the expected areas of support for the policy process

by the countries. It concludes with a number of recommendations for CTA and its partner

organisations for promoting e-Agriculture policies and strategies in both ACP countries.

1.4 Methodology

The study gathered broad experiences from across a number of ACP and non-ACP countries,

by comparing, analysing and identifying common and differing themes, concepts, issues and

lessons in the context of e-Agriculture strategies and policies. This was done in collaboration

with the CTA official in charge of this project as well as selected country representatives in

ICT4D and ARD sectors. Given the timing and budget constraints, the study focused on

gathering the experiences through three basic techniques: i) document review and analysis, ii)

email consultations, and iii) Skype and phone calls. In all, twelve (12) stakeholders were

consulted from the public sector, the private sector, and international organisations 2 .

Respondents came from the Ministries of Agriculture, Information, Communication, ICTs, and

other related sectors; and also geographically from ACP and non-ACP countries. Time

constraints and the unavailability of stakeholders did not permit the gathering of full details on

the achievements or future plans in the countries under discussion.

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1.5 Organisation of the rest of the report

The remainder of the report is organised in three further sections. Section II gives an overview

of the concept of e-Agriculture, the historical evolution of its international dynamics over the

years, the progress made through the e-Agriculture Community of Expertise, and some

examples of e-Agriculture applications across the world. The section concludes with comments

on the need for policies to guide the implementation of the applications. Section III then looks at

the issue of e-Agriculture policies and strategies through national, regional, and international

lenses. It covers experiences and perspectives from regional and international institutions in

supporting nations in formulating, implementing and evaluating sector policies, and the nature of

support given to the national governments. The section also presents experiences,

perspectives, key challenges in the policy process, key orientations in the policy documents,

and expected areas of support for e-Agriculture policy development from eight countries (5 ACP

and 3 non-ACP). The last section (Section IV) then gives a summary of the key findings from

the study, recommendations for action, and a conclusion.

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Section II: e-Agriculture This section gives an overview of the concept of e-Agriculture, its historical evolution over the

years, progress that have been made through the e-Agriculture Community of Expertise and

some experiences with e-Agriculture applications across the world. It concludes with the need

for policies to guide the implementation of the applications.

2.1 Definition of e-Agriculture

As with most contested terms, there seems to be no agreed definition for “e-Agriculture”. A 2006

survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations found

that half of those who replied identified “e-Agriculture” with information dissemination, access

and exchange, communication and participatory process improvements in rural development,

compared with less than a third that highlighted the importance of technical hardware and

technological tools.

FAO proposes a definition for “e-Agriculture” as:

An emerging field in the intersection of agricultural informatics, agricultural development and entrepreneurship, referring to agricultural services, technology dissemination, and information

delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies (The Food and Agriculture Organization)3.

But the concept of e-Agriculture goes beyond technology to embrace models that integrate

knowledge management practices aimed at improving communication and learning processes

among relevant actors in agriculture at different levels. It targets information access gaps

through effective dissemination techniques and tools between knowledge generators and users.

It emphasizes new and innovative communication technologies and the social media without

ignoring the traditional mass media such as radio and TV, and rural community telecentres. It

focuses on the enhancement of agriculture and rural development through improved information

and communication processes. It involves the conceptualisation, design, development,

evaluation and application of innovative ways to use ICTs in the rural domain, with a primary

focus on agriculture4. It is the use of ICTs to improve agriculture, food security, and rural

development5.

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2.2 Historical evolution of the e-Agriculture movem ent

The concept of e-Agriculture emerged out of WSIS in 2003/2005 when e-Agriculture was

identified as one of the key action lines to address the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Paragraph 21(a) of the WSIS Plan of Action C.7 ICT Applications, e-Agriculture called for

measures to ensure the systematic dissemination of information, using ICT, on agriculture,

animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and food, in order to provide ready access to

comprehensive, up-to-date and detailed knowledge and information, particularly in rural areas.

At the end of WSIS 2005, FAO was designated to lead the development and subsequent

facilitation of activities that would truly engage stakeholders at all levels. In June 2006, FAO

hosted the first workshop on e-Agriculture in Rome that brought together representatives of

leading development organisations involved in agriculture. This led to the creation of the e-

Agriculture Working Group (EAWG)6. The mandate of the EAWG includes the creation of multi-

stakeholder, people-centered, cross-sectoral platform(s) that will bring together stakeholders

representing relevant constituencies of e-Agriculture. The EAWG members decided that the

definition of e-Agriculture contained in the WSIS documentation on Action Line C.7 was

inadequate and required revision7 . The first major activity by the EAWG therefore was to

establish an initial engagement of stakeholders through an open survey on e-Agriculture, which

was implemented in October-November 2006. This led to the definition of e-Agriculture on the

previous page.

In September 2007, an “e-Agriculture Week” was held in Rome which highlighted the role of

information, communication and knowledge management in agriculture and rural development,

and allowed more than 300 participants to interact in discussions related to technologies, policy

and sharing of expertise. One of the highlights of the week was a conference on Web2ForDev:

Participatory Web for Development initiated by CTA and organised by FAO and a number of

collaborating organisations 8 . In December of the same year, the International Institute for

Communication and Development (IICD) and CTA announced a collaboration agreement in the

area of ICTs for agricultural and rural development. The agreement aimed at capacity building

of stakeholders in ACP countries, which was expected to take place through in-country training

events, as well as through the use of distance learning tools in order to increase the number of

people that could be trained.

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2.3 The e-Agriculture community of expertise

The e-Agriculture Community9 was also launched in September 2007 by a group that believes in

the potential of ICT to empower agricultural development and bridge the rural digital divide. The

e-Agriculture Community of Expertise is a global initiative to enhance sustainable agricultural

development and food security by helping stakeholders to share experiences and best practices

on information exchange, communication and the use of associated technologies in the sector.

The Community reinforces the value of global dialogue and cooperation to address emerging

issues around the role of ICT as an instrument of sustainable development. Today, the e-

Agriculture Community of Expertise is growing and supporting its members by sharing

experiences and best practices. According to the 5th Anniversary Newsletter published by the e-

Agriculture Community10, the Community has remained strong over the years, with members

sharing information and exchanging content. There are now over 490 resources in the

knowledge base, 1600 news items, 450 events and 97 blogs. Community members also interact

through the Community's social media channels: e-Agriculture has over 9,700 followers on

Twitter, more than 1,400 Facebook supporters and 1,200 LinkedIn contacts.

2.4 Overview of international e-Agriculture applica tions & initiatives

The history of ICTs in agriculture (e-Agriculture) dates back to the era of the use of radio for

dissemination of extension information to farmers. With the emergence of the new technologies

and social media, the need to deliver accurate and timely information to smallholder farmers has

rocketed. Globally, the proliferation of ICT applications across the agricultural value chain is

mind-boggling. e-Agriculture applications and initiatives such as OakMapper (North America),

Rural Universe Network (RUNetwork) (Africa), eRails (Africa), AGORA and TEEAL (LDCs) are

facilitating agricultural research and development. Access to inputs such as fertiliser, seeds and

insurance are also being facilitated by applications like E-Voucher (Zambia), the Agrian Mobile

Information Center (USA), and Kilimo Salama (Kenya). Other production applications being

used across the globe include Crop Calendar (FAO), iCow (Kenya), NEXT2 being piloted in

Kenya and Nigeria, and a host of traditional radio programs. For market information,

applications such as Agriculture Price Alert (North America), M-Farm (Kenya), Regional

Agriculture Trade Intelligence Network (RATIN) (East Africa) and the Africa Commodities and

Futures Exchange (ACFEX) (Africa) are all currently operating. There are also a host of

applications such as SourceTrace (USA), ScoringAg (Globally), Harvest Mark Food Traceability

(USA), and Reliable Information Tracking System (RITS) (Mexico) that are being used for

12

traceability and quality assurance in support of marketing. Meanwhile, applications such as

iFormBuilder (Globally), Mobenzi (South Africa), PoiMapper (Globally) and EpiSurveyor

(Globally) are being used to collect data for monitoring and evaluation.

2.5 e-Agriculture applications in the absence of po licies or strategies

While countries around the world have made significant progress in terms of national ICT policy

development and implementation, sector policies are generally still at the teething stage. As

noted above, e-Agriculture applications continue to multiply in the absence of sound policies,

strategies and plans to guide their development and implementation. While this lack of e-

Agriculture policies may not necessarily be an impediment to the current growth of ICT for

agriculture, the future presence of appropriate policies or strategies could help in a number of

ways. National e-Agriculture policies, for example, could help nations clearly argue their position

or stance on a number of challenges currently being experienced within the sector. Well-

developed policies may outline procedures for the implementation of ICT projects, operations of

service providers, enforceable or advisory guidelines by governments for users and

implementers, and the code of conduct for all actors.

The next section thus shares experiences and views from stakeholders with respect to e-

strategies in general, and specifically e-Agriculture policies and strategies, in some ACP and

non-ACP countries.

13

Section III: e-Agriculture Policies & Strategies In order to clearly present the current state of e-Agriculture policies and strategies, the

consultation included views, perspectives and experiences from other sector policy

developments. The findings presented here are therefore organised under two main sub-

sections. The first sub-section presents perspectives and experiences on e-Agriculture policies

and strategies from international institutions such as FAO, IICD, and UNECA that have been

involved in this area. The second sub-section presents national overviews drawn from selected

countries in the ACP and non-ACP regions.

3.1 Overview of experiences by international organi sations 11

The sectoral e-strategies are often national plans for the strategic application of ICT in specific

sectors of a country’s economy. These strategies, even though formulated and implemented at

national level, have strong links with the international community. The Tunis Agenda for the

Information Society encourages governments that have not yet done so to take appropriate

steps in developing sector strategies for their national development agenda.

Significant progress has been made in other sectors such as governance, business, health,

learning/education and science in formulating and implementing e-strategies. A recent report by

ITU on National e-Strategies for Development – Global Status and Perspectives12 cited the

progress made with the governance sector by India, Denmark, Abu Dhabi and Algeria in

developing comprehensive e-Government policies to modernise their administrative activities

through digitisation programs. Guyana acknowledges the role of electronic commerce in

facilitating a range of services such as legal, accounting, medical, educational, financial, data

processing, retailing and tourism in transforming its economy, and subsequently highlighted e-

Business in its national development strategy. Successful e-Health strategies have been seen in

Australia, Lithuania and Ghana. With support from the World Bank, Lithuania developed and

adopted an e-Health Strategy for 2005-2010 based on a modern, patient-centered and

comprehensive approach to telemedicine, clinical decision support, distance learning and

patient awareness. The ITU report13 has acknowledged the shortfalls in some other sectors,

including the agricultural sector, in developing national e-Agricultural strategies.

In a 2008 UNECA report that outlined trends and experiences in implementing WSIS outcomes

at regional level in Africa, ICT applications such as e-Government, e-Business, e-Health, e-

14

Learning and e-Science were covered14 . The report outlined successes made within other

sectors but did not mention any experience or progress with the agricultural sector. The next

sub-section thus presents specific experiences from international institutions working on ICTs

for development, policies, agriculture and rural development issues.

3.1.1 FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) is the lead agency for

the coordination of e-Agriculture initiatives at global level in the framework of the post-WSIS

process. Its consultation was therefore critical on this issue.

3.1.1.1 Experiences with e-Agriculture policies & strategies

It was observed during the consultation that the focus of FAO since WSIS has been more on

promoting ICT applications through the e-Agriculture Community of Expertise. Very little, if

anything, has been done in promoting and supporting the development of national e-Agriculture

policies or strategies. According to the FAO’s respondent, there is a range of national

agricultural policies and strategies that integrate the new communication tools to facilitate

access to agricultural information, just as most national ICT policies have components dealing

with application of ICTs for agriculture. The respondent cited specific initiatives, such as policies

that require the communication of outputs from research centres to farmers. In Ghana, for

example, FAO is working with the national research institutes to create a new national research

policy about the dissemination of information, and making certain types of data accessible to be

repackaged for mobile distribution. In this case, ICTs are key in supporting the dissemination of

agricultural information to users. Another example is where national policies require

telecommunication companies to provide a certain amount of coverage in rural areas, such as in

Thailand. The role of Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development

(CIARD), in utilising ICTs to make agricultural research information publicly available and

accessible to all, has also been mentioned. These specific policies, the respondent argued,

should be seen as part of an enabling environment for e-Agriculture at the national level.

3.1.1.2 Perspectives on e-Agriculture policies & strategies

The consultation with FAO revealed how important e-Agriculture policies and strategies could

be in the effective implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action on e-Agriculture. According to the

FAO respondent, experiences from the work of the e-Agriculture Community with other

15

stakeholders over the years have shown that there are major policy gaps and disconnects in the

area of e-Agriculture policies at global level. These policy gaps and other reasons might have

contributed to the absence or late adoption of national e-Agricultural policies and strategies. The

respondent believed that attacking the issue from a different angle might better help in

addressing it, and questioned whether focusing on developing and implementing national e-

Agriculture policies and strategies would provide a solution. There might, the respondent

argued, be several initiatives, strategies or plans at national level that aim at integrating ICTs

into agriculture without necessarily being labeled as e-Agriculture policy or strategy. It might

therefore be necessary at this time to focus on identifying these existing ICT and agricultural

policies at national level and try to piece them together, the respondent concluded.

3.1.2 IICD

As an international organisation, the International Institute for Communication and Development

(IICD) focuses on implementing programs as well as sector policy advice in developing

countries. In this capacity, IICD has been supporting countries in formulating and implementing

both national ICT policies and sector policies. The perspectives and experiences expressed in

this study therefore cut across sectors such as agriculture, health, education and governance.


The study found that IICD has supported countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Uganda

and Benin with e-policy development over the years. This was done in collaboration with

UNECA and the Canadian e-Policy Resource Centre (CePRC). From past experiences, IICD

places emphasis on the process rather than developing policy papers. Making the process a

priority helps in making an easy transition to implementation. The process involves identifying

the sectors prioritized by the countries. With cases that IICD has worked on so far in Africa, the

health, education and governance sectors, in addition to the general communication policies,

were in high demand. These activities were undertaken about four years ago (around 2008/09).

Within the agricultural sector, there was no outspoken need at the time for e-policy development by the countries (West African Regional Manager, IICD).

The process continues by involving multiple actors. While identifying actors for the policy

formulation, IICD ensures local ownership. The local ownership of the policy has been

determined as a key factor in the success of the policy process. In addition, the intentions

16

behind the policy development by the government and its partners are made clear to the

beneficiaries from the outset. IICD’s experience also shows that real demand on the side of the

government, and the commitment of ministers and deputies, etc. help the process to go beyond

formulation, to enforcement of the policy and the development of appropriate strategies for

implementation. The case of Bolivia described later in the report has been one of the successful

experiences by IICD in supporting e-Agriculture strategy development. Bolivia developed an ICT

strategy for the agriculture sector in 2002, with a focus on small-scale farmers and indigenous

groups.


Our consultation with IICD also confirms the need for national e-Agriculture policies, but the

question was whether the sector policies should inform the national policy or vice versa.

Respondents also believed that the ICT sector policies should be part of the national ICT policy

of the country but not a separate policy. This, they argued, will help with the management of

resources – budgeting, human resources, etc. Also, to efficiently manage the limited resources

at the disposal of these countries, the sector policies should be developed directly from the

sectors, when the need for update or review of existing policies becomes necessary.

Respondents from IICD also shared their perspectives on the various stages of policy

development process. It was argued that, before the implementation stage, it is critical for users

to acknowledge and understand the value of ICTs in facilitating their daily activities rather than

just having computers in the office. This calls for the need for training and capacity building at

the senior level in order to fully implement the policy. It also calls for the continuous professional

development of ministry staff, and sufficient resources to maintain equipment for effective use.

Another option would be to bring ministers and their deputies together, to provide the right

environment for these staff of the same calibre to be comfortable and learn the technology.

In Uganda, for example, staff of the ministries are brought together regularly to go through

professional training in the use of ICTs (East Africa Regional Manager, IICD).

Another experience acknowledged by IICD is that these policies must be forward looking to

keep up with the growth of new technologies, and must be flexible to accommodate future

adaptation and modification. Such sector policies should also aim at giving guidelines, rules and

principles as to how to use ICTs, but not be too specific with applications and platforms. While

17

IICD believes in the overarching experience of global knowledge exchange, it also values and

uses local, country-specific experience, knowing that infrastructure and facilities at national level

differ from country to country and even within a country.

3.1.3 UNECA

The mandate of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as a regional body

transcends a single sector and therefore the views and perspectives expressed here are not

limited to the agricultural sector. Also the perspectives expressed here resulted from our

consultation with a stakeholder from the ICT, Science and Technology Division of UNECA.

3.1.3.1 Experiences with e-Strategies

UNECA’s policy development process was guided by the National Information and

Communication Infrastructure (NICI) framework but also depends on requests from member

states. While ECA has focused over the years on national ICT policies and plans, national

governments identify key priority areas, usually referred to as pillars, such as infrastructure

development, human resource development, ICT for education, ICT for health, ICT for

agriculture, e-government, legal and regulatory issues, content development and e-applications

for further development. The e-sectoral policies and strategies therefore get their priority focus

during implementation, if identified as one of the pillars of the policy. Accordingly, several

countries have moved from policy formulation to implementation and started developing and

implementing e-strategies in sectors such as government services, education, health and

agriculture.

UNECA’s experience also covers multi-stakeholder consultations involving actors like

parliamentarians, academia, government agencies – ministries and state enterprises - NGOs,

private sector, telecom operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Chambers of Commerce

and Industry. Specific roles of each of these stakeholders are utilized during the policy

development, implementation and monitoring. For example, the public sector may take

responsibility for a right legal and regulatory framework, the private sector for investing in

innovative applications and solutions, and international organisations for technical and advisory

support, and strengthening institutional and human resource capacities.

18

It was identified through some contacts made by CTA that since 2011, UNECA has been

working with a few countries, such as Mali and Burkina Faso, to develop cyber-strategies for

agriculture or rural areas.


Given that ICT is a crosscutting sector, it is difficult to see the e-sector policies as ‘stand-alone’.

As such the e-sector policies and strategies need not be seen as ‘stand-alone’ if they have to be successfully implemented (ICT for Development Expert, UNECA).

Experiences from UNECA show that the ministry in charge of ICTs currently leads the e-sector

policies and strategies with support from the respective sector ministries. The perspective from

UNECA is that the ICT ministry should play a strong leadership role in the development of the

sector policies. This perspective, however, differs from some other respondents who see the

need for the agricultural sector to play the leadership role in the development of national e-

Agriculture policies or strategies. The expert also argued that these sectoral policies should not

stand alone but be components of the national ICT policies, as pointed out by IICD respondents.

Table 1 below summaries the key experiences and perspectives of the experts from the

international organisations consulted during the study.

19

Table 1: Experiences of international organisations with e-Agriculture policies & strategies

Institution Perspectives and views from experts consulted

Experiences

FAO i) Sees the need for national e-Agriculture policies. ii) But wonders whether they should be labeled as such. iii) Identify existing specific policies dealing with ICTs and agriculture and put them together.

i) Agriculture sector experience. ii) At the moment, has no record of “national e-Agriculture policy or strategy”. iii) Policy gaps at the global level in e-Agriculture, which might have contributed to the lack of the sectoral policies.

IICD i) Sees the need for national e-Agriculture policies. ii) The sector policies should be components of the national ICT policy. iii) Build capacity of government ministers to value the technology. iv) Regular capacity building of ministers is also a key factor to consider.

i) Cross-sectoral experience. ii) Places emphasis on process rather than end products. iii) Lack of interest in the agricultural sector from the national governments supported four years ago. iv) Multi-stakeholder involvement was key. v) Policy ownership by the countries drives implementation. vi) Local experience is essential to supplement global best practices. vii) Experience with Bolivia on developing an ICT strategy focused on agriculture

UNECA i) Sees the need for e-sector policies and cyber-strategies on agriculture. ii) But may be difficult to see e-sector policies as stand-alone. iii) ICT ministry should play the leadership role in the sector policy development.

i) Cross-sectoral experience. ii) Multi-stakeholder involvement is necessary. iii) Public sector for enabling environment, lead policy development, and infrastructure development. iv) Private sector for investment in innovative applications and support infrastructure development. vi) International organisations for capacity building, and strengthening institutional and human resources. v) Another source mentioned that UNECA is currently engaged in a few e-Agriculture strategy developments.

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3.2 National experiences with e-Agriculture policie s & strategies

The main component of this background report is to understand the current state of national e-

Agriculture policies and strategies in ACP countries. This sub-section presents the national

overview drawn from selected ACP countries (Rwanda, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Saint Lucia and

Fiji) and non-ACP countries (Bolivia, India and Bangladesh).

3.2.1 RWANDA - Africa

3.2.1.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Rwanda

The agricultural sector in Rwanda accounts for more than 90 percent of the labour force and

has been one of the core sectors contributing significantly in the last ten years to the country’s

economy15. According to the Government of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 document, agriculture was

the major engine of growth representing more than 45 percent of GDP until 2010, and

contributed 37.4 percent to GDP in 2011 16 . The agriculture policy under the Vision 2020

document notes the role of Science and Technology, including ICT, as one of the crosscutting

issues and stipulates the need to intensify and transform the sector’s subsistence status into a

productive, high value, market oriented sector, with forward linkages to other sectors.

In 2000, the Government of Rwanda (GoR) launched an ICT4D policy designed in four 5-year

phases. The first Phase, NICI I (NICI-2005 Plan) emphasised the creation of an enabling

environment by establishing an institutional framework for ICT policy, putting in place the

necessary legal and regulatory mechanism for effective implementation and coordination. The

NICI II (NICI-2010 Plan) focused on providing world-class communications infrastructure as a

backbone for current and future communications requirements with projects. The third phase

(NICI-2015), which focuses on service development and delivery where all institutions will work

together using the already existing infrastructure was launched in the middle of 2011.

Rwanda is poised for e-Agriculture with its success in creating the enabling environment and

building the necessary infrastructure. The Rwandans’ e-Soko project is an electronic platform

which provides farmers, consumers and traders with up-to-date market price information for

commodities, using mobile phones. The project, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry

of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MAAR), is a vital economic tool that increases access to

market information for farmers and consumers, thereby increasing efficiency and preventing

price gouging. Other e-Agriculture initiatives include the Agricultural Management Information

21

System (AMIS), and a land use management and information system, implemented to ensure

proper usage, planning and management of land.


Consultation with MAAR revealed that while the country has well developed national ICT and

agriculture policies, it is yet to develop a national e-Agriculture policy. The state of the e-

Agriculture policy in the country can therefore be described as being at the ‘formulation’ stage. It

is being led by the MAAR in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries

of Trade and Industry, Infrastructure, ICTs, Justice, Finance, and Natural Resources, and the

Private Sector Federation. At this stage, a strategic plan for agricultural transformation is being

developed, with key components on the institutional development of an agricultural knowledge

and management system. The policy will bring together e-Soko and other e-related applications

and systems already in place, to guide future implementation of ICTs for agriculture in the

country.

The following are some of the key challenges being anticipated in the national e-Agriculture

policy development process in Rwanda.

i) The level of farmers’ knowledge in ICTs: Even though the penetration of mobile phones has

had significant impact on access to information by farmers, it also has limitations due to the

inability of some users to access certain types of information. Farmers are yet to have a

good level of understanding of most of the ICT applications for agriculture.

ii) Lack of user-friendly applications: Most of the applications currently in the market have

limited use with the phones owned by the majority of the farmers. The smart phones and

tablets, which have capability of delivering more applications due to their advanced features,

are of a higher standard than used by most farmers.

iii) The high cost of the applications: While the private sector companies, mobile network

operators (MNOs), and Value Added Service (VAS) providers are ready to deliver their

services, the high cost is preventing the effective utilisation by most farmers.

iv) Disruptive characteristics of ICTs: It is also becoming more and more difficult to combine the

use of social media without interrupting work. The right policies must be in place to ensure

innovative use of the technologies without affecting productive work by staff.

22


Rwanda has recognised the need for national e-Agriculture policy and strategy, and efforts are

in place to ensure its development. According to the contact person, the MAAR is expected to

lead the process, with collaboration from other ministries.

The need for a national e-Agriculture policy was clearly stated as a key weakness in the country’s effort to integrate ICTs into agriculture when approached by the Comprehensive

African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) (Director General, Planning and Policy, MAAR).

Some of the challenges being experienced currently with ICT for agriculture applications in the

country have been attributed to the lack of e-Agriculture policy or strategy. The inability of policy

makers to effectively follow the market trends of agricultural products, lack of up-to-date

information to develop and build farming businesses for smallholders, and limited exploitation of

the potential of mobile technologies may be due to the absence of a national policy guiding the

implementation of the technologies.

Based on the national agricultural policy and the current potential of ICTs, some of the areas

deemed fit to be included in the national e-Agriculture policy are;

i) Production: Use ICTs in conducting: crop assessments; electronic data collection; monitoring

of veterinary services during vaccination; and mapping of activities and in making such

information available online for easy access.

ii) Risk management: Index-based insurance and other innovative applications will be explored

to mitigate risk associated with erratic weather and natural disasters.

iii) Post-harvest and marketing: Post-harvest produce management and related marketing

activities, such as monitoring market prices, dissemination of prices for farmers and traders,

and eventually the development of an Agricultural Commodity Exchange.

iv) Research and development (R&D): Integration of ICTs within the agricultural research

systems for researchers to utilise the technologies for innovative research.

v) Private sector federation: Public-private partnership will also be a key component of the

national e-Agriculture policy, through the engagement of the private sector federation in

Rwanda. The existing relationship with partners such as MicroEnsure and Syngenta will be

highlighted and strengthened.

23

3.2.2 GHANA - Africa

3.2.2.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Ghana

Agriculture still dominates Ghana’s economy, contributing about 35 percent to its GDP17. The

growth of the sector in the past two decades, with an annual growth of around five percent,

positions Ghana to become the first Sub-Saharan African country to achieve the first Millennium

Development Goal (MDG 1) of halving poverty before the target year, 2015. But agriculture in

Ghana remains highly dependent on rainfall, with less than three percent of total crop area

under irrigation, and is largely subsistence in nature. Access to modern technologies and

technical information, and application of proven research, innovations and agronomic practices

are still a challenge. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) through the Medium Term

Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP), is currently implementing the Food and

Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP II).

Ghana’s ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy, released in 2003, projects the

vision for Ghana in the information age and sets out a roadmap for the development of the

country’s information society and knowledge economy. The policy is aimed at “engineering an

ICT-led socio-economic development process with the potential to transform Ghana into a

middle income, information-rich, knowledge based, and technology driven economy18.” The

specific objectives of the policy include, among others, the improvement of agricultural efficiency

and productivity through an ICT-based modernisation of the sector. According to the policy

statement, ICT will be utilised to modernise the agricultural sector to substantially improve

agricultural value-added products and develop a dynamic and vibrant export-oriented agro-

business industry.

Ghana has a long history of ICT application within the agricultural innovation system. This dates

back to a USAID sponsored project, the Market Information Systems and Traders’

Organisations of West Africa (MISTOWA), a unique and exemplary partnership with the private

sector software company BusyLab, to develop a platform - “Tradenet” - which is now called

Esoko. Other e-Agriculture related applications include the Ghana Agricultural Information

Network System (GAINS); the Eastern Corridor Agro-Market Information Center (ECAMIC)

project; Farmerline; and CocoaLink.

24


As noted above, the role of ICTs in Ghana’s agriculture was given prominence in the national

ICT4AD policy document. ICTs are expected to be used to support various activities of the

agriculture sector, including:

i) Geographic information system (GIS) applications to monitor and support sustainable usage

of natural resources

ii) Food insecurity and vulnerability information

iii) Creating ICT awareness for all types of farmers

iv) An agriculture information system

v) Market research

vi) Linking farmers and farmers’ groups and associations

vii) Linking agricultural education, research and development, farming, agro-industry and

marketing

viii) Improving research competency and promoting the application and transfer of new

technologies

ix) Creation of agricultural export production villages

x) Improving rural infrastructure development and encouraging irrigated farming

xi) Supporting the private sector to add value to traditional crops while strengthening the

production of non-traditional export commodities (Ghana ICT4AD Policy Document 2003).

To ensure the implementation of the above, the “Ghana ICTs in Agriculture Implementation

Strategy” document was developed in 2005, and a draft report on “Implementation Strategy and

Action Plans for Modernisation of Agriculture and Development of Agro-Business Industry in

Ghana” was developed in 2007. This current draft plan of action has the following five target

areas:

i) Apply ICTs for development of effective agricultural production systems, such as improving

rural infrastructure, identifying and addressing land ownership and tenure issues, improving

research competence to promote the application and transfer of new technologies,

strengthening research-extension-farmer linkages, developing new agricultural non-

traditional export products, encouraging the production of cash crops such as cashew, and

encouraging mechanised and modernised large-scale plantations.

ii) Applying ICT to facilitate capacity building in agriculture by strengthening and revitalising

agriculture extension services to farmers, establishing clear forward and backward linkages

between agricultural education and research and development, and removing inequalities to

25

enhance women’s access to modern technologies.

iii) Use of ICTs to promote processing, preservation and storage of agricultural products

thereby ensuring reduction of pre- and post-harvest losses in agricultural production, and

supporting the private sector to add value to traditional crops such as cocoa.

iv) Applying ICTs to develop information systems for increased agricultural productivity through

the development and application of GIS, developing food insecurity and vulnerability

information mapping systems, linking farmers and farmers’ groups to required resources and

services, and delivering real-time information to users.

v) Use of ICTs to develop effective marketing mechanisms for agricultural products to

encourage market research, promote the creation of agriculture export production villages

(EPVs), facilitate the commercialisation of the key sub-sectors of the agricultural sector and

industry to improve their competitiveness in external markets, and strengthen the production

of non-traditional export commodities to enhance the foreign exchange earnings of the

country.


Attempts to speak to some key stakeholders (including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and

the Ministry of Communication) to have details and perspectives on the draft document were not

very successful during the timeframe of the study. But the efforts made far back in 2005 to

develop such a strategy attest to the importance attached to e-Agriculture policy in Ghana’s

agricultural development agenda.

3.2.3 IVORY COAST - Africa

3.2.3.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Ivory Coast

Agriculture is the backbone of Ivory Coast’s economy, employing about 68 percent of the labour

force, and accounting for 28 percent of GDP, and 70 per cent of export earnings19. After the

post-election crisis in 2010, the country remains fragile and unstable. In spite of this, recent

studies show that for at least the next 15 years, the agricultural sector will remain the engine of

the economy. For example, cocoa reached its highest production ever with a record crop of 1.5

million tons, with rubber production rising to 230,000 tons, and palm oil production to 350,000

tons in 2011. However, Ivory Coast currently produces insufficient food to meet its domestic

needs, due to low productivity, high cost of inputs, considerable post-harvest losses, inadequate

use of modern farming techniques, and the ageing of coffee, cocoa and oil palm plantations.

26

These shortfalls of the agricultural sector and the potential of the new ICTs have led to the

commitment of the government to develop a modern and competitive agriculture by 2020. The

integration of ICTs into the agricultural sector is expected to be based on the National

Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) Plan, which was adopted in 2000 with the

involvement of national experts from the government, civil society, private sector, professional

organisations, and research and training institutions20. Focus areas identified by the plan include

agriculture and natural resources. But just as in other countries, coverage of agriculture in the

plan is limited. The government is therefore putting in place programs of capacity building that

will allow users to benefit in the implementation of projects to modernise the agricultural sector

through ICTs. The government believes that ICTs are essential tools to revitalise the agricultural

sector that has suffered from the lack of private sector investment and poor quality of

governance over the years.

Access to information within the agricultural sector in Ivory Coast has been the mandate of the

National Agricultural Documentation Network (REDACI). The collection and dissemination of

agricultural information has been done traditionally by REDACI, which plays the role of

depository of agricultural knowledge and references. In addition, the growth of the internet and

mobile technologies has led to various experimentations in using ICTs to increase access to

agricultural information. The National Association of Agricultural Producer Organisations of Ivory

Coast (ANOPACI) started using the Tradenet (now Esoko) mobile-based agricultural market

information exchange for individuals and businesses for distribution of market information. Other

applications include Frontline SMS (text messaging system, both inbound and outbound) for

sharing information on the world market for the cashew value chain, and Manobi (a market

information system with related agriculture information services).


With the on-going reconstruction processes taking place across the country, a national strategy

document for e-Agriculture was recently initiated through the collaboration between the Ministry

of Post, Information Technology and Communication, and the Ministry of Agriculture. In

November 2012, a three-day workshop was convened that brought together over 150 experts

from a number of sectors to validate the National Strategy Document for e.Agriculture.

Recommendations that emerged from the workshop include cheaper access to the internet and

27

ICT equipment, improving Ivory Coast’s National Agricultural Documentation Network

(REDACI), improving services for documentation of information in the Ministry of Agriculture, a

better legal framework, and a strong commitment from the State to provide financial resources

for the implementation of the document. The National Strategy Document for e.Agriculture is

expected to provide an agricultural information system that takes into account the real time

information of all actors. It will put in place tools to improve distribution of food products,

information platforms for scientific research stakeholders, systems of monitoring soil,

geographic information systems, and an internet portal of the agricultural world. It comprises

planning components for the implementation of an agricultural information system and the

establishment of mechanisms for strengthening capabilities of users.

The new document is currently with the Council of State for approval and implementation. The

national strategy document has a three-year duration and seven strategic directions, namely;

i) Infrastructure and equipment

ii) Agricultural Market Information System (SIMA)

iii) Agricultural Information System (SIA)

iv) Services and Applications

v) Capacity Building

vi) Legal Strategy

vii) Communication Strategy of the agricultural sector.

This progress in Ivory Coast shows the country’s realisation of the need for, and preparedness

to develop and implement, a national e-Agriculture strategy for the growth of the sector.


There was no successful consultation with stakeholders from Ivory Coast but the government

has the ambition of transforming the country within a decade into an economy that is based on

knowledge through a solid and sustainable deployment of ICTs. It is believed that ICT

permeates every sector of the economy, including agriculture, industry and services. The

government therefore intends to take advantage of its relatively strong, dynamic and intelligent

youth and make ICT a tool that contributes to economic development, beyond the traditional

aspect of communication to trade, train, purchase and sell. In order to extend ICT solutions to

remote populations that might not be profitable enough for private operators, a national

28

telecommunication fund was set up ten years ago through a two percent tax contribution from all

telecom operators.

3.2.4 SAINT LUCIA - Caribbean

3.2.4.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Saint Lucia

The agricultural sector plays a major role in the country’s economy, accounting for a significant

number of jobs, some 21 percent of employment, and contributing five to eight percent of the

GDP21. The primary commodity is banana, with other products of economic importance being

cocoa, coconut, citrus fruits and livestock. The production of bananas continues to fluctuate as a

result of climatic conditions and plant disease. Other challenges to food, agriculture and natural

resources management in St. Lucia include ways to transform risk averse, resource-deficient

farmers into efficient and competitive entrepreneurs; attracting young and appropriately skilled

technical and professional labour in the production and marketing of goods and services;

declining preferences in the traditional markets; and an increasing competition from an ever-

widening array of countries in the major export markets of Europe and the Americas.

Considering the above challenges, a national drive is underway to build a diversified agricultural

sector, with several initiatives to provide greater support to farmers and other workers in the

sector.

The National ICT Strategy (2010-2015) of St. Lucia outlines a plan of action to harness the skills

and creativity of its people through the potential of the new ICTs, to enable sustainable social

and economic development and to support the country’s national development agenda. The

plan is multi-sectoral and focuses on ways in which technology can be used for the

development and well-being of each sector.

Currently, GIS systems are being utilised for land planning and these systems are also being

enhanced in collaboration with utility and service providers. An Agricultural Information System

called SLARIS is currently being used by the Ministry to collect and provide statistical data.

Plans exist to extend the capabilities of SLARIS to include more modules and more robust

reporting capabilities to support decision-making and policy formulation. The information

provided by the system will assist farmers to be more consistent with their production methods

and techniques. Better information and record keeping will also allow St. Lucia to meet the

export requirements of international markets, further boosting of its export capabilities22.

29


The consultation on the subject in Saint Lucia took a regional approach since the contact person

found it easier to talk about the Caribbean region instead of one country. According to the

respondent, Saint Lucia’s experience may be able to represent the region since none of the

countries have made any significant progress in the development of a national e-Agriculture

policy. As discovered in Saint Lucia, most of the islands have agriculture as a core sector for

their economic development. With support from CTA, the International Development Research

Centre (IDRC) in Canada, and other regional bodies, ICTs have been part of the agricultural

sector for some years now. At the same time, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the

United Nations ICT Task Force also created the Digital Diaspora Network for the Caribbean

(DDN-C) as the culmination of the “Meeting on Bridging the Digital Divide for the Caribbean”.

The DDN-C proposed the creation of an ICT Steering Committee for the region and a 10-

component action plan, including an ICT policy framework for the Caribbean, and developing

agriculture with information23. Also a 2010 draft of the Regional Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) for Development Strategy for the region, more or less referred to as the

Regional Digital Development Strategy (RDDS), acknowledges the agricultural sector as one of

the key sectors for integrating ICTs for the development of the region24.

The national ICT strategy of Saint Lucia acknowledges the critical role information could play in

reviving the agricultural sector. The agricultural component within the national ICT strategy

requires the use of ICTs to enable effective and efficient supply chain management (from

production to sales and marketing) and thereby promote the economic viability and

sustainability of agriculture related activities. A robust and integrated Agricultural Information

System to promote diversification, better farm management and expanded export capabilities is

expected to be the bedrock of the strategy. The Agricultural Information and Integration

Program, involves greater access to information by the St. Lucian community to facilitate

sustainable development of the agricultural sector and to improve information flow among

agricultural agencies, supply chain partners and other stakeholders.

The St. Lucia Agricultural Resource Information System (SLARIS), which was established to

service the agricultural industry, will be strengthened through the following programs:

i) Forest Management Information System (FMIS) that supports the planning, implementation

30

and monitoring of multi-objective forest management activities.

ii) Production and Marketing Information System (PMIS) to collect prices of food crops,

livestock and livestock products, that would assist public officials with the monitoring of data

of the country’s main food crops.

iii) Livestock and Crops Quarantine Information System (LCQIS) to provide timely and accurate

information through the monitoring and surveillance of livestock and crops to address the

problems of weeds in crops and insects in animals.

iv) Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS) to enable data collection and analysis

necessary for creation of information to support management of fisheries.

v) Pest and Disease Surveillance Information System (PDSIS) to ensure monitoring of pests,

diseases and invasive species through surveillance, insecticide resistance management and

educational outreach.

vi) Water Resource Management Information System (WRMIS), web-enabled GIS applications

that allow users to access, integrate, query, and visualise multiple sets of data for water

resources information.

vii) Bio-diversity Clearing-House to contribute to the implementation of the Convention on

Biological Diversity through the promotion and facilitation of technical and scientific

cooperation.

viii) Crop Production Monitoring and Market Research (CPMMR) to facilitate data collection and

analysis for monitoring of production levels and farming techniques for producers to manage

their land and crop production more precisely.

ix) Crop Import License System (CILS) to enable the import and transit of agricultural products

to guard against the spread of damaging pests and diseases.

x) Training and Development Project to support training of all participants, within and external

to the public sector, to strengthen the information management capabilities of the central

ministry and other agencies and organisations.


The view from the respondent is that, even though taking a national approach to e-Agriculture

policy development in the region will be appropriate, it will be more suitable to take a regional

approach, based on the existing, regionally focused approach to policy development. In other

words, any support for e-Agriculture policy development should take a regional approach and

then inform the subsequent national policy development in each of the islands.

31

3.2.5 FIJI - Pacific

3.2.5.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Fiji

Agriculture is the mainstay of Fiji’s economy, contributing around 28 percent to total

employment in the formal sector, and directly and indirectly employs around 65 percent of the

total population25. In 2010, the sector contributed 8.2 percent of the nation’s GDP, with sugar

and subsistence farming dominating the sector’s contribution. Other major contributors to

exports in agriculture are fruits and vegetables, including taro, ginger, cassava and papaya.

Growth in the sector, however, has been variable. Key among the challenges includes the lack

of agricultural information being disseminated to needy farmers, and the reluctance of small-

scale farmers to commercialize production. Consequently, agricultural focus has now shifted

towards diversifying into high-value cash crops for the domestic and export market, according to

the Agriculture Strategic Development Plan 2010 – 2012.

The telecommunications system and its broadband capability in Fiji appear to be by far the best

in the Pacific Islands. Over 90 percent of households are estimated to have a radio and over

half the population has access to television. Mobile penetration is high with Vodafone, the

leading mobile company, having over 90 percent coverage, while Digicel has over 70 percent

coverage26. The traditional electronic media of radio and television still have greater than 80

percent coverage across the islands. The use of the internet is also increasing, with more and

more citizens accessing the net through their mobile phones. The Fiji Information Technology

Policy (2001-2011) has a vision of harnessing the country’s ideal geographic location,

competent workforce and world-class information technology infrastructure to promote its

international competitiveness and create a dynamic, vibrant and well-connected e-society27. The

document clearly identifies three key functionalities, namely e-Government, e-Business, and e-

Community.

In terms of e-Agriculture applications in Fiji, the Land Resources Division (LRD) of the

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with the United Nations Conference

on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is implementing a Market Information System (MIS) with

the Ministry of Primary Industries to improve the provision of quality market information to

stakeholders. Also, Digicel Fiji recently announced a partnership with F1 Mobile Solutions to

create a mobile-based 'buy and sell' platform called “Fiji Makete.” The application uses

32

unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology to send information between a

mobile phone and an application on the network28.


Attempts were made to consult with stakeholders from Fiji with no success. Also, analysis of the

National IT Policy of Fiji shows that it has no mention of the agricultural sector. However, one of

the goals of the 2011 National Broadband Policy for Fiji is the development of lead applications

in agriculture and fisheries to assist in efficient production, marketing and logistics associated

with the primary industries including agriculture29.


No specific view was gathered on the subject from Fiji but consultation within the regional

context shows the need for e-Agriculture policy or strategy at regional level, taking into

consideration the existing regional strategies.

3.2.6 INDIA - Asia

3.2.6.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in India

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy with about 65 percent of the population

depending directly on agriculture, which accounts for around 22 percent of GDP30 . Indian

agriculture is characterised by small and marginal operational holdings. About 85 percent of

total cultivated land is fragmented into plots of less than 10-hectares. Some of the challenges

being faced by Indian agriculture include extensive pressure on land due to urbanisation,

frequent failure and uneven distribution of rains, depletion of ground water due to over-

exploitation, declining nutrient status of soil and soil health due to intensive cultivation,

inadequate infrastructure, inadequate market support, weak linkages between farmers and R&D

institutions, inadequate post-harvest infrastructure, processing facilities, research and extension

support, paucity of resources for large investments with long gestation periods, ineffective pre-

harvest and post-harvest supply chain models, and inadequate ICT diffusion and infusion31.

These challenges are more than enough to trigger actions to explore ways of supporting

smallholder farmers across the country to improve their lives through quality agricultural

production.

33

The growth of the ICT sector in India has been very significant in the past decade, building

enormous confidence for itself in global markets. The country has emerged as one of the fastest

growing telecom markets in the world, with the second largest wireless network after China. The

total number of telephone subscribers in India has reached 944.81 million, with the total wireless

subscriber base standing at 913.49 million, and overall teledensity reaching 77.79 percent by

the end of July 201232. A recent National Policy on Information Technology 2012, approved by

the Cabinet, identifies the promotion of innovation and R&D in cutting edge technologies, and

the development of applications and solutions as critical. Some of the areas to be considered

are location based services, mobile value added services, cloud computing, social media and

utility models.

India has been one of the leading countries in articulating ways by which ICTs can support

agriculture and rural development. This could be due to the success achieved in the field of

information technology over the past decades and the principal role agriculture plays in the

country’s economy. However, the majority of smallholder farmers in Indian still suffer from lack

of timely access to agricultural information for production and marketing. Notwithstanding, many

ICT-based applications and platforms for agriculture such as Reuters Market Light (RML),

IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited), Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL), Lifelines,

Digital Green, e-Sagu, eArik, eKrishi, and aAqua (Almost All Questions Answered) have

emerged from India. Mobile applications, successful public-private partnership models, potent

business approaches, applications addressing the needs of social groups such as women and

youth, and specific applications for irrigation, weather, etc. are some of the examples of

progress made so far.


Consultations with stakeholders from India show that the country is yet to develop a national

strategy to guide the implementation of ICT for agriculture projects and programs. In the

absence of an official policy guiding the implementation of ICTs for agriculture, the Government

of India (GoI) has taken steps to provide the basic infrastructure in rural areas by ensuring that

all telecommunications network providers site their towers also in rural areas to achieve

universal coverage of mobile network. Secondly, a policy framework that ensures high speed

internet connectivity in rural areas is also in place. In achieving this, public-private partnership

has been emphasized in the past few years with various models being used for the application

34

of ICTs in agricultural extension and advisory services across several states. India has a

national ICT policy and agriculture is a key component, and within the national agriculture

policy, the role of ICTs for extension and dissemination of agricultural information is also

recognised. While it has not been specifically described as a national e-Agriculture policy, there

are efforts to create awareness about the need to develop a national agricultural informatics

framework.

The National Informatics Center (NIC) has taken the task of creating awareness about the need,

and has been promoting the concept in a number of national forums for some time now. NIC is

currently implementing the agricultural component within the National ICT policy. Some of the

key areas expected to be covered in the national e-Agriculture policy document are:

i) Local language: To ensure that farmers have the full benefit of the ICT applications, a local

language requirement for all ICT solutions shall be recommended and enforced.

ii) Weather services information: This is to ensure that farmers have accurate information on

the weather and climate to improve production.

iii) Farm health management informatics: This component will consider plant, animal, fisheries,

land and water quality management through the use of ICTs.

iv) Infrastructure: This will ensure that ICT infrastructure development will be tailored to meeting

the needs of smallholder farmers, so that even those in the remotest communities will have

access to up-to-date agricultural information.

v) Universal service and access: With the growth of end-user gadgets (mobile phone), the

policy will ensure that services such as the internet and mobile networks are available and

reliable for users. Creation of a comprehensive national database of farmers, with emails as

a form of identity numbers, can help in reaching out to them.

vi) Agricultural schools and polytechnics: In India, there are agricultural universities and

colleges that lack strong foundations, in terms of schools and polytechnics. The national e-

Agriculture policy will outline the role of strong educational foundations through the

establishment of these schools.

vii) Post-harvest management: The policy will also make provision for adequate transportation,

cold storage facilities, processing and marketing of agricultural products through the new

ICTs, to minimise post-harvest losses by farmers.

35


Consultation with the public and private sectors in India reveals the importance of e-Agriculture

policy or strategy for unimpeded growth of the sector. While actors think that the current

absence of e-Agriculture policy or strategy is not an impediment to the use of ICT for agricultural

development in India, they believe that future growth will depend on it. As a result, the

government has taken major steps to support awareness creation and formulation of a national

strategy for agricultural informatics. This is based on the fact that India has a myriad of ICT

applications for agriculture in place, as well as the infrastructure and the capability to develop

new and modern technologies. Hence, what is needed now is to develop an institutional charter

that brings farmers together with the government.

3.2.7 BANGLADESH - Asia

3.2.7.1 Overview of e-Agriculture in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, agriculture accounts for 48 percent of the actively employed labour force, 21

percent of GDP, and plays an integral part in the lives of the people. About 68 percent of women

are engaged in agriculture but are often not recognised as farmers. It is estimated that 10

percent of farmers in Bangladesh own 50 percent of the land and 60 percent of farmers are

functionally landless, depending on sharecropping land owned by landlords. According to the

World Bank, almost 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas and face key challenges

such as high levels of rural poverty, low agricultural productivity, poorly functioning input and

output markets, lack of enabling rural investment climate, weak rural institutions, and

vulnerability to natural disasters33.

Agriculture is one of the key strategic themes of the proposed 2008 National ICT Policy

document of Bangladesh. The theme aims at encouraging maximum utilisation of ICT services

nationwide to boost productivity of small, medium and micro enterprises and the agriculture

sector, and focus on innovation and competitiveness. This is expected to be achieved through

some of these activities:

i) Ensure dissemination and utilisation of the latest know-how and market information to

increase production capability and supply chain management of agriculture through ICT

applications.

ii) Develop Agriculture, Food and Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprise (SMME) related content

in Bangla.

36

iii) Establish Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) resource centres focused on agricultural

needs spanning relevant supply chains in the local context.

iv) Enhance the agricultural supply chain management system through business portals

accessible through various electronic channels.

v) Provide training of extension workers and farmers on updated technologies, credit schemes,

etc. using ICTs.

vi) Provide farmer literacy and education through distance learning, adjusted to the needs of

farmers, for production and the agro-processing industry.

vii) Provide up-to-date demand, supply and market rate information on agricultural produce at

market yards.

viii) Utilise GIS-based soil mapping systems to analyse detailed data to provide information

relating to crop suitability, land zoning, nutrient status and fertiliser dosage.

ix) Ensure timely access to livestock, poultry and fish disease diagnosis and prescriptions

through remote consultation.

x) Provide access to m-banking for farmers and agro-businesses.

xi) Develop internet and mobile-based trading platforms for agricultural produce for extended

supply chains34.

To this effect, the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) of the Ministry of Agriculture in

Bangladesh has undertaken an e-Government initiative to utilise the power of ICTs to develop

and disseminate critical agricultural market information to farmers, traders, government, policy

makers, development agencies and other stakeholders. The first phase of the program to

automate data entry at the district level, where market information of agricultural products is

collected from local markets, has been developed. The initiative also attempts to develop the

capacity of the DAM head office in Dhaka to consolidate and coordinate dissemination of the

information to government, farmers, and other stakeholders35. The consultation also revealed

that due to an election manifesto pledge concerning “Digital Bangladesh” by the current ruling

party, emphasis is being placed on public agencies to adopt ICT initiatives and a number of e-

Agriculture activities are being undertaken.


Consultation with stakeholders revealed that, based on a common understanding of the

problem, Katalyst (a private company) reached an agreement with Agriculture Information

Service (an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture) to work on developing a policy guideline

37

for public-private interaction in the area of agricultural information dissemination. Not much has

been achieved so far in the process. The challenge may be that despite the focus of Digital

Bangladesh, there is still a general lack of understanding of the role and potential of ICT in

agriculture, and therefore of the kind of regulatory role the government should play. On the other

hand, there is a little recognition from the public sector of the role and leverage that can be

gained by involving the private sector in the process.


The respondent from Bangladesh confirmed the need for a national e-Agriculture policy to guide

the implementation of e-Agriculture projects and programs. The need for a multi-stakeholder

partnership was also stressed to ensure scalable impact of the process. But at the same time,

the respondent called on international institutions to exercise caution when providing support to

developing nation governments. This, according to the respondent, will prevent distortion of the

market dynamics. It was also argued that while the ICT ministry may pursue the agenda of e-

policies, the Ministry of Agriculture should be the host location for such policy.

3.2.8 BOLIVIA 36 – Latin America

Bolivia seems to be one of the advanced cases of e-Agriculture strategy development. With

support from IICD, an ICT strategy for the agriculture sector in Bolivia was initiated in 2002 with

a focus on small-scale farmers and indigenous groups. There seem to be some challenges with

the implementation of the policy, based on the latest information from the IICD project site. But a

number of lessons have been learned through the project that may be useful in guiding the

process in ACP countries. These are:

• Participation at sector level: A multi-stakeholder approach that got a number of

stakeholders involved in identifying ICT problem areas and priorities, and participating in

information exchange in the sector.

• Ownership within the Ministry: An extensive capacity development program was

undertaken to allow the Ministry to take on a coordinating role. Hence, training of directors

and information officers at the Ministry was a core part of the process.

• External support: To gain long-term support for the Ministry in the policy process, local

expertise was obtained from Bolivian consultants, who possess knowledge of the sector and

38

have an extensive network of contacts at the Ministry, while IICD continued to give strategic

advice on both process (facilitation) and content (technical advice).

• A development-oriented ICT strategy: A direct link was made with overall sector policy;

the involvement of organisations working directly with farmers enabled the Ministry to pursue

a strategy that identified small farmers as the key target group.

• Coordination versus implementation: Coordination of information that has already been

collected, analysed and disseminated by experienced government-related institutions,

producer organisations and NGOs was thought to be more effective than developing new

software and large-scale systems.

• Sustainability: To ensure sustainability, emphasis was laid on coordinating existing

information sources; exploiting existing communication channels in the sector; and

collaborating with civil society and the private sector, for the costs of ICT to be shared

among the various stakeholders.

• Example for other sectors: Although the case of the agricultural sector has inspired policy-

makers in other sectors, the experience in education suggests that each sector requires its

own, tailor-made processes and approaches to ICT4D projects.

Table 2 below summarises the country experiences and perspectives on national e-Agriculture

policy and strategy development.

39

Table 2: Country experiences with e-Agriculture pol icies & strategies

Country Perspectives and views of experts consulted

Experiences

Rwanda i) Sees the need for national e-Agriculture policies. ii) Believes it should be led by the agricultural sector with collaboration with others.

i) Currently at the stage of formulating an e-Agriculture strategy. ii) The process is being led by the MAAR, in collaboration with other sectors.

Ghana i) Sees the need for national e-Agriculture policy. ii) The development is being led by a third party – CSIR - which has a mandate for both sectors.

i) Two draft strategy/plan documents were found. ii) It however may need review and evaluation. iii) The National ICT policy also identifies agriculture as one of its 14 pillars, with selected areas of focus.

Ivory Coast i) Based on the initiatives so far, the need for e-Agriculture policy is recognised.

i) The country seems to be in the process of validating an e-Agriculture strategy document; a meeting to that effect was held in November. ii) It is supposed to be under review for approval by the Council of State.

Mali and Burkina

Faso

It has been reported that cyber-strategies on e-Agriculture or on rural areas (including provisions for the agricultural sector) are being developed, through UNECA support, for these countries.

Saint Lucia Consultation from the region calls for a regional approach to policy development.

i) No draft e-Agriculture policy or strategy found. ii) The National ICT Policy recognises the role of ICTs in agricultural development.

Fiji i) No direct consultation was held with a representative from Fiji. ii) Consultation from the region calls for a regional approach to the policy development.

i) No draft e-Agriculture policy or strategy was found. ii) The National ICT Policy document identified has no component for agriculture iii) But the National Broadband Strategy identifies agricultural information services.

India i) Believes that the current absence of policies may not be an impediment. ii) But believes in the need for national e-Agriculture policies and strategies.

i) No draft e-Agriculture policy or strategy was found. ii) But certain policy decisions have been made to address problems in the industry. iii) The National Informatics Centre is spearheading the process at the moment (labeled as National Agricultural Information Framework).

Bangladesh i) Sees the need for national e-Agriculture policies and strategies. ii) Multi-stakeholder partnership will be necessary in the development and implementation.

i) No draft e-Agriculture policy or strategy was found. ii) The government has initiated the process for formulation of an e-Agriculture strategy. iii) The Digital Bangladesh agenda lays a strong foundation for the process. iv) A private sector company has been task to lead the process

40

Section IV: Key Findings, Recommendations & Conclusion

4.1 Key Findings

4.1.1 Experiences from international institutions

The results of the study show that while there are several initiatives and efforts to support the

integration of ICTs into the various specific agricultural domains, such as agriculture research or

extension, only very few efforts currently exist in promoting or supporting initiatives specifically

labeled as national “e-Agriculture policies or strategies”, as seen in other sectors such as health,

education, and governance. The expert consulted at the Food and Agriculture Organization

(FAO) of the United Nations, which is the lead agency promoting e-Agriculture, stated that the

organisation has not been engaged in any national e-Agriculture strategy or policy development

processes, which currently hardly exist. However, there are other types of strategies in the

Ministries of Agriculture or ICT that identify the role of ICTs in agriculture. Also, an ICT Officer

from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) acknowledged that the organisation

does not track national e-Agriculture strategies or policies, even though it does similar work for

e-Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Consultation with the International Institute for Communications and Development (IICD) shows

that, at the time of their activities on ICT policies, there was no ‘felt’ need expressed by the

countries themselves for the agricultural sector. The United Nations Economic Commission for

Africa (UNECA) also shared its experience in supporting African countries in the development of

their national ICT policies and some sector policies. Though agriculture was identified as a key

sector in most national ICT policies that the Commission supported, it had hardly been engaged

in e-Agriculture strategy development. It had, however, been in discussion with Mali and Burkina

Faso for the production of cyber-strategies for agriculture and rural development.

4.1.2 Experiences from country cases

The results of the study show a few e-Agriculture policies or strategies development initiatives

both in ACP and non-ACP countries. But the documents being developed are not always

labeled as “e-Agriculture strategy” or “e-Agriculture policy”, even though different agricultural

sub-sectors are covered. Below are some of the highlights from the country cases:

41

i) Ghana made attempts in 2005 and 2007/08 to develop ICT policy documents for the

agricultural sector. In 2005, the “Ghana ICTs in Agriculture Implementation Strategy”

document, which might be a follow-up to the ICT provisions made in the 2003 National ICT

for Accelerated Development Policy document was released. Also a draft report produced in

2007 dubbed “Implementation Strategy and Action Plans for Modernisation of Agriculture

and Development of Agro-Business Industry in Ghana” outlined a detailed approach for

integrating ICTs into Ghana’s agricultural development. It is still not clear whether an

implementation of the strategy has been undertaken and evaluated. The broad strategies

outlined in the 2007 draft document include applying ICTs a) for the development of

effective agricultural production systems, b) to facilitate capacity building in agriculture, c) to

promote processing, preservation and storage of agricultural products, d) to develop

information systems for increased agricultural productivity, and e) to develop effective

marketing mechanisms for agricultural products.

ii) In Ivory Coast, a recent development shows a joint effort by the Ministry of Agriculture, and

the Ministry of Post, Information Technology and Communication (MPITC) to develop a

national e-Agriculture policy. According to a press release on the MPITC’s website, a

national strategy document for e-Agriculture has been developed and is currently with the

Council of State for approval. The document, according to the report, has seven strategic

directions: a) Infrastructure and equipment, b) Agricultural Market Information System

(SIMA), c) Agricultural Information System (SIA), d) Services and Applications, e) Capacity

Building, f) Legal Strategy, and g) Communication Strategy of the agricultural sector.

Attempts to reach both ministries to get their perspectives on the next steps for the

document yielded no response.

iii) Consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MAAR) in Rwanda

revealed current efforts in formulating a national strategy to integrate ICTs into agricultural

and natural resource management programs across the country. It is being described as a

strategic plan for agricultural transformation, with key components on the institutional

development of an agricultural knowledge and management system. Anticipated target

areas include among others: a) crop and animal production, b) risk management, c) post-

harvest and marketing, d) research and development, and e) private sector federation.

iv) In Saint Lucia , the national ICT policy document has recognised the role of ICTs in the

42

development of the agricultural sector, which is one of the pillars of the country’s economy.

The St. Lucia Agricultural Resource Information System (SLARIS) has the following target

areas for integration of ICTs: a) Forest Information Management System (FIMS), b)

Production and Marketing Information System (PMIS), c) Livestock and Crops Quarantine

Information System (LCQIS), d) Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS), e) Pest

and Disease Surveillance Information System (PDSIS), f) Water Resource Management

Information System (WRMIS), g) Bio-diversity Clearing-House, h) Crop Production

Monitoring and Market Research (CPMMR), i) crop Import License System (CILS), and j)

Training and Development Project.

v) The analysis of the National IT Policy of Fiji shows no mention of the agricultural sector.

However, one of the goals of the 2011 National Broadband Policy for Fiji is for the

development of lead applications in agriculture and fisheries to assist in efficient production,

marketing and logistics associated with the primary industries, including agriculture. No

evidence was found on the existence of a national e-Agriculture policy or strategy document.

vi) Two key stakeholders from India, a non-ACP country that has made considerable progress

with e-Agriculture applications, were also consulted. India has a national ICT policy and

agriculture is a key component; also, within the national agriculture policy, the role of ICTs

for extension and dissemination of agricultural information is recognised. While it has not

been specifically described as a national e-Agriculture policy, there are efforts to create

awareness about the need to develop a national agricultural informatics framework. Some of

the target areas expected to be covered in the strategy include: a) Local Language, b)

Weather Services Information, c) Farm Health Management Informatics, d) Infrastructure, e)

Universal Access, f) Agricultural Schools and Polytechnics, and g) Post-harvest

Management.

vii) Not much progress has been made in developing a national e-Agriculture policy or strategy

in Bangladesh. A recent initiative led to collaboration between the private and public

sectors to develop a policy guideline for public-private interaction in the area of agricultural

information dissemination. This, however, has been stalled due to political changes. The

proposed national ICT policy of the country also recognises the importance of ICTs in

agriculture and has a comprehensive section devoted to the agricultural sector.

43

4.1.3 Issues and challenges

4.1.3.1 Stakeholder involvement and policy ownership

The experts consulted acknowledged that stakeholder involvement is critical in the entire

process of policy development. International organisations may lead with awareness creation

and the necessary support for the development of the policies. However, implementation of the

sector policies should be left for the national governments. According to the results of the study,

experiences from Africa indicate that some bilateral donors often end up dictating to the

countries after the policy development. Also:

When it comes to implementation, there is a limit for the external actors in influencing political decisions of countries if the countries themselves are not making effort to move forward (IICD,

East Africa Regional Manager).

This approach, the experts argued, need to change in order for national governments to claim

ownership of the policies.

4.1.3.2 Multi-stakeholder partnership for policy development process

Experiences from IICD and UNECA show that the close involvement of the private sector and

civil society in the policy development and implementation process is evidence of success in

many countries that they have supported. Farmer organisations’ full involvement is therefore

key. Experiences also revealed that, with respect to the national e-Agriculture policy and

strategy development, a strong collaboration between the two key ministries – the Ministry of

Agriculture, and the ministry in charge of ICTs - is needed. It was also recognized that the

relationship between telecommunications regulation, broadband strategies and agriculture, at

the global level, is weak. The following specific roles have been identified for each stakeholder

group:

i) Public Sector: The leadership of government ministries in policy development and also

during monitoring is essential for the success of the policy. Even though the private sector,

civil society and international organisations should be involved, national governments should

play a leading role at this stage. In India, the government leadership in instituting a 150

percent tax rebate to motivate private companies has led to greater investments in

agricultural extension.

ii) Private Sector (for example, purely commercial farm businesses or IT companies): The key

role of the private sector in the implementation of national e-Agriculture policies was also

identified. The private sector is able to work in collaboration with the public sector and other

stakeholders to scale up ICT for agriculture projects, from urban areas into rural areas.

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In many cases across Africa, governments have recognised the role of the private sector in implementing the national ICT policy objectives. Given the challenge of resource mobilisation,

the role of the private sector is of paramount importance in the entire process (ICT for Development Expert, UNECA).

The private sector is also equipped to contribute in terms of content development.

Experiences from private sector companies in India show the significant role that they can

play, especially in this age of mobile technology. It was assumed initially that there was

enough agricultural content in India and all that was needed was to design the mobile

technology and feed it with the content. But value added service providers later realised that

what was available was either out-dated or in a format that could not be used by the farmer.

So while the public sector research institutes produce white papers or journal articles, the

private sector can help in updating content and making it usable by the farmer.

iii) Civil society agricultural or ICT institutions also have an important role to play, for example in

helping to identify farmer issues to be taken into account, engaging in advocacy, promoting

the use of ICT for agriculture, etc.

iv) International Organisations: The key role of international organisations in capacity building

and technical support in collaboration with national governments and other stakeholders

was also recognised. A close collaboration between international organisations and the

respective national ministries will form the bedrock for future actions. The study found that

this link seems to be missing at the moment, and that when the two tracks work together on

policy and understand each other’s needs, effective policies may be created.

4.1.3.3 Lack of understanding of the role and potential of ICT in agriculture

Experience from most of the countries consulted shows that despite several initiatives and

applications of ICTs for agriculture, there is still a general lack of understanding of the role and

potential of the new technologies in agricultural development. This is a contributing factor to the

poor policy and regulatory guidelines for the sector. Once national governments recognise and

acknowledge the importance of the emerging technologies, steps will be taken to ensure

efficient, effective use of ICTs within agriculture programs.

4.1.3.4 Lack of interest in e-Agriculture policy in most countries

As shared by IICD, about four years ago, most of the countries consulted in Africa for support in

developing their e-sectoral policies did not prioritise the agricultural sector. Sectors such as

education and health were more important at the time and therefore selected for policy

development. This situation is gradually evolving but there is still a general lack of interest in

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having a holistic e-Agriculture strategy or policy, or a lack of interest in policy processes in

general, from some stakeholders.

4.1.3.5 Poor collaboration between the ministries in charge of ICTs and agriculture

ICTs are communication tools and therefore must be integrated into the various sectors for their

full benefits to be realised. The study, however, shows that in most countries, it has been a

challenge for the Ministries of Agriculture and Communications or ICTs to effectively collaborate

to implement these technologies.

4.1.3.6 Institutional and political malfunctions

In countries that have taken some steps in initiating the policy process, the usual changes in

political appointments at ministerial levels have been an impediment. Changes in governments

as well as movement of ministers from one ministry to another sometimes delay and affect

these policy processes. Also, there may be organisational issues which cause some ministries

and research institutes to be hesitant in contributing their quota to the policy development

process.

4.1.3.7 Regulatory issues

With the absence of national e-Agriculture policies in many countries, issues such as sending

excessive spam messages to farmers and traders has led to a ban on the use of mass

messages in India. In the process, mobile-based agricultural extension services were affected,

and SMS messaging rates charged by telecommunication companies increased. This ban and

the increases in rates were arbitrary and were not informed by any laid down rules. In ACP

countries, this kind of situation can affect the integration of ICTs into the agricultural sector.

4.1.3.8 Other implementation challenges

Some other challenges specific to the implementation of e-Agriculture projects mentioned during

the consultation include a) power non-availability, b) poor ICT infrastructure, c) low ICT literacy,

d) lack of relevant content, e) standardisation issues, f) non integration of services, g) non

availability of advisory services, h) issues of localisation of ICTs, i) resource mobilisation, and j)

expertise availability.

4.1.4 Key orientations and target areas

Below are some of the key orientations and target areas identified by respondents as well as

others mentioned in some of the policy documents:

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i) Local content: Encourage and promote the development and dissemination of local content,

improve the public’s access to content, and develop and implement appropriate applications

with bottom-up approaches and inclusiveness.

ii) Infrastructure, equipment and universal access: Promote ubiquitous access to information

and knowledge through universal access to reliable and advanced information infrastructure

and internet access services, at the lowest sustainable prices in all locations.

iii) Training, development and capacity building: Emphasize agricultural education and training

such as through agricultural schools and polytechnics that build the foundation for ICT-use

in agriculture, and continuous in-service training in ICTs.

iv) Risk management: Explore ways of using ICTs for risk management in areas such as

weather, fire, transport, supply chains and pricing, among others.

v) Marketing information: Utilise the new technologies for market research, market intelligence

and post-harvest management services such as processing, preservation and storage of

agricultural products.

vi) Production information: Encourage integration of ICTs into production activities such as pest

and disease surveillance, crop production monitoring, crop import license system and farm

health management informatics.

vii) Commodity specific: Target the use of ICTs in specific commodities such as livestock, crops,

fisheries, forestry, etc.

viii) Natural resource management: Promote the use of ICTs for natural resource management

including water resource management systems, bio-diversity clearing-houses, etc.

ix) Legal strategy: Include legislative and regulatory frameworks to support a robust ICT

infrastructure and foster utilisation of ICTs across the value chain.

x) Mobile banking services: Promote access to finance for agricultural inputs, marketing and

other subsidiary services that support farmers and their households through m-banking.

xi) Research and Development (R&D): Promote ways of integrating ICTs into agricultural

research and development to support the work of researchers and facilitate smooth flow of

research output into farming.

4.1.5 Expected areas of support

National stakeholders consulted were generally diplomatic in responding to the question as to

which areas they expected external support in the development of national e-Agriculture policies

and strategies. The view from international organisations shows that in general, the financial

47

cost should not be so much as to exceed the capacity of the countries once the awareness is

raised. Countries need to take the initiative after they become aware of the situation. However,

one major area mentioned by these institutions is capacity building for national actors in the

entire policy development process.

At national level, Rwanda specifically stated that while significant progress has been made in

terms of ICT applications for agriculture, with technical support through training and capacity

building by CTA, Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), IFAD, the World Bank, etc., the

country still anticipates future support with the formulation, implementation and M&E of its

national e-Agriculture policy. Also, the country is starting a new five-year strategy for the MAAR

and will welcome any kind of support from external institutions with expertise and capability in

these areas to help highlight the role of ICTs and identify any missing areas.

This is the right time to get some commitment from organisations like CTA to support the development of these national policies – not one stage but from where we are now through

implementation to M&E (Director General, Planning and Policy, MAAR).

4.2 Recommendations to CTA and allied stakeholders

With the above findings on the state of national e-Agriculture policy and strategy development,

the challenge now is how to design innovative strategies to guide efficient and effective

implementation of e-Agriculture projects. These strategies may attempt to establish certain

preconditions for ICT use in agriculture: provision of the necessary infrastructure; description of

e-services; conditions for affordable technological platforms; pathways for effective

dissemination of agricultural information; and tangible benefits of these technologies for the

users. Based on these, some of the recommendations for CTA and allied institutions (such as

FAO, UNECA, IICD, etc.) for supporting ACP countries include:

4.2.1 Include discussion of the report and the conc lusions of the ICT Observatory

in the WSIS forum in May 2013

It is observed that the subject under discussion is a global issue that transcends ACP regions. It

is therefore recommended that the conclusions of CTA-planned activities be included in the

WSIS 2013 deliberations. The annual WSIS forum represents the world’s largest annual

gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. This forum provides opportunities to network,

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learn, and participate in multi-stakeholder discussions and consultations on the WSIS

implementation. Since the concept of e-Agriculture policy emerged out of the first and second

phases of WSIS, it could be an appropriate platform for further discussion of the subject.

4.2.2 Case studies

It is recommended that CTA supports, with relevant partners as needed, a larger and more

comprehensive study on developing e-Agriculture policies and strategies in ACP countries. This

could take two approaches: i) a broader survey study that covers a good number of the ACP

countries to present the general status across the regions and for a general picture of each

country; and ii) a detailed consultation with at most 3 selected countries that have made

progress in the policy development process. The result of this study shall lead to the next

recommendation.

4.2.3 Identification of related policies within agr iculture and information sectors

In the absence of “national e-Agriculture policies or strategies” in most of these countries, it is

recommended that any step in supporting these countries in developing and implementing e-

Agriculture policies or strategies should begin with the identification of related existing

agriculture and ICT policies. In collaboration with the national stakeholders, the isolated but

related policies can be reviewed and mainstreamed into developing national e-Agriculture

policies or strategies. In addition to the existing policies at the national level in the ACP

countries, it is recommended that CTA and its allied partners look at the possibility of other

resources such as national e-readiness, e-science, and e-governance policies conducted by

ITU in other countries that impact the business sector of these countries, such as Estonia. It is

likely to discover some correlation between the level of development in a country’s e-readiness

policies and the nature of its agricultural sector.

4.2.4 Creation of e-Agriculture policy or strategy development task force and

committees

In collaboration with ITU, FAO, the World Bank, UNECA, IICD, some national governments, and

other regional bodies within the ACP regions, a global level task force may be created to

coordinate any activities that emerge from the case study. This may include a network of policy

experts from the agricultural and ICT sectors from ACP countries and the supporting institutions.

49

At the same time, national e-Agriculture policy committees may be initiated at the national level

to facilitate the formulation of e-strategies and the implementation of recommendations collected

from the various stakeholders.

4.2.5 National e-Agriculture policy or strategy too lkit

Toolkits have emerged in recent years within the ICT sector, such as telecommunication

regulation toolkits, and the broadband strategy development toolkit supported by InfoDev at the

World Bank. One of the specific goals for the proposed global task force could be the

development of a national level e-Agriculture policy or strategy toolkit. Such a toolkit could be

used by the national governments to support the formulation, development, implementation and

monitoring of their respective national e-Agriculture policies or strategies. This could be a living

database with various components of e-policy, which countries can explore based on their

specific situation. The toolkit, in the form of practical guidelines, will help drive country

processes in their efforts to develop these strategies.

4.2.6 Lessons from ICT strategies and other e-secto ral strategies

As revealed by the ITU report cited earlier in this document, progress has been made in other

sectors, such as health, education and governance, in the development and implementation of

national sector policies. Best practices from these sectors should be sought during the case

study. It is recommended that steps be taken to understand the models, approaches,

successes, failures, etc. in these sectors so that the same mistakes are not repeated within the

agricultural sector. In doing so, care must be taken to assess the extent to which these sectoral

e-strategies are rooted in their respective national ICT strategies. According to ITU, while

integrating ICT and sectoral e-strategies may not be an easy task due to the different

responsibilities of administration and the involvement of diverse stakeholder groups, countries

would benefit from ensuring policy coherence.

4.2.7 Lessons from existing ICT projects should inf orm the policy development

process

The study has confirmed the growth of ICT for agriculture applications in the past decade

without appropriate policies to guide their implementation. With the current interest in

developing national e-Agriculture policies and strategies, one of the steps to take will be to

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gather lessons, successes and failures from current and past projects. Experiences from FAO’s

e-Agriculture Community of Expertise could be the starting point for this, in order to reveal the

existing challenges brought up by ICT application developers, implementers, users and

sponsors in the field. ACP countries would benefit by compiling experiences and analysing the

performance of past and ongoing projects from which coherent, comprehensive and future-

oriented sectoral e-strategies could be formulated.

4.2.8 More emphasis should be directed at implement ation and M&E stages

It helps if there is a push from the top regarding such initiatives. For example in Bangladesh, other than the ICT ministry, there is also the Prime Minister’s office, whose activities promote

ICT through its Digital Bangladesh slogan. For developing countries, developing the policy is the easier part: implementing it remains the unaddressed challenge (Director, Services Group,

Katalyst, Bangladesh).

Experiences show that developing the policies for these countries may be the easiest part of the

entire process. Implementing and ensuring monitoring and evaluation in most cases remain the

unaddressed challenges. Hence any initiative on national e-Agriculture polices and strategies in

ACP countries should spend as much if not more time and resources on implementing and

monitoring as on designing.

4.2.9 Involve government officials from the outset

The example of Rwanda, where the country’s president is an ICT champion, attests to the fact

that success in the policy process depends on the buy-in from political leaders. It is therefore

essential to get a high political authority to endorse the process and pledge to implement the

policy from the start. In addition, middle management needs to be involved early and to be

convinced of the gains to be made by opening up the process. This will depend on the

necessary capacity development activities that make clear the relevance and value of the

technologies to their needs.

4.3 Conclusion

The ITU report on the status of national e-strategies has stated that several policy fields still

remain to be considered in ICT and sectoral e-strategies, including the agricultural sector. Our

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study confirms this lack of progress within the agricultural sector in terms of ICT policy

formulation and implementation, to guide the implementation of e-Agriculture applications and

projects. Challenges range from the policy gaps at the level of the UN organisations involved –

FAO and ITU - to the lack of interest by the nations themselves for e-strategies within the

agricultural sector, even while other sectors were being supported. While national governments

in ACP countries may be benefiting from ICT applications within the sector in the absence of

policies, the need for such policies has been acknowledged across the regions. The next step

may involve assisting these governments to pull the necessary resources together (human,

material, and financial) in envisioning, formulating and implementing national e-Agriculture

policies and strategies to support the growth of the sector. But in all cases, national

governments need to improve the ICT infrastructure in the agricultural sector, improve access to

and management of agricultural information, improve access to quality agricultural services,

improve ICT knowledge, capability and usage among local agricultural workers, and effectively

and efficiently mainstream ICT in key agricultural activities.

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Table 3: List of Respondents

No Respondent Country /institutions Sector

1 Mr. Mohammad Shahroz Jalil

Bangladesh Private Sector

2 Mr. Rantej Singh India Private Sector

3 Mr. M. Moni India Public Sector

4 Mr. Raphael Rurangwa Rwanda Public Sector

5 Ms. Telojo Valerie Onu St. Kitts & Nevis Private Sector

6 Mr. Michael Riggs FAO International Organisation

7 Mr. Olaf Erz Netherlands/IICD International Organisation

8 Mr. Francois Laureys Netherlands/IICD International Organisation

9 Mr. Abebe Chekol UNECA International Organisation

10 Dr. Justin Chisenga Ghana International Organisation

11 Dr. Godfred Frempong Ghana Public Sector

12 Mr. Issah Yahaya Ghana Public Sector

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Endnotes 1 The research aimed to identify the existence of e-agriculture strategy or policy documents or processes, irrespective of the difference between the two terms “policy” and “strategy”. This is the reason why either of the terms is used in the document without pointing out their difference. 2 See the List of respondents in Table 3 3 E-Agriculture” - A Definition and Profile of its Application, Bridging the Rural Divide, Accessed November 2012 http://www.slideshare.net/sarper/e-agriculture-a-definition-and-profile-of-its-application 4 e-Agriculture Community of Expertise, http://www.e-agriculture.org/about.html 5 Michael Riggs, Team Leader, Facilitator e-Agriculture Community of Practice, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) 6 Members include: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR); Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); FAO; Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ); Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR); InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD); International Centre for Communication for Development (IICD); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); International Telecommunications Union (ITU); The World Bank. 7 EAWG, (2007). Analysis of Global e-Agriculture Survey, March, Accessed October 2012 http://www.itu.int/wsis/c7/e-agriculture/docs/survey-analysis-2007.pdf 8 ICD, GTZ, CGIAR, Euforic, IAALD, APC, ACP secretariat, IFAD, UBC and UCAD 9 www.e-agriculture.org 10 Special Newsletter - Five Year Anniversary - http://www.e-agriculture.org/newsletters/special-newsletter-five-year-anniversary#Featured Members. Accessed November 2012 11 The comments made here are based on exchanges with people consulted and may not illustrate the actual position or comprehensive experience of the organisations. 12 National e-Strategies for Development – Global Status and Perspectives, (ITU, 2010), Accessed October 2012 http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/cyb/app/docs/National_estrategies_for_development_2010.pdf 13 Ibid 14 Report on the Implementation of Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, UNECA’s Contributions ICT, Science and Technology Division, UNECA Addis Ababa, January 2008 15 Rwanda’s Vision 2020. Accessed October 2012

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http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/Rwanda_Vision_2020.pdf 16 Ibid 17 A New Era of Transformation in Ghana: Lessons from the Past and Scenarios for the Future, by Clemens Breisinger, Xinshen Diao, Shashidhara Kolavalli, Ramatu Al Hassan, and James Thurlow (2011). IFPRI Publications, Accessed October 2012 http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/rr171.pdf 18 The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy, p. iv 19 Sector Profile: Ivory Coast, Focus Africa, Accessed November 2012 http://focusafrica.gov.in/Sector_Profile_Ivory%20Coast.html 20 Plan de Developpement de l’Infrastructure Nationale de l’Information et de la Communication 2000 – 2005, Accessed October 2012 http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Cote_d_Ivoire/cote_d_ivoire.htm 21 The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Saint Lucia Country Profile, Accessed October 2012 http://www.cardi.org/country-offices/st-lucia/ 22 The National ICT Strategy of St. Lucia (2010-2015), Ministry of the Public Service and Human Resource Development, December 2010, Accessed October 2012 http://www.fosigrid.org/caribbean/st-lucia-profile 23 Information Society and public ICT policies in the Caribbean: a review of advances and challenges, policy instruments and country experiences, by Carlos Miranda Levy, December 2007, Accessed December 2012 http://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/xml/2/32162/W155.pdf 24 The Regional Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development Strategy, 2010, Accessed December 2012 http://www.caricomict4d.org/images/stories/docs/draft_regional_ict_strategy.pdf 25 Agriculture Investment Guide – Discovering Opportunities, Harvesting Potentials, Government of Fiji, 2012, Accessed December 2012 http://gallery.agriculture.org.fj/pdf/FIJI%20AGRICULTURE%20INVESTMENT%20GUIDE.pdf 26 The Use of ICT to Address Information Poverty and Reluctance of Farmers to Commercialize in the Fiji Islands. Riten Chand Gosai, Pacific Regional Winner of the CTA ARDYIS Essay contest Accessed December 2012 http://ardyis.cta.int/fr/ressources/publications-cles/item/88-the-use-of-information-and-communication-technology-to-address-information-poverty-and-reluctance-of-farmers-to-commercialze-in-the-fiji-islands?tmpl=component&print=1 27 The Fiji Government Information Technology Policies and Principles. Accessed December 2012 http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=85&Itemid=189 28 Mobile app for farmers, The Fiji Times Online, December 15th 2012, Accessed December 2012 http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=220079

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29 Fiji National Broadband Policy, October 2011, Accessed November 2012 http://ifap-is-observatory.ittk.hu/node/764 30 FICC Business to Business Solutions, India. Agriculture Overview, Accessed December 2012 http://www.ficci-b2b.com/sector-overview-pdf/Sector-agri.pdf 31 Mainstreaming ICT for Agricultural Development in the State of Jharkhand: A Much Needed Domestic Strategy for Sustainable Livelihoods, Report of the Task Force on “IT in Agriculture” under State Commission on Agricultural Research, Reforms and Development Government of Jharkhand, 2007 32 Overseas India Facilitation Centre (OIFC) - Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in India, September 2012. Accessed December 2012 http://www.oifc.in/sectors/ict-(information-%26-communication-technology) 33 The World Bank, Bangladesh Country Page, Accessed December 2012 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EXTSAREGTOPAGRI/0,,contentMDK:20273763~menuPK:548213~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:452766,00.html 34 Proposed National ICT Policy -2008, Bangladesh, Accessed December 2012 http://www.bcc.net.bd/html/ICTPolicy2008_proposed.pdf 35 Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh – Introduction page, Accessed December 2012 http://www.dam.gov.bd/jsp/index.jsp 36 This is a special case on Bolivia chosen as a result of the work by IICD in supporting the process of developing ICT strategy for the agricultural sector. It is not part of the selected countries and therefore did not follow the general format as seen in other countries. See here for more information - http://www.iicd.org/projects/bolivia-ict-policy-for-agriculture

Final background report - e-agriculture strategies in ACP

Technology

eagriculture movement

ict strategies

definition of e

absence of policies

overview of experiences

national experiences

iictas ict observatory

applications relevant