Significant Connection Between ICT and Agriculture

The significant connection between ICT and agriculture cannot be expressed in totality.

The role that ICT can play as an instrument of change in agriculture is potentially significant. Without any consequence, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) As an Information Tool has helped salvage many nations and sectors/industries from drowning and collapse especially in the agricultural sector.

Small and subsistence farmers, particularly women involved in agriculture, have a huge advantage when the right ICTs are induced into the agriculture value chain.

Access to the right information at the right time gives them the capacity to make informed decisions that affect their livelihoods and thereby play a major role in ensuring food security.

No one can doubt the significance and efficacy of ICT so far, in a recent publication on ‘Emerging contours of new agriculture’ outlines how new ICT technologies are assisting in moving agriculture away from an input-intensive to an information- and
knowledge-based process.

It also highlights the need for more openness in agricultural research information to be able to build smart services to support decision-making in agriculture together with support structures such as the communities/organizations that are needed to sustain this.

Investing/implementing appropriate technologies is of paramount importance if we want to succeed perfectly in agricultural productions.

NOKIA LIFE has been able to leverage this growth to effectively deploy agricultural information services through mobile phones. NOKIA LIFE’s app has been able to deliver specialized and targeted information to many farmers and people involved in agriculture in many countries.

The knowledge base needed to sustain such an initiative and the problems faced by handset manufacturers turned into content developers is highlighted technically for everyone to see.

GSMA  has outlines  the transformative power of mobile broadband for agriculture with in-depth insights into the growth of mobile Internet connections. Practically, this has also been published in  CABI’s article on mobile telephony in agriculture. Agricultural Value Added Services or Agri-VAS are being delivered through mobile technology in a few countries such as India, Bangladesh and China.

This ranges from price monitoring and weather forecasting to facilitating financial services to the rural population. According to Science Daily, a full 90 percent of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years.

The speed at which these data flows makes it impossible to store and analyse them to
support future decision-making. Machines and software with the ability to capture/analyse data ‘on-the-fly’ is what the near future needs. The sheer volume of data generated is referred to as ‘Big Data’ and they hold great importance for agriculture. Analysing rainfall data over a period of 50 years or the pest vector could give valuable insights into important issues such as climate change, weather patterns and disease and pest infestation patterns.

The re-use of data is an emerging thought that is yet to be addressed by the ICT4D experts. According to research, Intel outlines the implication of ‘Big Data for Agriculture’ Precision farming, GIS and remote sensing  which are touted as the most promising ICT interventions for agriculture.

Without doubt, Information and communication technology (ICT)  has practically shown how a company has been able to use these proven technologies to establish an
agro-infrastructure throughout a whole country for fostering better agricultural development.

Many other innovations hold great promise for agriculture, such as the use of ICT technologies that provide newer ways to handle disaster response.