DOT-COM is pleased to announce the publication of: "Future Directions in Agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) at USAID."
This publication was developed by Winrock International, one of dot-ORG's resource partners, and the Academy for Educational Development, for the Agriculture and Food Security (AFS) division of USAID/EGAT. This report examines the impact that ICTs can have on agriculture development and productivity, outlines trends and emerging ICT opportunities in agriculture, and offers some guidance on how USAID/AFS can build on its considerable experience with using ICT for development to take advantage of these technologies to advance development assistance. To download a copy of the paper (available as an Adobe PDF, 1MB), visit http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/documents/AG_ICT_USAID.pdf EXCERPTS FROM EXECUTIVE BRIEF ------------------- ICTs have a role in each of the key strategies outlined in USAID's "Future Directions in Agriculture" document. ICTs can help mobilize science and technology for agriculture by linking agricultural specialists into virtual communities and accelerating agricultural research exchange between developing and developed countries. They can help develop trade opportunities for farmers by linking smallholders into increasingly globalized production chains. ICTs can bridge the knowledge divide by permitting geographically distributed organizations to work together more effectively, allowing them to provide mutual mentorship and support. Finally, ICTs can support taking the long-term view, with tools for understanding and planning the future effects of today's economic and land use decisions. Understanding the place of ICTs in developing country agriculture depends on four key concepts: * that knowledge is an increasingly significant factor of production; * that all actors in the agricultural sector are part of an evolving Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS); * that ICTs accelerate agricultural development by facilitating knowledge management for AKS members; * and that ICTs are essential coordinating mechanisms in global trade. Expanding the use of ICTs in developing country agriculture will demand a more active and empowered role for rural intermediate organizations. These organizations will increasingly act as local knowledge brokers: they will identify client needs and suitable knowledge management methods, and provide feedback on the quality of existing agricultural knowledge services as well as identify new ones. Effective ICT applications in the rural developing world face significant hurdles, especially in access provision for off-grid or remote areas. Rural telecenters have a poor sustainability record, but they remain critical tools and have potential for future improvement. Alternative models of connectivity ready for pilots utilize shared and inexpensive cell phones, pagers, DVDs, and personal digital assistants, combined with CD-ROMs or server-side Internet processing models. Sustainability needs to consider dimensions other than the survival of telecenter organizations: digital content, ICT training and awareness, and demand for ICT services may continue even where specific telecenters fail, and emerging technologies may start to address those needs. USAID peer organizations such as the World Bank, FAO, Foundations, and other bilaterals are taking similar approaches to ICT opportunities - connectivity provision, capacity building for users, agricultural content development and aggregation, as well as conducive policy advocacy. The vast majority of ICT applications in agriculture are still in pilot stages and are distinguished more by the agricultural development themes they address than by the donor funding them. Recommendations for Project Design in Agriculture and ICTs ------------------------ * Empower agricultural and rural intermediary organizations such as extension agents, local NGOs, and producer associations through ICTs in order to increase their effectiveness at understanding and servicing their clients' needs. * Improve rural access to ICTs through support of multi-use telecenters and piloting of emerging alternate technologies that foster inexpensive, low-power alternatives to PCs. * Develop and adapt relevant agricultural content for digital dissemination, using local intermediate organizations to evaluate the relevance and technical accessibility of information from institutionalized sources or created by intermediaries themselves. * Ensure that women and girls can participate effectively and equitably in emerging knowledge networks by ensuring women's access to ICTs, availability of women-oriented content (e.g., subsistence as well as cash crop information), and selection of intermediaries with women in meaningful positions as key partners. * Use ICTs to strengthen community feedback mechanisms for democratic governance, research and extension feedback, and project impact assessment. Recommendations for Increasing EGAT/AFS Capacity to Support Missions in ICT ------------------------ * Support development of region- and country-specific ICT strategy documents in conjunction with regional bureaus and missions. * Provide an annual report to missions on key ICT uses in agriculture in order to disseminate emerging uses and best practices of rapidly evolving technologies. * Develop an agency-wide rapid rural ICT assessment and evaluation methodology to assist missions in identifying ICT opportunities and evaluate impacts. * Identify local or regional teams of rapid mobilization ICT-agriculture specialists so that missions will have easy access to the technical skills necessary for ICT planning and use in projects. Recommended Pilots and Continuations of Current Work ------------------------ * Mobilizing Science and Technology for Agriculture: Partner with FAO and CGIAR groups to ensure that agricultural science and technology can be translated into media and language (including technical language) accessible to rural groups and intermediaries. USAID can add value by using its contributions to ensure that community feedback is taken seriously. * Developing Trade Opportunities for Farmers: Sponsor vertical commodity portals and wired marketplaces to facilitate farming inputs and market opportunities, including technical support to improve smallholder bargaining power in contract farming. * Bridging the Knowledge Divide: Pilot new models of distributed technical assistance and small farmer support services to compensate for declines in extension support worldwide. * Taking the Long-Term View: Continue support to USAID's application of geospatial technologies in community and natural resource planning, including USAID's outreach and education efforts. To download the paper (available as an Adobe PDF, 1MB), please visit http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/documents/AG_ICT_USAID.pdf Siobhan Green Information & Dissemination Coordinator The DOT-COM Alliance www.dot-com-alliance.org AED, 1875 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 202 884-8948 Cell: 703 981-9982 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
