Vote now! Reward the outstanding free services offered by the Digital Agri Hub to support the transformation of the agricultural sector

 

The Digital Agri Hub run by the Wageningen University and Research (WUR) has been nominated as a potential candidate awardee for the UN / ITU WSIS 2024 prize in the Category 13 - AL C7 E-agriculture. 

The Hub offers free access to a dashboard with over 1200 digital solutions for agriculture in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to digital communities hosted on community platforms. 

The winners of the WSIS 2024 prizes will be selected based on the result of a public voting process.

How to vote:

• Only registered members of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform (STK) with requested complete information may vote for/appreciate a project. The information should contain organization details: name, type, country and user details: username and e-mail.
• Members may only vote for one project in each category 
• Voters are encouraged but not required to cast votes for one project in each of categories.

Voting – step by step (for new STK members):

1. Register https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/stocktaking/Account/ 
2. Confirm your registration via the confirmation email you will have received in your inbox
3. Login
4. Select Prizes on the top navigation bar.
5. Select “Vote” > “Vote ->”
6. Select: “Voting form”
7. Select: AL C7. E-agriculture on the drop-down menu.
8. Scroll down, look for Digital Agri Hub and click on “Vote for this Project”
9. Optional: Select other categories of your interest and express your preferences as well.

Voting – step by step (for already registered STK members)

1. Follow this link: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/stocktaking/Prizes/2024 
2. Select “Vote” > “Vote ->”
3. Login
4. Select: “Voting form”
5. Select: AL C7. E-agriculture on the drop-down menu.
6. Scroll down, look for Digital Agri Hub and click on “Vote for this Project”
7. Optional: Select other categories of your interest and express your preferences as well.

How true is the mantra that #smallscale producers benefit from #digitalisation?
Our upcoming e-conversation strives to unpack this potential #D4Ag cliché, backed by unique experiences from our diverse contributors in the #D4Ag dgroups.

Join the exchange👉 https://t.co/TFY2CnlqLi pic.twitter.com/8fxGCxGTk0

— The Digital Agri Hub (@D4Ag_) March 9, 2023

 

Your welcome contribution to forthcoming e-conversations on controversial issues related to #digitalisation for #agriculture, #aquaculture, #mariculture, and more

 

With the relentless promotion of #D4Ag among #LMICs #smallscale producers it is imperative to adopt a fact-based, objective & measured approach to focus & possibly overcome some potential clichés.@D4Ag_ has organised a series of e-conversations on this.
💻https://t.co/TFY2CnkSVK pic.twitter.com/mUymzkiZKe

— The Digital Agri Hub (@D4Ag_) February 24, 2023

Shaping digital agriculture capacities - A D4Ag online dialogue - Zoom Kick-off session on Friday 19 Nov 2021 from 1400 - 1530 CET

Do you work with digital technologies, innovations or data to deliver and transform agriculture and food systems?

Join a global network of 1,200 people to help shape future investments in digital agriculture (#D4Ag) capacities

From 19 November to 10 December, the Digital Agri Hub’s online D4Ag dialogue aims to identify capacity gaps, opportunities, priority needs and best-bet learning solutions for people and organizations working with digital agriculture. Supported by the Dgroups Foundation, the online dialogue combines two virtual (Zoom) sessions with email based, facilitated discussions, in a rich and dynamic process.

Join us on Zoom for the dialogue kick-off session on 19 November 2021 from 1400 – 1530 CET:

• Learn about the dialogue and how to participate 
• Meet other D4Ag professionals
• See what capacity building initiatives already exist 
• Together, start to shape and deliver digital agriculture capacities for the future!

Register here >> https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rf-mhrTojHtLHKxHT3pdKq7jmOaJjUkB6

Sommet mondial sur la société de l'information (SMSI) - Prix 2020 : la phase de vote s'achève le 24 janvier 2020.

Sommet mondial sur la société de l'information (SMSI) - Prix 2020 : la phase de vote s'achève le 24 janvier 2020 https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/stocktaking/Prizes/2020/Vote

Le projet : « Transformer l'agriculture africaine - Les yeux dans le ciel pour des technologies intelligentes au sol » ou « Eyes in the Sky, Smart Techs on the Ground » en anglais a été nominé dans la catégorie AL C7. E-agriculture.

Au total, 20 projets ont été nominés dans cette catégorie. Les cinq premiers ayant reçu plus de votes seront sélectionnés pour une évaluation plus approfondie.

Pour voter, vous devez être inscrit sur la plate-forme d'inventaire du SMSI. Vous pouvez exprimer un vote par catégorie et voter pour une ou plusieurs catégories. Le site hébergeant la plateforme de vote n'est pas aussi simple qu'il devrait l'être et il est assez difficile de s'y retrouver.

POUR VOTER, SUIVEZ LES ETAPES SUIVANTES :

1. Inscrivez-vous
2. Connectez-vous en tant qu'utilisateur inscrit
3. Cliquez sur le lien suivant : https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/stocktaking/Prizes/2020/Vote?jts=P4W9PG&id=10&page=13#start qui vous mènera directement vers la catégorie AL C7. E-agriculture. 

Le projet "Eyes in the Sky, Smart Techs on the Ground" est répertorié dans cette catégorie.

Cliquez sur... more >> et lisez la description détaillée du projet et de ses réalisations.

Exprimez votre préférence et votez. Nous comptons sur votre bon jugement. 

The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report, 2018-2019 - available for download

“At CTA, we know and understand the power to digitalise African agriculture. But we also understand that the evidence that will attract targeted investments to further develop D4Ag on the continent is lacking.

We realised that it is time to chart the scale of the opportunity and make some projections that will help in guiding policy and investment decisions. It is why we have produced a report together with Dalberg Advisors and supported by a high-level Advisory Council bringing together the key stakeholders that have been engaged in the space. The report is the first attempt to consolidate evidence and provide proof of impacts and the knowledge that will allow evidence-based investments.

While, in the report, we find a young sector, it’s clear that the appetite for D4Ag is burgeoning. However, without the right policy focus and investment there is a danger that the development will be piecemeal, neither sustainable nor inclusive. To capitalise on this opportunity we need to ensure that development is coordinated, that best-practices are shared and a collaborative approach to rolling out and scaling-up digital innovation, primarily focused on increasing use by farmers, is adopted.

 This report is a valuable first step, we have seen an appetite to continually improve our understanding of the D4Ag landscape and chart the opportunity it offers for entrepreneurs, investors and governments. I hope our efforts will be valuable in guiding the opportunity and look forward to the collaborative push that I believe will bring D4Ag to life for the benefit of Africa’s smallholder farmers and food and nutrition security across the continent. And as long as we learn from lessons, do it right and manage risks and take into account data sovereignty, inclusivity, sustainability, we will all benefit.”  Michael Hailu, CTA Director"

This report realises that there is great appetite for D4Ag and that policy mechanism should be invested in to guide the implementation of digital solutions. The value of collaborative approach that is focusing on increasing use of technologies by farmers is encouraged.

Landmark Pan-African Policy Recommendation Singles out Drones as a Transformative Technology for Africa

On June 8, 2018, a full report on the technology entitled “Drones on the horizon: Transforming Africa’s Agriculture” has been launched by Prof Yaye Kène-Gassama Dia, from the University Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, on behalf of the High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) and NEPAD during the Africa Innovation Summit which took place in Kigali, Rwanda. 

The African Union singled out Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) also known as drones, as a disruptive technology which could impact the development of agriculture on the African continent. On 26 January 2018, by issuing Decision  EX. CL/Dec. 986-1007 (XXXII), the AU Executive Council recommended that all Member States harness the opportunities offered by drones for agriculture.

"Precision agriculture-drone nexus is seen as enhancing the socio-economic well-being of Africa and is likely to support African states in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and specifically SDGs 1 and 2 Prof Yaye Kène-Gassama Dia"stated.

The report, available in English and French, is a high-level recommendation by the AU to Member States to support and facilitate the deployment of drone technology in agriculture.

More on the launch of the report :

Animation on "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Agriculture" produced by students of the Wageningen University

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Agriculture from CTA on Vimeo.

This video animation has been produced by students from the Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing ate the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the context of the GRS-60312 Remote Sensing and GIS Integration Consultancy Project. Their report 'Towards Cost and Benefit Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Support Agricultural Production' is synthesized in this well crafted video animation.

Members of the study group include: Vinicius Perin, Ramin Heidarian, Simon Veen, Erwin Van den Berg and You Zhou. Coach: Sytze de Bruin

Those interested in the technology related to the use of drones or better "unmanned aerial vehicles' in the agricultural domain should join the dedicated discussion list www.uav4ag.org.

Follow UAV for Agriculture on Twitter at @uav4ag

#sUAS #benefits in #agriculture explained https://t.co/Lqf90aLiho by students of t/ @WU_MGI #uav4ag #returns #income pic.twitter.com/Zg4UF6DUyH

— Drones 4 Agriculture (@UAV4Ag) July 10, 2016

Drones for Agriculture - Long awaited ICTUpdate issue now released

Latest issue of @ICT_Update on #drones for #agriculture now available https://t.co/gwItjPO5tg | #ICT4Ag #PrecisionAg pic.twitter.com/6UV1d3XJxg

— Drones 4 Agriculture (@UAV4Ag) April 28, 2016

Interested in the topic?  Follow @uav4ag on Twitter and join the community on www.uav4ag.org

Better farming with drones

Technology is part of everyday work life for this farmer and drone enthusiast from north-eastern Germany, who relies heavily on computers, GPS control technology and data networking for running his agricultural enterprise. This short video documents how drone technology can be of immediate use to the farmer in spotting and locating problems on his fields.

Social media revolutionising rural communities in the Pacific - Pacific Beat - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Social-media has been called many things -- and now it's being described as a 'life-changing' experience for people living in rural parts of the Pacific.

Increasingly, social media, and the internet in general, is being used to drive agricultural development - with some dramatic impacts.

Speakers: Michael Hailu, director of Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA); Giacomo Rambaldi, Sr Programme Coordinator, ICTs (CTA, Web2forDev) and Faumuina Felolini Tafunai, Media Specialist (WIBDI).

by Catherine Graue
Source: Pacific Beat | Duration: 5min 42sec

Web 2.0 and Social Media spread like wildfire in Vanuatu

Group photo of participants of the Web 2.0 and Social Media
training in Port Vila, Vanuatu 2014

Friday 17 October 2014, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Vanuatu – Vanuatu is a young state as far as information and communication technology (ICT) is concerned and the development of ICT is very important for the socio-economic growth of the country.'  The first Political Advisor for the Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mrs Emily Tumukon, made this statement in her opening remarks at the beginning of a five-day training workshop on the use of web 2.0 and social media in Port Vila, Vanuatu on 13 October.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), promotes information and knowledge sharing, learning and communication for the agriculture and forestry sectors, using low-cost technology – Web 2.0 and Social Media.

CTA-developed curriculum is designed to help users interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue. Examples of Web 2.0 applications include blogs, , Google Drive, Google +, video sharing sites, photo editing, and sharing social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These web tools are used in the context of development work and are designed for stakeholders actively engaged in agriculture and rural development / natural resource management in the domains of ICT for development, policies and markets, publishing, communication and media.

Mr Hannington Tate, Vanuatu's Director of Forestry, believes that new ICT tools such as web 2.0 can improve agricultural and forestry information in rural and remote communities of Vanuatu. He maintains that this type of workshop also offers a platform where participants from the government line agencies and those representing different stakeholders can come together to share their experiences and eventually find out how they can collaborate by making use of each others’ networks in order to better reach and serve the people of the country.

The Vanuatu Government CIO (Chief Information Officer), Mr Fred Samuel, stated that the Vanuatu Government recognised ICT as an enabler for social and economic development in the country.  He emphasised that it is now important to create online content that users and citizens can access, and that is the reason such training is needed. He added that web 2.0 represents an important shift in the way digital information is created, shared, stored, distributed, and manipulated.

The five-day learning opportunity is currently under way in Port Vila. Twenty-three participants – fifteen men and eight women – from different organisations are attending it. The event is part of CTA’s effort to facilitate access to and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development in 78 countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), this being the sixth to be held in the Pacific. Similar workshops have been conducted in Papua New Guinea and Fiji and a one is planned for Samoa in two weeks' time that will focus on the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Sponsored by the ACP-EU CTA, the event, titled Web 2.0 for Development and Social Media Learning Opportunity, is undertaken by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in collaboration with the Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, and specifically the Department of Forests (DoF) and Biosecurity and the Office of the Government’s Chief Information Officer (OGCIO).

Young Jamaican team wins AgriHack Talent Caribbean contest at 13th Caribbean Week of Agriculture

And the winner is… Node420, from Jamaica. The team’s ICT application, also called Node420, offers real-time weather analysis and automatic yield forecasts for farmers. The AgriHack Talent Caribbean contest, organised by CTA and partners, came to a close during the 13th Caribbean Week of Agriculture, held this week in Paramaribo, Suriname. The winning teams designed agricultural apps that can forecast crop yields, improve pest management and put farmers in touch with market outlets.

Second prize went to CropGuard, from Barbados, an app that seeks to enhance food security by helping farmers to protect their crops through pest diagnosis, monitoring and control. Third prize was awarded to UNICODE, from Suriname, with an application called Agri-Kari, designed to help farmers manage their land and sell their products.

More than 150 young ICT specialists took part in the AgriHack Talent Caribbean contest run by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and partners. The regional championship sought to develop innovative ICT applications that address key Caribbean agricultural challenges and drive agri-enterprise among young people. The ICT applications created by the first three prize-winners will now be developed and incubated, to promote their successful rollout in the region.

The eight regional finalists, drawn from the results of national contests in six Caribbean countries – Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago – spent the first four days of the 13th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) fine-tuning their applications before the winners were announced on Thursday October 9. The CWA has been held this week in in Paramaribo, Suriname and ends today (October 10).

All the finalists were given the opportunity to pitch their products to participants attending the CWA, before the regional winners were selected by an international jury.

The contest was based on the idea of a hackathon – a gathering that brings together computer programmers for a short period of time to develop an ICT application or platform that offers solutions for a specific challenge.

Partners in the AgriHack Talent Caribbean contest included the Caribbean Farmers’ Network (CaFAN), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Connectimass, Suriname telecom operator Telesur, the Caribbean Open Institute and eight ICT innovation hubs.

“ICTs can strongly enhance family farming and the AgriHack Talent Caribbean initiative is supporting ICT innovations and entrepreneurship by youth in the Caribbean,” said CTA Director Michael Hailu. “There is an undisputed need to engage youth in agriculture. Encouraging young ICT innovators to develop services for agriculture contributes to this. It also contributes to improving the image of agriculture and offers opportunities to modernise the sector.”

A key ingredient in the mix has involved bringing together a broad range of expertise from the ICT, agriculture and business sectors, to help take products to the next level. In the run up to the regional finals, the ICT team members received technical support to develop their applications, as well as advice on how to draw up a business model, how to approach investors and how to pitch their idea to the judges and audience.

During the next six months, incubation and mentoring will be offered to the winning teams, who will be given technical and business support, including contact with potential investors and opportunities to promote their applications.

“This contest is about helping young people to sustain agriculture, developing exciting ICT applications that target key agricultural challenges in the Caribbean,” said Ken Lohento, ICT Programme Coordinator for CTA. “The agricultural sector offers substantial opportunities for young people, including those who can offer ICT services to support it. We hope that the AgriHack championship will also result in young people having more livelihood opportunities.”

Winning Jamaican team Node420 said its product sought to provide solutions for some of the most challenging difficulties faced by farmers. “Collecting the information they need can be a real problem for farmers, so we decided to design some hardware that could gather all sorts of data to help them with their cultivation, including planting, sowing and harvesting,” said Jason Scott, who was at the prize-giving with colleague Orane Edwards to collect first prize on behalf of the Node420 team from Jamaica.

The other two team members were: Simantha Hong and Jonathon Cooper. The young ICT developers, who won €5,000 euros plus six months of incubation, are supported by Jamaican ICT Hub SlashRoots, which won €3,000.

“Think of it as a very compact weather station,” said Scott. “It helps farmers to increase their yields, and to forecast how much they might be able to produce.”

Web 2.0 and Social Media - Share Your Story

This initiative launched by CTA is intended to gather success stories from people who’ve benefitted from interactions with CTA in the domains of Web 2.0 and Social Media and used the acquired skills and networks to accomplish something that wouldn’t have been possible before.

In case a submission will be successful you will be contacted by a journalist who will interview you in order to prepare an article.

Should the case be exceptionally inspiring and innovative, and have had measurable impact beyond your personal development, CTA may organise the production of an on-site video-documentary to capture your story and gather feedback from your beneficiaries.

Read more ....

Zack Matere: Growing Knowledge

Zack Matere, a farmer in Soy, Kenya, searched for a way to save his dying crops. What he discovered was a desire to help local farmers and businesses access information.

Web 2.0 and Social Media Success Stories: Nawsheen Hosenally

Dubbed as the TwitterLady, Nawsheen Hosenally shares the story of her professional career and how skills acquired in mastering Web 2.0 and Social Media have played in a role in shaping it.

At present Nawsheen is working as CT4Ag Assistant at the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) in the Netherlands.

Year 2025 of the @gricultural Revolution

Albert Einstein is quoted having said: “I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.” How true he was!

There is no doubt that the transformative power of ICTs makes us live in exponential times !

Let’s give it a try, and jump to year 2025 of the @gricultural revolution.