Current State in Related Sectors

There is a strong need to enhance the involvement of Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in agricultural value chains in the Caribbean. They dominate the agricultural sector and make a significant contribution to the Region’s economic growth and development, food security and employment. However, they have traditionally faced many, sometimes crippling, challenges due to their restricted size and reach; they are poorly serviced, fragmented, located on less productive soils and are lacking basic production infrastructure. (CARICOM Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture, Competitiveness Study, Dec 2007).

ICTs can play a key role in this approach as they provide effective channels for connecting stakeholders and conveying the information flows which favour the emergence of new services, thus strengthening the value chains. As indicated in the Mapping Study on Value Chain Initiatives undertaken by CTA in 2011, « ICT has the potential to improve efficiency by reducing the cost of doing business along the agricultural commodity value chain and improving conversion of inputs into outputs (horizontal integration). It can also facilitate vertical integration by small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs in value chains ».

However, the manner in which these integrations in the chains or in the sector as a whole, are being operated and how they can be further consolidated, is sparsely documented and hardly understood by Caribbean actors.

It is therefore crucial to fully understand how to better harness ICTs in agricultural value chains, identify, share and support the deployment of innovations, promote the design and implementation of adequate ICT strategies and strengthen stakeholders’ capacity needs.

 

ICT Ltd. Facilitates Regional Dialogue on ICT in Agriculture

Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) dominate the agricultural sector and make a significant contribution to the Region’s economic growth and development, food security and employment. However, they have traditionally faced many, sometimes crippling, challenges due to their restricted size and reach; they are poorly serviced, fragmented, located on less productive soils and are lacking basic production infrastructure.

At the same time however, the phenomenon of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has been accelerating throughout the world as well as in the Caribbean. This phenomenon has opened up a world of opportunity, especially for smaller firms, to overcome some of their traditional disadvantages and so be able to compete on more of a level playing field with their larger counterparts. Small firms now have access to affordable yet powerful ICT equipment. Moreover, in many countries, virtually all individual farmers now have access to mobile phones which are recognized tools for easing trade transactions.

During the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (Oct 2012, INFOCOMM Technologies (ICT) Ltd., facilitated a Technology in Agriculture Value Chains workshop. This consultation brought together several Caribbean agricultural value chain experts representing the major sector stakeholders together with regional ICT experts toward:

 

 

•  Determining how ICT interventions impact; regional agricultural policy and value chains, sector players (public and private), technology innovation, infrastructure, market sensing and market reach;

• Developing a coherent regional strategy and policy to marry ICTs into the fabric of regional agricultural value chains;

• Prioritising and facilitating the implementation of ICT innovations;

• Strengthening CARDI’s capacity to better respond to stakeholders’ needs regarding the relationship(s) between ICTs and agriculture; as well Caribbean stakeholders needs.