Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago to Cooperate in Agriculture

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are said to be moving forward with a Memorandum of Understanding for 10,000 acres of land to be made available to the twin island republic for farming, officials said today. According to a statement issued by the Guyanese Government, Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy held meetings this week with his Trinidadian counterpart, Devant Maharaj, to accelerate the signing of a cooperation pact related to this field. At the beginning of the year, Georgetown and Port of Spain signed a Memorandum of Understanding, whereby investors and farmers from the Caribbean archipelago have access to 10,000 hectares of land in Guyana for joint agricultural development. To read more, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago to Cooperate in Agriculture Adapted from Prensa Latina

Nigeria: Telecommunication - Nigeria Truly Giant of Africa

Telecommunication is adjudged one of the major drivers in the economic development of any nation. It plays a key role in the development of every sector of the economy. It is vital in the development of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), health, agriculture, works, education, commerce, industry as well as science and technology sectors among others.

In driving telecommunications, Nigeria through the regulatory body in the sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has made giant strides which have set the country apart as truly the giant of Africa. Nigerian Communication Act (NCA) 2003 has been the major source of the industry's success.

The NCA is largely regarded as one of the most progressive laws in the country. It gives the regulator absolute power, devoid of government or other external interferences to regulate the industry according to best global practices as enunciated by the ITU and other regional telecoms regulatory bodies. NCA guarantees a safe market for investors such that they can bring their money into Nigeria and be sure that the law is there to protect their investment.

The telecommunication sector contributed 8.53 per cent to the country's gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest statistics released by the NCC.

To read more, Nigeria: Telecommunication - Nigeria Truly Giant of Africa

Adapted from allAfrica.com

Africa: IT News Africa Rates Icow As Top Mobile APP At ICT for Agriculture

iCow, an SMS based mobile application aimed at promoting smart animal husbandry, has been rated Africa's best mobile agricultural application by IT News Africa during the just concluded ICT4Ag conference in Rwanda.

iCow has three main features namely Kalenda, Mashauri and Vet and artificial insemination. Kalenda enables farmers to keep track of their animals during the gestation period while Mashauri is a service that sends farmers three SMS tips a week on best agricultural practices.

Another Kenyan app on Africa's top ten mobile agricultural apps is M-Shamba, an interactive platform that is being used by about 4000 rice farmers to help them adopt new technologies in rice farming.

To read more, Africa: IT News Africa Rates Icow As Top Mobile APP At ICT for Agriculture

Adapted from allAfrica.com

ICT, CDA launch massive anti-encroachment drive

The departments concerned of Islamabad Capital Administration (ICT) and Capital Development Authority (CDA) carried out a massive anti-encroachment operation and sanitation drive at Sabzi Mandi, Islamabad and adjoining area here on Sunday.

The campaign was carried out on the direction of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Amer Ali Ahmed, ICT Administration, under the supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner(G) Islamabad, Maryam Khan, Assistant Commissioner(Saddar) Waqas Rashid, Agriculture Department, ICT and Municipal Directorate, CDA. During the operation, teams removed all the encroachments made by the stall holders, on roads, footpaths, sheds auction area in Sabzi Mandi and warned the stall holders to refrain from any encroachment in future, failing which strict action would be taken against them.

The teams also conducted price checking and imposed fines on the profiteers for not displaying the rate list of fruits and vegetables. Shopkeepers were directed to ensure display of rate list of food items prominently at the shops.
To read more, ICT, CDA launch massive anti-encroachment drive

Adapted from Pakistan Observer

Rwanda: Ict4ag Looks to the Future

Increased use of information and communication technologies could soon boost growth in agriculture and lead to poverty reduction in many countries around the world, according to experts attending the ICT4Ag international conference, which was held this week in Kigali, Rwanda.

Dr Aparajita Goyal, an economist in the World Bank's Agriculture Department, confirmed the Bank's belief in the transformative power of ICTs:

The World Bank's participation in the ICT4Ag conference reaffirms our commitment to the use of ICT for agriculture in development and we recognise both the challenges and the promise of these new technologies. Important efforts are underway now in some of our projects using Public Private Partnerships to build financially stable business models, which will help to achieve greater impact and scale. 

The European Union's newly appointed Ambassador to Rwanda, Michael Ryan, who spoke in the opening session of the conference, shared the mood of optimism:

It's going to be Africa's turn now in the coming years and we want to be there helping that launch, so that the prosperity African citizens deserve comes their way.

ICT4Ag international conference has been a major success for CTA and participants were delighted with the event's innovative format.

To read more,  Rwanda: Ict4ag Looks to the Future

Adapted from allAfrica.com

Rwanda: Minister Kalibata Call for Challenging ICT for Development

During this week's ICT for Agriculture conference, a 'hackathon', or 'agrihack' contest was held in parallel, challenging young tech entrepreneurs to design ICT solutions for the agriculture sector. The hackathon consisted of a digital platform to connect and harmonize key youth stakeholders in East Africa along the agricultural value chain using mobile web functionalities, to allow users and site visitors to access the content from their smart phones.

Nine teams participated in the hackathon from six countries: Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar and Kenya. A team of students in the College of Science and Technology represented Rwanda in the competition with their Fertilizer Logic project.

Minister Kalibata commended the finalists and called upon all young people to create more solutions for the farming sector. "There is need to change knowledge and information into productive resources to improve lives," Kalibata said, adding that people might find solutions that will make a difference for farmers.

To read more, Rwanda: Minister Kalibata Call for Challenging ICT for Development

Adapted from allAfrica.com

ICT could greatly develop Tanzania farmers

Farmers are among poor people in many developing countries who grapple with agricultural challenges to make little progress in their lives. The incorporation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture could be of great advantage to farmers. ICT is an opportunity that needs to tempt into active food production value chain.

Tanzania which has a population of over 40 million, is one of the world’s poorest countries with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of USD 1,400 and its economic growth however, is strong with annual GDP growth rate of 6-7 percent. Tanzanian economy is heavily dependent on agriculture which makes 40 percent of GDP, 85 percent of exports and 80 percent of employment.

Mobile companies in the country can add mobile agriculture to be one of their corporate responsibility to the community because of the majority of Tanzania population are farmers, mobile agriculture must be identified by mobile companies as a great opportunity for their prosperity.

An agricultural researcher noted 12 ways how mobile technology can boost African agriculture and these are Mobile payment systems, Micro-insurance systems, Micro-lending platforms, Mobile information platforms, and farmer helplines. This technology can assist with Smart logistics, Traceability and tracking systems, Mobile management of supplier networks, Mobile management of distribution networks, Agricultural trading platforms, Agricultural tendering platforms and Agricultural bartering platforms.
To read more on ICT could greatly develop Tanzania farmers

Adapted from IPPMedia.com

Using ICT: ‘Time to boost use of technology in agriculture’

The National Information and Communication Technologies Research and Development Fund and the University of Agriculture Faisalabad will collaborate for research on IT use in agriculture.

The use of modern technology, he said, agriculture of a country could be boosted manifold. The Fund will focusing on industry-academia partnership through funding of research and development initiatives.

Emerging information and the knowledge era is currently opening a new way of economic and social development through information and communication technologies.

Furthermore, precision agriculture had gained popularity across the globe, enabling some countries to reduce cost of production through balanced inputs use of information technology, geographical information system and space technology.

To read more, Using ICT: ‘Time to boost use of technology in agriculture’

Adapted from The Express Tribune

Rwanda: Rwf20 Million for ICT Competition

Three Information and Communication Technology developers who were tasked with coming up with solutions that would improve farmers' access to finance and solutions to improve the bidirectional information amongst farmers and extension officers, have been rewarded with cash prizes at the just-concluded ICT for Agriculture Summit.

The winners, Ensibuuko from Uganda, Agrivas from Ethiopia, (first runners-up) and Tanzanian all girls group Agrinfo (third) won Rwf4.5 million, Rwf3.6 million and Rwf2.6 million, respectively, amongst other awards.

Rwanda's Fertilizer Logic, a team of four (University of Rwanda's College of Science and Technology (Former KIST) students who participated in the competition did not feature in the best IT solution developers.

While awarding the winners of the hackathon and officially closing the summit, Agnes Kalibata, the Minister for Agriculture, defined the competition and ICT involvement in agriculture as a way to extend the wealth to the bottom of the pyramid if the right programmes are developed.

To read more, Rwanda: Rwf20 Million for ICT Competition

Adapted from allAfrica.com

Farmers: Don’t blame us for high prices

WHEN food prices rise, do not blame farmers, blame the Government for not putting proper mea­sures in place to keep food prices down.

This was the view expressed by president of the Trinidad Unified Far­mers’ Association Shiraz Khan, who said stakehol­ders involved in the agriculture sector were not pleased with the 2013-2014 National Budget allocation of $1.3 billion to the Agriculture Ministry.

The allocation was the same as last year’s.

Khan was speaking at Tuesday’s post-budget breakfast forum hosted by the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) and the Co-op­erative Cre­­-dit Uni­on League of Trinidad and Toba­go, at OWTU’s building, Circular Road, San Fernando.

Khan also said stakeholders were against Gov­ernment’s decision to use land in Guyana for agricultural purposes. 

“Charity begins at home. You leaving our far­mers in Trinidad and Tobago to go Guyana. What you all going to do there? They (Government) gave out 1,000 acres of land for the Chaguanas West by-election and they going to plant 10,000 acres in Guyana.

“If it is they give the far­mers here proper roads to go into their lands, give them irrigation systems in the dry season and save them from flooding in the rai­ny season, we will be able to produce food.” 

Khan said agricultu­ral land was significantly cheaper in Guyana because the Guyanese government “care about feed­ing their people and making their farmers a better livelihood”. 

In July, more than 400 ex-Caroni workers received leases from the Government.

Khan said others should be granted such leases.

Economist Indera Sa­ge­wan-Alli, who also spoke at the forum, said she agreed with Khan’s statement that the food import bill was too high and that mechanisms be put in place to reduce pri­ces as well as assist farmers. 

Adapted from Trinidad Express Newspaper: Farmers: Don’t blame us for high prices

CARICOM’s e-agriculture strategies :CARICOM turns to ICTs to transform Caribbean agricultural production

CARICOM’s e-agriculture strategies
CARICOM turns to ICTs to transform Caribbean agricultural production.

Margaret Kalloo, Johan David, Nigel Durrant, Jennifer Britton

http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/CARICOM-s-e-agriculture-strategies/(73)/1377178426

The Caribbean Community is transforming its agricultural sector into a competitive and sustainable system of agricultural production and services in which ICTs will play a vital role.

Agriculture is a priority sector for the 20 member and associate Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Their vision for the agricultural sector entails a complete transformation towards a market‐oriented, internationally competitive and environmentally sound system of agricultural production and services – one that provides improved food and nutrition security, especially for vulnerable groups. ICTs and their many applications can play a vital role in realising this ambitious vision.

This vision has been set down in a number of policy documents, such as the Community Agriculture Policy, the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Policy and several supporting strategic policy frameworks, such as the Agribusiness Strategic Plan. One of the key imperatives of these policies is the adoption of modern knowledge and information systems to improve decision making and encourage interaction among all players in the value chain. These systems should also link R&D and extension efforts at the national, regional and international levels, and attempt to increase their impact on the entire agricultural sector in terms of adaptation of ICTs and other technology advances.

Bridging information gaps

A key challenge faced by farmers and agribusinesses is a lack of knowledge about markets, sources of technology and business support. ICTs could be used to fill these information gaps. For example, cellular networks and value-added services that can be accessed through these networks, have spread throughout the entire world. The speed of this diffusion and the variety of uses to which these networks have been put is indicative of the pent-up demand for more rapid and effective communication, even in the smallest and poorest communities.

Market information gaps exist even within internal markets in the Caribbean region. The building of market information systems is therefore critical to ensuring that farmers and agribusiness persons are able to make the right decisions, plan ahead and link up with the necessary markets. Linking producers to regional and external markets means setting up robust market information and intelligence systems, which must be funded largely by the public sector.

Crucial to this issue is the need for ICTs to gather, store and analyse, and subsequently disseminate information. Traditional extension services depend very much on there being a sufficient number of trained technicians to service a manageable number of farmers, and that those workers have the required budgets to do their work properly, even in remote villages. These extension services, if they ever existed, will probably become a thing of the past. There now is a critical need to build up digital databanks and translate technical information into user-friendly advice that can be accessed by farmers and agribusiness persons.

The CARICOM region’s limited progress in the field is probably best illustrated by the sporadic presence of governments, regional institutions, NGOs and even established businesses on the web. These websites consist mostly of static web pages and are often short of relevant information and often lack the essential tools for communicating, doing business and engaging in national and regional dialogues.

Innovative ICT initiatives

Notwithstanding the many challenges, there are some encouraging innovative developments specific to ICTs in the Caribbean. For instance, at the policy level, the CARICOM member states recently approved a Regional Digital Development Strategy which is a modern strategy seeking to capitalise on existing national initiatives and amplify them for regional benefit.

Additionally, funding has been acquired from the EU-funded Intra-ACP Agricultural Policy Programme to reinvigorate the development of a regional agricultural marketing information and intelligence system, and work has started to develop the necessary capacity for such a system, at both regional and national levels.

National initiatives include Trinidad & Tobago’s National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO), which has a mandate to improve marketing and investment in the country’s agro-industrial sector. NAMDEVCO has developed a National Agricultural Market Information System (NAMIS) which provides reliable and real-time information to farmers, processors, retailers and institutional buyers. Among the many innovations introduced by NAMIS is the use of hand-held devices for capturing data, which reduces the errors normally associated with data collection.

Another national initiative is the government-operated Jamaica Agricultural Marketing Information System (JAMIS), which provides regular updates on over 50 agricultural products. JAMIS provides weekly updates on prices, availability and quality of agricultural produce on its website, where visitors can subscribe to a service that sends these reports to them by email.

Various other innovative mobile applications are emerging in the academic world and through the work of private developers. These applications range from providing safety and weather information, to linking fishermen at sea with buyers for their catches. Others provide ‘real-time’ key information for specific fruit trees throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the CARICOM Secretariat has created a Caribbean Agribusiness website with an ambitious agenda. This website is meant, eventually, to be a major internet portal integrating existing initiatives and relevant institutions, such as ministries of agriculture, producer organisations, agribusiness associations and inter-governmental organisations, to name a few, and serving as the hub for all matters in which business persons (at all scales of operation) have an interest – up-to-date information, statistics, trade and investment opportunities and policy issues. Caribbean Agribusiness is also meant to fill the information gap that currently exists in terms of all sorts of agricultural information but is not meant to replace or supersede any existing information service.

Leadership

The importance of embracing ICTs by the CARICOM’s agricultural sector cannot be overstated. Both public sector institutions and the private sector have to show leadership if the mandates to increase production and promote trade and food security are to be met. We have to explicitly recognise the role that ICTs play in the practical lives of producers and consumers alike and build on best practices within and outside of the region, and we must mainstream ICT-related activities into the various institutions’ ongoing programmes.

Since every business, country and region depends on the flow of knowledge – from production processes through to marketing techniques and the sale and purchase of goods via the internet – investing, or the lack of it – in ICTs can have a ‘make or break’ effect on the ability of CARICOM to remain a viable, sought-after partner in the global agriculture arena.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To learn more about Caribbean e-agricultural strategies, please contact CARICOM’s Secretariat:

Margaret Kalloo – mkalloo@caricom.org,

Johan David – johandavid@caricom.org,

Nigel Durrant – nigel.durrant@crnm.org,

Jennifer Britton – ict4dstaff@caricom.org

Haiti - Agriculture: Fair-Exhibition on Roots and Tubers Sector

In Haiti, as part of the festival of St. Louis of Jérémie, a 2-day Fair-Exhibition, on 'Roots and Tubers' (yam, cassava, sweet potato, malanga, mazombelle apple-to-earth, carrot) was launched.

The two-day exhibition was held to emphasize the national production, the productive capacity of regions, as well as persuade investors to take advantage of opportunities offered by the 'Roots and Tubers' sector. This exhibition was seen as successful since the exhibitors were pleased with the exhibition and requested that the event be repeated at future festivals.

In addition to promoting 'Roots and Tubers' at the festival, the Triennial Programme for Agricultural Revival of the Ministry, aims to promote the growth of this sector as well as facilitate private investment. 

To read more, please click on the link provided, Haiti - Agriculture: Fair-Exhibition on roots and tubers sector 

CARDI and CTA launch 3rd Regional Media Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism

CARDI together with CTA will host their third Regional Media Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Competition.

According to CARDI and CTA:

The competition targets regional journalists and is intended for them to deepen their understanding of agricultural issues, to probe and report on opportunities and innovations in the Caribbean and to improve the interaction between the agriculture industry and the media. This year’s competition is being held under the theme ‘Achieving food security through Regional Cooperation’ and covers the period, September 2012 – June, 2013. Journalists are invited to submit entries for the following categories: print, radio, new media, youth and television. The competition closes on 6 September, 2013 with the winners being announced on 20 September. 

To learn more about this competition, please click the link provided CARDI and CTA launch 3rd Regional Media Awards for Excellence in Agricultural Journalism

Farmers record yield increase under crop-small ruminant project

Farmers in Ghanaian have estimated a 50 - 200 percent increase in crop yield. This increase falls under an innovative project that connects crop and small ruminants for sustainable production. The techniques involved in the management of sheep and goat integration in to the crop production has strongly affected the production of livestock. This innovative project is called ‘Sustainable Intensification of Integrated Crop-Small Ruminant Production Systems in West Africa’ and it is coordinated by Ghana’s Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The researchers at the Research Institute "are looking at legumes – cowpeas and groundnuts – as the main entry point to improve the productivity of the crop-sheep and goat system and we believe that this is a strategy that can quickly increase food security and also reduce poverty among our farmers”. Furthermore they are looking "at integrated nutrient management and the integration involves the use of manure from the animals to also supplement the chemical fertilizer and when you have both the performance is better than either of them”.

To read more, please click the link provided: Farmers record yield increase under crop-small ruminant project

Cead mile failte to brighter future for tourism industry

According to Patrick O'Donoghue, Managing Director of the Gleneagle Hotel Group, "tourism, along with ICT and agriculture, is one of the key pillars that will help the economy grow and we need to capitalise on that".

He also believes that the pillars to the hotel future economic success are: 

Adapting to market changes The Irish tourism and hotel sectors have faced a turbulent and challenging period, forcing many hoteliers to evaluate, and in many instances change, their whole approach to the management and operation of their business.

Furthermore to adapting to market changes, Mr. O'Donoghue has implemented ICTs into his Hotel practises:

Our business has gone online too. In the Gleneagle Group, one of the quickest ways of communicating our messages is digitally. We believe that we hired what was probably the first ever in house social media coordinator in the industry, and this put us on the digital map.

 To read more, please click the link provided Cead mile failte to brighter future for tourism industry. 

Vulnerable farming communities targeted for disaster resilience project

RESIDENTS, especially farmers, in five vulnerable fishing and farming communities in St Elizabeth, Manchester and Westmoreland will this year be provided with the necessary resources and training that will enable them to better manage and prepare for disasters.

The disaster resilience capacities of the communities of Flagaman and Pisgah in St Elizabeth, Devon and Asia in Manchester, and Whitehouse in Westmoreland will be significantly developed and strengthened under the Building Disaster Resilient Rural Communities (BDRC) and Livelihood Project, which was launched Tuesday by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) at its head office in Kingston.

The project, which is being jointly funded by ODPEM and the United States Agency for International Development, is aimed at improving the competitiveness of farmers by developing their capacity to adapt to climate change through interventions geared at building resilience to climate stresses.

The key components of the one-year project, which began in May, include community training; community disaster management planning; adaptation of the BDRC toolkit and information management; community disaster risk reduction and mitigation; livelihood protection measures; as well as the strengthening of partnerships, and building the institutional capacity of communities.

To read more, please click the link provided, Vulnerable farming communities targeted for disaster resilience project 

Adapted from Jamaica Observer.

NABARD ready to fund ICT solutions

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is willing to take up with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) the issue of relaxing the time frame set for the 1,603 Primary Cooperative Banks to move over to the new payment regime, and also fund the development of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution that could address their concerns. Kerala chief regional manager of NABARD R. Amalorpavanathan told media persons here on Tuesday that the bank had only suggested the business correspondent model to cooperatives. The RBI had allowed them a one-year window to join the mainstream or be left out at their own risk.

The bank would call a meeting of experts on August 17 as part of its efforts to evolve the new solution. A high-level committee should be constituted with people from various departments for finding solutions and implementing the RBI decision to move over to the new regime.

To read more, please click the link provided NABARD ready to fund ICT solutions

Adapted from The Hindu Newspaper.

Belarus restricts Lithuanian cattle imports

Belarus has temporarily restricted the import of cattle and small ruminants from Lithuania, due to outbreaks of the Schmallenberg virus, officials have reported.

The Department of Veterinary and Food Control at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus stated, "according to information available to the Department, animals have tested positive for the Schmallenberg virus in Lithuania. Belarus has therefore imposed temporary restrictions on imports from the country and the transit of domestic and wild cattle and small ruminants from Lithuania, as well as genetic material from these species."

Veterinary services in Russia and Belarus are working on increasing the number of scientific studies of the virus, since the virus has recently spread to Eastern Europe.

Export of domestic and wild cattle and small ruminants from the EU to the Russian Federation are now only permitted under certain conditions.

To read more, please click the link provided:  Belarus restricts Lithuanian cattle imports.

St Vincent and the Grenadines: Banana farmers 'abandoning fields'

The Black Sigatoka has severely affected the banana fields of Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and Guyana, which has lead to the abandonment of these fields by the banana farmers. However, these countries are receiving assistance in order to eradicate this disease from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

Also in the Caribbean region - efforts made by  the agriculture sector of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to eradicate this disease are currently being hindered by farmers failing to replant with crops that are disease-free. The Black Sigatoka has significantly reduced the value of exports from St. Vincent and the Grenadines by 90%. The Agriculture Minister, Saboto Caesar states, "We are seeing the re-growth of the (affected) bananas in those areas... It is providing the perfect environment for Black Sigatoka." 

To read more on St Vincent and the Grenadines: Banana farmers 'abandoning fields'

Migrant worker receives damages in human rights abuse case

Monrose, a national of St. Lucia, went to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme in 2009. While working for Double Diamond Acres (a greenhouse in Kingsville, Ontario), he was subjected to racist comments from a supervisor. After complaining about the racist comments, he fired and sent back to St. Lucia.

Monrose, with the assistance of a not-for- profit activist group for migrant workers, later filed a human rights complaint. Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal awarded $23,500.00 in damages: $5,500 in lost wages, $3,000 for damage to his dignity, feelings and self-respect and $18,000 for the violation of his right to be free from reprisal. 

To read more, please click on the link provided:
Migrant worker in Kingsville receives damages in human rights abuse case 

Group ‘not connected’ to Singh

A press statement was release on Saturday by the President of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Dhano Sookoo, stating that their organi­sation does not support the People’s National Movement (PNM) candidate Avinash Singh, who is 24 year old farmer based in Chaguanas.

Dhano Sookoo statement:

"The Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to disclaim itself from statements made in the media whereas it was reported that the ASTT is in support of Mr Avinash Singh, PNM candidate for Chaguanas West.....Please be advised that the president of the Agricultural Society and its committee of management and members of staff [are] in no way associated with Mr Avinash Singh and the PNM political campaign in the constituency of Chaguanas West."

Adapted from the Trinidad Express Newspaper

Analytical Frameworks for Assessing ICT and Agribusiness Ecosystems For Application in Ghana and Kenya

The use of Analytical Frameworks to assess the support market system for start-up businesses in the ICT and agribusiness sectors is now being explored. Analytical frameworks will assist with "Terms of Reference (ToR) for carrying out start-up ecosystem assessments in Ghana and Kenya". The ToR is for projects that “support available locally for entrepreneurs in both the ICT and agribusiness sectors including university-run programmes, business incubators/accelerators, training providers and financiers (angel investors and VCs).”

The different types of Analytical Frameworks of interest are M4P and other frameworks and methodologies that support the  the proper evaluation of the ecosystem for innovative, technology-oriented start-up businesses in a particular country. This frame work will aid in the evaluation of:

• Existing institutions, 
• Gaps in the provision of support, 
• Ways in which the ecosystems may best be strengthened 

To read more on the use of the Analytical Frameworks, please click the link below:

Analytical Frameworks for Assessing ICT and Agribusiness Ecosystems For Application in Ghana and Kenya

Rwanda: Gap Still Deep Between ICT and Agriculture

Market sellers in Rwanda state that it is sometimes difficult to determine the market price of goods due to the fact that there is no common system of crop information. However, they are able to get some information pertaining to crop prices when market prices are reported via the radio and television.

The Director General of ICT,the Ministry of Youth and ICT, states that technology can improve the link between buyers and sellers of the agriculture product. 

One form of technology is e-Soko. e-Soko is a system that can be consulted via mobile phones or computers. It is capable of providing information on market prices, which  gives the buyer options of where to purchase and sellers information to determine how much quantity to offer. This system has the potential to stabilize market prices as well as sensitize the agriculture sector to the use of ICT.

To read more: Rwanda: Gap Still Deep Between ICT and Agriculture

Gov’t urged to safeguard fisheries sector from oil spillage

Building Business on Values, Integrity and Dignity (B-BOVID), an indigenous agro-based company in the Western Region of Ghana, has tasked the youth to venture into aqua-culture, saying it’s a viable and attractive career path for unemployed youth. They believe that this transformation would enhance youth development and help avert total dependency on crude oil and other natural resources in the country.

The company promotes a new model of socially inclusive commercial farming, combining innovative agricultural practices, ecological farming and social entrepreneurship to deliver high quality organic products.

Furthermore, they operate on the values of improving the lives of the people, the planet and profits (PPP) by conserving the environment, promoting sustainable lifestyles, creating jobs and reducing poverty in rural communities. 

They also offer Information Communication Technology (ICT) training to local farmers, students and promotes sustainable organic agriculture and profitable agribusiness for smallholder farmers.

To read more on this article, Gov’t urged to safeguard fisheries sector from oil spillage 

Indian edible veg, root, tuber exports for June '13 decrease in numbers

In June 2013, Indian's edible vegetable as well as different root and tuber exports displayed a decreased of 65.91 percent in comparison to May 2013. 

These figures are based on the tabulation of one of Indian's premier import-export research companies (Infodrive Indian) and the export shipping bills documented at the Indian Customs by exporters. 

According to the analysis, the main products were coffee, tea, meat and spices.

To read more, Indian edible veg, root, tuber exports for June '13

Rwanda to Host ICT Conference On Agriculture

From November 4 to 8, Rwanda will host an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Agriculture international conference.
This conference will allow participants to explore solutions that will promote the application of ICTs in the Agriculture sector while focusing on areas, such as value chain, advocacy and policy development.

In addition, the conference is intended to address the following:

• Issues in agriculture that can be addressed using ICTs, 
• How ICTs are truly empowering producers and consumers along entire value chain, 
• Developments taking place in this area, 
• ICT trends and their impact on agriculture and rural development capacity building, enabling environments and sustainability.

To read more, please click the link provided Rwanda to Host ICT Conference On Agriculture

Food and Agriculture agency head shows support for Caribbean

Dr. Jose Graziano da Silva, FAO Director General, attended the Opening Ceremony of a packed conference held on the 40th anniversary of CARICOM’s founding. He met with President of Guyana and Lead Head of Government for Agriculture, Dr. Ronald Ramoutar, Prime Ministers of the Bahamas, Grenada and St. Kitts, Mr. Perry Christie, Dr. Keith Mitchell and Dr. Denzil Douglas, respectively, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Dominica and Suriname.

Dr. Graziano, who has headed FAO since January 2012, took the opportunity to personally outline a series of changes and reforms which are making the Organization more efficient and responsive to Member Countries’ needs. He also spoke about FAO’s new strategic objectives and its focus, not just on the reduction, but the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. He reiterated that hunger levels are impacted by climate change, disaster resilience, governance, inclusion and access and offered the Organization’s help in dealing with those challenges...

To read the full article: Food and Agriculture agency head shows support for Caribbean

Jamaican Pig Farmers to Benefit from CPJ-led Export Thrust

Caribbean Producers Jamaica Ltd, (CPJ) has identified several markets for the commercial export of Jamaican pork.

Pig farmers will benefit from the export, as CPJ will target markets in St Maarten, St Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Aruba, and Curacao.

To drive the exports, CPJ has joined Sweet River Abattoir, one of the leading slaughterhouses in Jamaica that handles pigs supplied by almost 400 farmers from across the island.

Sweet River is building a new US$3-million abattoir in Westmoreland and farmers have also invested approximately US$3-million in growing operations in order to take advantage of the export opportunities. These investments will feed directly into CPJ's US$5-million, state-of-the-art meat processing plant at its Montego Bay headquarters....

To read more Jamaican Pig Farmers to Benefit from CPJ-led Export Thrust

Adapted from The Pig Site.

Ministry of Agriculture set to review Root and Tuber policy

Roots and tuber crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are now the second most important food crop in Kenya after maize.

Kenya’s total production of potatoes in 2011 was 2.6 million tonnes valued at 327 million U.S. dollars from 135,924 hectares of land.The production of sweet potatoes also increased from an area of 61,902 ha with a production of 759,471 tonnes valued at 242 million dollars in 2011 to an area of 66,971 ha with a production of 859,549 tonnes valued at 310 million dollars in 2012.

The government has also provided funding for agricultural training centres to carry out seed potato multiplication to the tune of 350,000 dollars.

Adapted from Coastweek. 

To read more: Ministry of Agriculture set to review Root and Tuber policy

International Conference on Roots and Tubers

The Central Tuber Crops Research Institute in Indian held a four-day international conference, which began on July 9. The event was organised with the assistance of the Indian Society for Root Crops (ISRC). The main theme of the conference was "Tropical Roots and Tubers for Sustainable Livelihood under Changing Agro-cimate". 

The objective of the conference was to discuss the role of tropical tuber crops for food and livelihood security of millions of people of tropical world under changing agro-climate. 

Agriculture representatives  from India, USA, Colombia, Pery, China, Switzerland, Germany, Nigeria, and Thailand, just to name a few, were in attendance

To read more: International Conference on Roots and Tubers

Women on the Land: Creating Conscious Community

Documentary presents women’s role in agriculture; Local women contribute with music, paintings:

Many women have played key roles in agriculture through the years, working by themselves or with family members to produce enough food to feed themselves, with maybe enough left over to bring to market and make some money. 

A documentary film titled Women on the Land: Creating Conscious Community, will be featured in two upcoming performances at TSJC. The film will be shown on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 6-8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9, from 2-4 p.m. at the Massari Theater on the TSJC campus. Admission is $5, with children 12 and under getting in free.

Local artist Jaquie Gipson, who did the soundtrack for the film, will perform live during the screening. Original paintings by artist Karen Howl, based on scenes from the film, will be available for viewing. Amanda Gray, who is featured in the film, will speak about her experiences as a skilled farmer and goatherd.

Adapted from The Trinidad Times. To read more on  Women’s role in agriculture

Identify Emerging Issues for Youths in Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Office of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in Trinidad and Tobago in partnership with the Agribusiness Society of the University of the West Indies (ABS) hosted an Agri-Youth Symposium entitled, "To Identify Emerging Issues for Youths in Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago".

The Agribusiness Society (ABS) is a student organization, whose members consist of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture within the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine campus, Trinidad. It's mandate is "to create conditions conducive to the development of agri-preneurs by empowering students through practical and theoretical learning, professional growth, networking service, innovation and entrepreneurship".

ABS focus is to "sensitize fellow students and the public to the scale of opportunities available for developing agriculture as a career choice through agribusiness and other related fields".


To read more: Identify Emerging Issues for Youths in Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago.

Plans underway for Caribbean agriculture week in October

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) made public their arrangements for moving forward with the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) event. 

The theme of the CWA event is ‘Linking the Caribbean for Regional Food and Nutrition Security and Rural Development.’ The CWA event will be held in Guyana (hosted by the local Government) from October 4 - 12, 2013 featuring fisheries and forestry. 

The objective of the event is to "enable the key decision-makers in the public and private sectors to better acknowledge the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social and environmental stability of the region [and] [i]t is also geared to provide major stakeholders in agriculture and related sectors with an opportunity to dialogue and forge a common vision for the repositioning of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life."

Activities will begin on October 4, 2013 with a formal opening on October 9, 2013. 

To read more on CWA's upcoming activities, please click the link provided: 
Plans underway for Caribbean agriculture week in October

Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago: How Do We Move Forward?

From Farming to Agribusiness:

Dr. Sharon Hutchinson, Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Food and Agriculture, UWI, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad states the following:

By the 1960s, the plantation economy of Trinidad and Tobago looked like so many others in the Caribbean, typified by the presence of several large farms owned by the social upper class. The agricultural sector grew largely due to the export of raw agricultural products to the UK and other European countries. 

In 1965, approximately 22 per cent of the labour force was employed in the agricultural sector (Trinidad and Tobago. CSO 1975, 2). By 1977, the key agricultural exports were sugar (139,506 tonnes), molasses (30,768 tonnes), raw cocoa (3,168 tonnes), raw coffee (1,608 tonnes) and citrus (527 tonnes) (Trinidad and Tobago. CSO 1987, 118). The sector was successful mainly because there were well established marketing arrangements and world agricultural product prices were relatively high.

Adapted from First Magazine.
To read more on Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago: How Do We Move Forward?

Regional Strategic Planning and ICT conferences for Fisheries

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE; FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 - The Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, home to the Eastern Caribbean Office of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), will next week host Chief Fisheries Officers, Directors of Fisheries or Senior Fisheries Officers, and Technical ICT Officers responsible for fisheries management, data management and communication from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The regional professionals will be meeting for the ACP Fish II/CRFM regional technical consultation dubbed Strengthening the Capacity of CRFM and its Member States for Information and Knowledge Sharing on Sustainable Management of Fisheries in the Caribbean Region, slated for January 28 and 29 at the Sunset Shore Beach Hotel in Kingstown...

To read more on Regional Strategic Planning and ICT conferences for Fisheries 

Adapted from Anguilla News

T&T hosts talks on regional agriculture

Today is the second and final day of a meeting of one of the technical management advisory committees (TMAC) set up by Caricom to look at co-ordination of agricultural research and development in the region. This TMAC was set up to define ways to address one of the ten key binding constraints, as identified in the Jagdeo Initiative, namely “Inadequate Research and Development.” It is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, St Lucia and convened by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Cardi).

Hubert Emmanuel, permanent secretary at St Lucia’s Ministry of Agriculture, is chairing the sessions at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain. The Jagdeo Initiative is a strategy for removing constraints to the development of agriculture in the Caribbean. It builds upon past regional efforts to develop a common agricultural policy (CAP) and identifies ten key binding constraints faced by the sector, with resulting necessary actions.

The anticipated outcome of this meeting is agreement on the way forward for a regional strategy for research and development; a strategy for linkages with Latin America; and identification of essentials to address climate change. 

Officials at this meeting include representatives of Caricom, the Ministry of Food Production, the University of the West Indies, the University of Guyana, the University of T&T, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA).

Adapted from the Guardian Media Limited (Guardian Newspaper).

Tamil Nadu Agriculture varsity to conduct short course on ICT initiative

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has implemented it summer school on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Inclusive Agriculture Development. The start date was July 3, 2013.

The summer school comprises of a  21-day short course on the  potential of ICT driven extension, ICT-based market intelligence, E-commerce and Futures marketing. These topics will assist in the following areas  forecasting, gender mainstreaming, cloud computing, remote sensing and harnessing mobile technology for agriculture advisory service.

The school is sponsored by the Indian Council for Agriculture Research.

The course will be attended by  25 extension scientists from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

To read more on Tamil Nadu Agriculture varsity to conduct short course on ICT initiative, please click the link provided.

ROLES OF ICT IN AGRICULTURE

ICT has played a great role in both the social and economic development of our society. 

The Agriculture Sector has benefited from the ICT revolution and the latest innovation in ICT. The use of ICT in agriculture ranges from old technology to advanced modern technologies, for example radio, television, GPS navigation, satellite communication, and wireless connectivity.

The rural communities are known to lack the basic communication infrastructure, therefore ICT in agriculture would be of benefit in the following ways: 

• Mobile phones - improvement in the efficiency and profitability of the agriculture industry. Mobile phones allows farmers to interact with wholesaler directly.

• Radio and television - sharing of information on various innovation in agricultural technology.

• The internet - rural communities can stay up to date by sending and receiving information about the market and other necessary information in the industry. 

In order for farmers to part take in today's business more information and technology is needed.

To read more: ROLES OF ICT IN AGRICULTURE

St Lucia and Chile Strengthens Bilateral Relations

St. Lucia and Chile are focused on strengthening their bilateral ties. The St. Lucia Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy accepted the credentials of Chile's Ambassador, Eduardo Bonilla. Chile has contributed significantly to St. Lucia's development in agriculture, Spanish language, and diplomacy training over the last two decades.

Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy stated, “Saint Lucia has benefited from Chile’s bi-lateral cooperation with CARICOM States and we look with eager anticipation to greater collaboration between the region and Chile within the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States".

To read more: St Lucia and Chile Strengthens Bilateral Relations