Agriculture Resources Information System Network (AGRISNET) is an internet based information network funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India to develop a comprehensive online knowledge portal to disseminate relevant information to farmers. The goal of the project is to follow an all-inclusive approach in terms of ensuring technological connectivity, development of system software and provision of hardware at agriculture department offices up to the block level in all states and union territories.
Presently, the portal caters to 8 million farmers and provides them with information on agriculture related information. Within one year of its launch, at least 33 percent of the farmers have utilized the services offered through AGRISNET. This initiative in Tamil Nadu is also remarkable because of G2G services incorporated in the back-end network. The government uses this feature to generate customizable reports to improve their service delivery to farmers.
The Government of Chhattisgarh has initiated a set of reforms to improve its Public Distribution System (PDS) by adopting a unique ICT based module to create a transparent and accountable delivery mechanism.
There is continuous monitoring of operations at all levels via reports uploaded onto the web in real time. Web management has led to enhanced accountability of operations. The online platform provides an account of commodity stocks which helps decision makers in utilizing the inventory of commodities with greater efficiency.
A unique feature of PDS in Chattisgarh is the innovative citizen interface portal through which citizens can track the movement of PDS commodities and also register their grievances. The ICT solution being used in Chattisgarh is showing very encouraging results and states like Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have showed interest in rolling out a similar procedure.
The agricultural sector in developing markets needs to be more efficient. Some 500 million smallholder farmers* from emerging markets feed more than two billion people: a third of humanity. The greater portion of developing countries’ labour force works in, or is dependent upon, agriculture (see Fig 1) and they represent a large market opportunity.
At the same time rural teledensity in developing markets is growing at a furious rate and mobile network operators are keen to deliver products that offer real value to rural customers.
Mobile solutions can transform the agriculture sector in emerging markets, and consequently impact the economies which rely heavily on agriculture as an engine for growth. The mAgri Programme is proving that farmers’ problems of low yield and poor access to relevant information can be can be ameliorated with innovative services delivered via the mobile channel.
M-Kilimo establishes a two-way communication channel between farmers and agricultural experts and provides a reliable solution to the information deficit that farmers often face.
The objective of providing high quality and reliable information to farmers to enable them to make more informed decisions throughout the land preparation, planting, pest management, harvesting, post harvest and marketing of agriculture produce including climate and weather information.
Coopetarrazú‘s processing plant uses leading-edge technologies for coffee drying, hulling, sorting and shipping. Coopetarrazú‘s operations go beyond processing, however. It must track hundreds of thousands of coffee purchases from its members during the harvest and ensure that purchases meet certification criteria (including CAFÉ Practices, Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance) to fetch premium prices. For a technology solution that could meet these complex and divergent requirements, Coopetarrazú has operationalized source tracking solutions.
Operation
Traceability module
This powerful, flexible agricultural traceability solution allows the tracking of any agricultural value chain from the farm gate to the pack house via mobile phones, point-of-sale devices and other wireless units.
Automating administrative tasks and data entry, the traceability module offers cooperatives significant time and cost savings. Data from the traceability module provides up-to-the-minute visibility into a cooperative‘s productivity, including crop quality issues in the field and yield rate, productivity and product characteristics by farm.
Web-based reporting capabilities, accessible anywhere in the world, include real-time statistics by geographical area, crop quality, producer and farm. Coffee producers, for example, can trace variables such as ripeness, green, mixed, conventional or organic beans. The module also ensures complete financial transparency, provides visibility and reporting for all stakeholders and employs smart cards ( optional ) for security , transparency and convenience.
DrumNet Project plays a networking role by delivering market, finance, and information services to agricultural supply-chain actors in Africa. DrumNet services simplify and strengthen chains, so partners can easily interact and transact, yet concentrate on their specific chain link. DrumNet services also build trust across supply-chains by establishing baseline rules and promoting a common set of standards.
At the core of DrumNet's service provision is an IT platform that is compatible with the Internet, mobile phone networks, and other wireless devices. The platform allows DrumNet to offer unique products like SMS scouting, data mapping and tailored reporting - be it on market trends, weather, prospective partners, or related requests. The platform facilitates several of DrumNet's other products, as well, such as produce aggregation and post-transaction payment processing.
Farmers simply send an SMS message containing the first four letters of the commodity name to 4455. Within seconds, they receive a text message with the best prices by buyer using abbreviated buyers‘ codes. After selecting the
best buyer, farmers can send a second SMS message with the abbreviated buyer‘s code. A text message is sent back with the contact name and phone number of the buyer, the full name and address of the company and simple directions for reaching both. Farmers are then able to phone the contact and start trading. Each SMS message costs approximately US$0.15. The system is also supported by a website, for those who have
Internet access.
The ZNFU 4455 service offers small holder farmers with intellect in marketing their produce. Whenever a small holder farmer decides to sell any of their produce, they start by checking for the current best prices available on the market via the ZNFU 4455 SMS service on their mobile phones. This service not only offers farmers with the current price but it also links farmers, traders and processors by provision of contact details and price information by district or province.
Pag La Yiri can link the internet to its radio broadcasts: not only will they be able to put their own shows online; they will also be able to make deals with radio stations in Ouagadougou as well. Stations can then send some of their programmes online to Pag La Yiri which will then broadcast them for the benefit of people living in Zabré. This ensures that people living remote and rural area will also hear the broadcasts from the city.
Farmers may use a mobile device to input information on the variety grown, planting and harvest dates, and use of farming inputs. Data captured by smallholders can be integrated with information systems and centralized databases to provide greater transparency to supply chain partners and consumers on the farming process, inputs, and output. The integration of wireless sensor networks, RFIDs, and mobile technology could yield sophisticated means to capture data during farming and minimize the need for manual data input through mobile devices.
RFID technology is used by avocado producers in Rio Blanco, Chile, for temperature and cold chain monitoring. RFID tags called “paltags” (palta is the Chilean word for “avocado”) are attached to the fruit on the tree, and after harvest, the fruit and tags are sorted, washed, waxed, and transported in pallets. Pallets are tagged to monitor temperature during transport, and should the temperature rise above standard levels, pallets are put back into cold storage by quality inspectors at the harbor. Once the pallets arrive at the port in California, the temperature is read by handheld readers to ascertain whether the temperature has risen above acceptable levels, thus checking quality and safety before shipping the avocados to marketers.
With the open source database the inspectors are able to collect the necessary data (plot data, crop type, and crop produce) on a handheld computer. OPPAZ assists around 700 farmers to obtain international certification. The system will be tested at three pilot sites (Chongwe, Mongu and Mpongwe). The data collected will also be published on the internet. This publication can be viewed by international partners who would like to buy the produce of the member farmers. The system has therefore a double function as internal control system and as marketing tool
OPPAZ has realised that there is need for timely information sharing and networking among the various primary stakeholders. OPPAZ intends to develop a comprehensive database of buyers and information on market opportunities, which will be disseminated to members/associations. Therefore, a computerised ICT will provide accurate market information to the buyers of organic products.
AppLab has created and refined a proven approach to developing and implementing mobile applications and services that help the world’s poor.
AppLab comprises the field innovation hubs where Grameen Foundation develops and deploys mobile phone-based solutions to alleviate poverty. Today, Grameen Foundation AppLabs are located in Uganda, Indonesia, Ghana and Colombia.
In Uganda, most people lack access to critical farming information - such as which crops to plant, when to plant them, how to prevent and treat crop and animal diseases, or which market is offering the best prices for their goods. In close cooperation with local and international partners, as well as with the poor people who benefit from the initiative, Grameen Foundation's Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) program is helping smallholder farmers get accurate, timely information to improve their businesses - and live
The CKW team has built a growing database of actionable agricultural information, contributed by agriculture research organizations and other experts, and reviewed by an Expert Review Board. By accessing this database - which contains more than 35,000 real-time tips on 35 crops, seven livestock animals, weather, market prices, transport directories, input locations and mobile-money agent locations - CKWs can help farmers make important decisions and improve their practices, enabling them to increase their yields and earnings. By partnering with local organizations, we ensure that the information is actionable, timely and tailored to local farmer needs.
