ICT Update's List: Extension

The Rural Agriculture Development Agency (RADA) in Jamaica is the Agency tasked with stimulating growth in the sector through engaging its stakeholders. According to Phillip Chung, Senior Director of the Division of Technology, Training and Technical Information at RADA, his Agency would love to embark on a media campaign to change the perceptions about the role technology plays in the local sector. He is advocating for a concrete study to be undertaken to determine true perceptions about agriculture. The Agency’s primary tool in the battle to change perceptions is the promotion of Jamaica’s technological advances. RADA has turned to more economical and innovative tools to spread its message. The use of Facebook and Twitter pages and an online diagnostic system which allows farmers with internet connection to upload photos of diseased plants and other issues and send them directly to extension officers, are some example of the new technologies RADA is using. The officers are equipped with a laptop computer, video recording and still cameras and other technologies while in the field. In addition to text and voice messages the Agency has in recent months been feverishly working to fine tune a Geographic Information System or GIS. This system will help to map and analyze data collected by extension officers while in the field. It is a first of its kind for RADA and is expected to improve the farmer registration process and enable officers to produce reliable statistics regarding acreage and crop production.

This study surveyed 12 available devices in terms of cost and features, through laboratory analysis that did not involve investigations in the field (an ongoing follow-up study tests 4 devices in low-income farming contexts). Devices were analyzed with respect to their cost, ruggedness, usability, ease of content authoring, and other factors which are critical for large-scale usage.
This report overviews the conclusion from the study, preceded by several caveats regarding the use of electronic technologies for agriculture extension.

A discussion on the role of telecentre in agricultural extension. Example are from Kenya. Potential author.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed the ways in which information and knowledge arising from agricultural research can be shared. Yet the formal outputs of research are often not openly available, and they are not digitally disseminated and communicated effectively and coherently.

In addition, some developing countries have been slow to benefit from these new digital opportunities. A group of international and regional organizations established the CIARD (Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development) initiative in 2008 to address issues of access, coherence and capacity in agricultural research systems.

Decentralized delivery of public services has been promoted as a means to enhance citizen voice and make service provision more responsive to users. Ethiopia has undertaken two rounds of decentralization, making first the regional states and then the district governments responsible for providing key public services. This paper explores whether decentralization has improved the quality of service delivery and citizen satisfaction with the services provided, focusing on agricultural extension.

Agro-Insight is a dynamic enterprise that merges expertise from science, communication and arts to support sustainable agriculture and equitable trade. They work closely with their clients to enhance their impact on rural communities through reflective research and effective video, radio and print material production.

A group at the University of Illinois has produced several videos that demonstrate simple, low-cost ways to improve the lives of people in the developing world. One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide out of seeds from the neem tree.

Mobile phones are the latest weapon in the fight against hunger and poverty. The devices provide a new way to deliver information to developing world farmers in hard-to-reach places.

"Location-based Social Networking for Cocoa Revitalization in the Caribbea" – This project will enhance cocoa production and training throughout the Caribbean through The project also includes audio-visual programs and dissemination in the field (via extension workers) of best practice production and harvesting techniques for the cocoa farmers Implementation of digital photo data capture and relay via mobile (cellular) telephony to capture, monitor and combat spread of diseases amongst cocoa fields in the Caribbean interactive mobile networking This research is supported by the Caribbean Fine Cocoa Forum and the European Union. Mario Modeste ICT MSc

Volker Hoffmann, Maria Gerster-Bentaya, Anja Christinck and Mamusha Lemma (Eds); 2009;
Handbook: Rural Extension Volume 1;
Basic Issues and Concepts.

A 2010 book on Ag. Ext. & Adv. Serv. by the Wold Bank. Extensive coverage of the subject with a section on ICT.

The objective for MEAS is to define and disseminate good practice strategies and approaches to establishing efficient, effective and financially sustainable rural extension and advisory service systems in developing ACP countries. Its goal is to help transform and modernize these extension systems. The MEAS project is made up of three components:
1)Disseminating Modern Approaches to Extension through user-friendly materials for dissemination and training programs that promote new strategies and approaches;
2) Documenting Lessons Learned and Good Practices;
3) Designing Modern Extension and Advisory Services Program.

The Worldwide Extension Study provides empirical data on the human and financial resources of agricultural extension and advisory systems worldwide, as well as other important information on:
- the primary extension service providers in each country (e.g. public, private and/or non-governmental);
- which types and groups of farmers are the primary target groups (e.g. large, medium, and/or small-scale farmers, including rural women) for each extension organization;
- how each organization’s resources are allocated to key extension and advisory service functions;
- each organization’s information and communication technology resources and capacity; and
- what role, if any, different categories of farmers play in setting extension’s priorities and/or assessing performance.

The Virtual Extension and Research Communication Network (VERCON) is a conceptual model developed by FAO. Any country can use and adapt it to strengthen the linkages among extension, research, farmers and other stakeholders of agricultural and rural development systems.

The model aims at improving access to agricultural information and knowledge sharing and supporting linkages among all the stakeholders, using new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and creating opportunities for collaborative work.

This webpage produced by IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute) is a compilation of internet links to national ag. research organisations that develop and use extension systems.

"M-Kilimo is a unique and innovative service aimed at providing agricultural information, advice and support over the phone to small holder farmers.
The Kenya Farmer's Helpline was launched in October 2009 by KenCall, with 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. "

The INFORNET project improves the flow of information between researchers, extension workers and farmers by repackaging scientific research reports into relevant and readable agricultural Information Products that help farmers improve their crop production.

Access to timely, validated information is problematic for many personnel with direct or support roles in livestock production in rural Tanzania. To address this issue, potential users were trained in the application of the Animal Heath and Production Compendium (AHPC), a mixed-media encyclopedic knowledge base, with the aim of delivering the benefits of the tool to a substantial number of relevant organizations and individuals. The trainees used information from the AHPC in testing and evaluating use of this tool by preparing extension materials, training resources and writing news and feature articles for a farmer’s magazine. Specific benefits attributed to use of this information included better decision making by extension and farmers, significant increases in cattle vaccinated against East Coast fever within one ward, improvement in the quality of research papers and proposals, and catalysing partnerships through farmer field schools.

FrontlineSMS:Radio is developing software which will assist community radio stations to interact dynamically with audiences by harnessing the power of SMS text messaging. Radio represents the dominant media source for many and SMS is increasingly being used by radio stations to facilitate two-way communication with listeners. FrontlineSMS:Radio will be built on the core technology of FrontlineSMS, a freely downloadable, open source software which turns a laptop and mobile phone or GSM modem into a communications hub. FrontlineSMS enables users to send and receive text messages with large groups of people without requiring Internet access.

This technical guide describes the Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (SAKSS) concept developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute in response to the capacity gaps typically found in many African countries for generating and translating evidence into action. SAKSS is defined as a collaborative network that acts as a mechanism by which relevant evidence is generated and used to inform agricultural and rural development strategy formulation and implementation. SAKSS brings together two important concepts—“strategic analysis” and “knowledge support systems.” The strategic analysis component describes an integrated framework of analysis that helps identify strategy and investment options for achieving high-end development goals. This analysis is carried out within the context of a knowledge support system, a network that serves the evidence needs of strategy formulation and implementation. By providing a platform for exchange, information, data analysis, and knowledge can be compiled, synthesized, and packaged into evidence that is supplied on a timely and reliable basis to be of use during strategy processes.