Practical Insights on ICTforAg

agriculutre technology innovation

What is ICTforAg?

ICTforAg is using information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture development interventions. ICTforAg projects aim to increase food security by helping smallholder farmers use modern agritech farming methods and access markets. These solutions encompass agricultural value chains and include adjacent technologies like digital financial services, big data, and geographic information systems.

ICTforAg solutions in the development sector help countries achieve the Sustainable Development goals. Solutions often focus on agriculture extension agent services for farmers to learn about agriculture technologies and innovation. ICTs can amplify the efforts of agricultural extension agents who work directly with farmers across the entire value chain from planing what crops to grow, to sourcing inputs for crop cultivation, to selling it in the market.

Why is ICTforAg Important?

Smallholder farmers have limited resources and often live in underserved and remote areas. They have limited knowledge, services, and technologies available to them, and typically need support to adopt modern farming methodologies. Agricultural extension services are usually inadequate , with less than one extension agent per 1000 farmers .

Climate change is now impacting more farmers, particularly the most vulnerable, so there is greater need for reaching farmers with information and services that can improve their food security. ICTforAg can play a crucial role in supporting farmers to access new inputs, credit, and markets with personalized and customized services.

Examples of ICTforAg in Food Security Programs

The potential to achieve high impact at the farm-level requires appropriate technology and adoption methodologies. Please find below an ever-increasing list of successful ICTforAg solutions.

New USAID Report: How Digital Solutions Can Support Nutrition Service Delivery

New USAID Report: How Digital Solutions Can Support Nutrition Service Delivery

Published on: Sep 23 2020 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank estimated that 47 million children younger than 5 years were moderately...
4 Key Findings: Smallholder Farmer Use of Mobile Phones for Agriculture

4 Key Findings: Smallholder Farmer Use of Mobile Phones for Agriculture

Published on: Sep 16 2020 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
ICTforAg services and solutions disseminated through mobile phones offer the promise to connect millions of smallholder farmers and improve their access to agricultural...
Showcase Your Digital Agriculture Impact to USAID and Gates Foundation

Showcase Your Digital Agriculture Impact to USAID and Gates Foundation

Published on: Jun 18 2020 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Share your ICT4Ag knowledge and participate in a new report: Agriculture in the Digital Age The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID’s Bureau for Resilience...
We Can Create Accurate African Agriculture Statistics in 48 Months

We Can Create Accurate African Agriculture Statistics in 48 Months

Published on: Nov 14 2019 by Guest Writer - 4 Comments
In an African country (any of them), down comes a memo from the District Office to Local Authority. Please supply list of all farmers in your locality, adding the...
Apply Now: $1 Million for Your Big Data Solutions for Agriculture

Apply Now: $1 Million for Your Big Data Solutions for Agriculture

Published on: Jun 03 2019 by Wayan Vota - 5 Comments
Advances in computing power, data storage, and data communications are creating powerful tools for helping make smallholder farming and food systems more precise,...
ICTforAg 2019: Please Register Now and Submit Session Ideas for Advancing Agriculture Resilience

ICTforAg 2019: Please Register Now and Submit Session Ideas for Advancing Agriculture Resilience

Published on: Apr 24 2019 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
  Join global leaders for a 1-day conference exploring the future of agriculture, food security, resilient populations and technology, on June 5, 2019 in Washington,...
How Do You Define “Farmer” in Data-Driven Agriculture?

How Do You Define “Farmer” in Data-Driven Agriculture?

Published on: Apr 03 2019 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
Who’s your farmer? This sounds like a simple question for any agricultural intervention, but it is fraught with complexity, especially for those of us who are...
What Southeast Asian ICTforAg Solution Providers Need for Success

What Southeast Asian ICTforAg Solution Providers Need for Success

Published on: Mar 20 2019 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on What Southeast Asian ICTforAg Solution Providers Need for Success
The Digital Solutions Directory is a comprehensive list of over 60 innovative ICTforAg providers for smallholder value chains in Southeast Asian Nations. Between...
Apply Now: $300,000 USAID Contracts for Digital Agriculture Solutions

Apply Now: $300,000 USAID Contracts for Digital Agriculture Solutions

Published on: Mar 11 2019 by Wayan Vota - 17 Comments
Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s global hunger & food security initiative. The USAID Bureau for Food Security wants to integrate digital tools and...
Supporting Healthy Digital Platform Competition in the Georgian Agriculture Market

Supporting Healthy Digital Platform Competition in the Georgian Agriculture Market

Published on: Aug 15 2018 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
When working in international markets, there is one golden rule to ensure sustainability: make sure your interventions do not distort markets. In small markets,...