ICTs for Agriculture in Africa
The strategic application of information and communications technology (ICT) to the agricultural industry, the largest economic sector in most African countries, offers the best opportunity for economic growth and poverty alleviation on the contine...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/01/19554707/icts-agriculture-africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19032 |
| Summary: | The strategic application of information
and communications technology (ICT) to the agricultural
industry, the largest economic sector in most African
countries, offers the best opportunity for economic growth
and poverty alleviation on the continent. Food security is
paramount for the survival of individuals, families, and
ultimately nations, yet Africa's agriculture sector has
been in decline over the past 40 years. African agriculture
is predominantly rain-fed, has low-yielding production, and
lacks access to critical information, market facilitation,
and financial intermediation services. The role that ICT can
play in addressing these challenges is increasing as
personal ICT devices such as mobile phones or tablet are
becoming more widely available. ICT, when embedded in
broader stakeholder systems, can bring economic development
and growth as it can help bridge critical knowledge gaps.
Mobile technology, on the other hand, is increasingly being
adopted as the technology of choice for delivery of ICT
services and solutions. The wider adoption of ICT in
agriculture is of strategic importance to five main
stakeholder groups: businesses; farmers; researchers;
government; and citizens. In identifying the ways in which
ICT can help agriculture, it is useful to view the farming
life cycle as a three-stage process: pre-cultivation; crop
cultivation and harvesting; and crop cultivation and harvesting. |
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