This week we have a special report on a method of “Green Solutions” where information and communication technologies (ICT’s) are used to improve the agriculture sector.
Conservation Interaction uses ICT to share information and answer ecological problems. We are developing a web portal, accessible through a mobile application, about how to adapt to the causes and effects of climate change in Tanzania and are also working towards delivering radio programmes about environmental solutions that improve listener’s livelihoods.
Therefore the development of ICT in agriculture is at the heart of our work and ethos.
This week I attended the event, “ICT in Agriculture” hosted by “Mobile Monday Dar es Salaam”, in conjunction with 2Seeds Network and Costech at the Sea Cliff Hotel.
Here, a panel of Tanzania’s foremost speakers on the subject held a question and answer session about the role that ICT (e.g. radio, computers and mobile phones) can play in enhancing the agriculture sector and presented live demonstrations of their own innovations in this area.
I spoke with one of the panel members, Mr Benedict Tesha after the event to get his perspective on some of the challenges and potential solutions regarding ICT development in agriculture.
He told me that “there is a need to find a way where ICT play an important function, for example by finding markets for farmers, providing agricultural education and linking farmers with suppliers.”
“Here is where ICT can facilitate access to these kinds of resources. ICT can be used to push these kinds of information, such as market or price data or when to plant and how to raise crops.”
“There is also the possibility that ICT could open up the market to international trade. By creating a link between farmers and consumers, costly middlemen can be avoided as buyers, such as wholesalers, from anywhere in the world can connect directly with producers. This means a better price and a win-win situation for all.”
His own solution, called “Sokoni Leo”, will soon be available, which enables everyone to retrieve up-to-date and reliable price information for produce found in Kariakoo Market Centre.
He already has paper records going back to 2010 and but since December 20, 2012 data this is now directly input into the system by a team of people who collect the information on a daily basis.
The types of data include the retail and wholesale price, volumes and originating region, which are entered into the database and then will be shared via the internet.
The next stage involves creating reports and graphs and measuring the success based on the number of users.
Mr Benedict also expanded on some of the problems faced when ICT is introduced into the agriculture sector, “Right now because of low literacy levels and low penetration of electrification of the country not many farmers can use computers and the internet.”
“We can solve this by using community radio stations to broadcast the information from our database or farmers can call a number, which uses a system that will read out the information instead”.
So technology provides a method of producing many solutions for agricultural problems. If you want to find out more about Sokoni Leo please contact Mr Benedict Tesha at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the 2Seeds Network’s Sam Stayer through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or KMC’s Anderson Shaka at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you have an idea for an agricultural ‘Green Solution’ using ICT please contact the innovation centre “Kinu” at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Next week we will return to finding out how solar projects solve problems using green energy alternatives.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Anne-Marie Soulsby
Quelle/Source: The Citizen Daily, 23.02.2013
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