From ‘Agri-clinics to FarmerNet; applying mobile phones to and the Internet to support rural farmers’; the presentation delivered from Sarvodaya-Fusion, had captured the global audience at the CABI Global Summit on food security in a climate of change, held in London, from 19 - 21 October.
The CABI Global Summit brought together ministerial level senior government officials from around the world and representatives from major international development organizations. The summit recognized that not only is agriculture central to food security but the industry is also struggling to meet ever-growing demand for food from increasingly urbanized populations.
Dr. Harsha Liyanage, Managing Director of the Sarvodaya - Fusion, had been an invited speaker to the event, to present the lessons learned from Agri-clinics, the project partnered by CABI. He introduced two Fusion ICT initiatives, Agri-clinics and FarmerNet, that incorporate internet access and mobile telephony to increase agricultural productivity among Sri Lankan rural farmers.
The first, UNESCO funded Agri-Clinic project, gathers the latest research findings and agricultural data from a spectrum of local and international research institutes. Agri-Clinics distribute this information through telecentres, using both electronic and traditional communication mediums such as leaflets to support farmers’ decision making over pest and disease problems.
The second initiative, FarmerNet, offers real time market information to the rural populace. Majority of rural farmers have very limited independent market information, therefore are forced to sell their produce at very low prices to intermediaries. The FarmerNet uses mobile phones to connect buyers and sellers through a virtual trading floor using SMS technology. The buyers and sellers can exchange information about produce efficiently while bypassing intermediaries therefore enjoy the benefits of an efficient market.
Dr Liyanage also recognized telecentres as a vital partner in improving access to information for some of the poorest farmers. He also added that the telecentres have led to local community motivation, skills development, exploration and ultimately application of knowledge available on the internet.
Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau (CABI International) is a not-for-profit, developmental organization that can trace its origins back to 1910. Established by a United Nations treaty level agreement, CABI focuses on achieving global development objectives, particularly those concerned with poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and partnership for development.
See Presented research paper, Detail presentation and Conference response at CABI’s ‘hand picked and carefully sorted’ blog.
posted by Harsha Goonewardana
