CHARLES MUSWATI

R177451P

ASSIGNMENT 3

AGEC 431

PROFESSOR N HAMADZIRIPI

20/04/2020
Critique the role of ICT in the dissemination of agricultural information and innovations to
farmers in Zimbabwe [25].

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) refers to technologies that provide access to
information through telecommunications (Christensson, 2020). ICT is mainly focused on
communication technology which includes the internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other
mediums for communication. Information and Communication technologies have provided
societies with wide array of new communication capabilities over the past few decades. For
example the use of social media platforms like Facebook, twitter, Instagram has enabled people
in different countries to communicate in real time. These technologies have created a global
village in which people can communicate with each other as if they are closer to each other.

In agriculture, there has been a growing demand for agricultural products hence many ICT
interventions have been developed and tested around the world to help agriculturists improve
their livelihoods through increased agricultural productivity and income, or by reducing risks.
ICT also play an important role in addressing a wide array of problems associated with
agriculture. In Zimbabwe, government has through the National Information and
Communications policy encouraged the adoption and use of information and communications
technologies as a way of contributing directly to food security at national and household levels.
Thus ICT can be used in the dissemination of agricultural information and innovations to farmers
in Zimbabwe

In developing countries like Zimbabwe, ICT was found to have potential to elevate the
livelihoods of small-scale farmers and the efficacy of the agricultural sector. This includes the
use of computers, internet, geographical information systems, mobile phones, as well as
traditional media such as radio or TV in dissemination of relevant information to the farmers and
to the buyers.

These are some of the areas where ICT can assist in the Agriculture industry:

Enhancing production

ICT can make a significant contribution in increasing the efficiency, productivity and
sustainability of small-scale farms through what is known as precision farming. Farming is
associated with a lot of risks and uncertainties which may be threats from poor soils, drought,
erosion and pests. Geographic Information system is a component of ICT that can be used in soil
coding where land is digitally mapped according to certain characteristics for example soil color
and these geodetic data is combined with other statistical data for soil analysis and this allows
farmers to know the type of soils they are working on for decision making such as what to plant
and where to plant. ICT can also be used in pest and disease scouting and weather forecasting.
After acquiring relevant information about weather, soils, pests, new varieties, new ways to
optimize production, ICT can be used to advice and inform farmers on how to deal with certain
soil types, how to manage pests and diseases hence reducing risks and uncertainty and
information is broadcasted on the television and radio through programs like talking farming.

Also in Zimbabwe agricultural information can be disseminated to farmers through services like
eco-farming. However in Zimbabwe some farmers are illiterate and therefore may not be able to
utilize the facilities offered to them hence some of the relevant information related to agriculture
may not be delivered to them

Improving market access

ICT can be used in improving market access. Consciousness of up-to-date market information on
commodities prices, inputs and consumer trends can uplift farmers’ livelihoods significantly.
Also having awareness of what is happening in the market allows farmer to negotiate their
position. Having information on the market status is instrumental in decision making about
future crops and commodities and about the best time and place to sell and buy goods. Simple
websites have been developed to match offer and demand of agricultural produce.

These sites tend to evolve from local selling or buying websites and price information systems,
to systems offering marketing and trading functions. Typically, price information is collected at
the main regional markets and stored in a central database. The information is published on a
website, accessible to farmers via information centres. To reach a wider audience, information is
broadcast via rural radio, TV or mobile phone, thereby creating a level playing field between
producers and traders in a region. A typical example of website developed to support the buying
and selling of agricultural produce, inputs and other services is e-commerce. This allows users in
different areas to purchase goods and services online. This helps to improve the livelihoods of
the rural community as well as ensure the goals of the national agriculture master plan are
achieved.
Capacity-building and empowerment

ICT can help communities and farmer organizations to strengthen their own capacities and better
represent their constituencies when negotiating input and output prices, land claims, resource
rights and infrastructure projects. ICT enables rural communities to interact with other
stakeholders, thus reducing social isolation. ICT is essential in making processes more efficient
and transparent. It helps in making laws and land titles more accessible. Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) linked to Geographical Information Systems (GIS), digital cameras and internet,
help rural communities to document and communicate their situation. Rural communities benefit
from better access to credit and rural banking facilities for example farmers are able to perform
transactions through ecocash, telecash and one money. Also in Zimbabwe farmers can access
loans through the Kashagi loan facility via their mobile phones.

GIS

In agriculture ICT can also be used in geo-fencing , map-making and surveying through the use
of Global positioning system (GPS) and Geographic Information system (GIS). With the use of
GPS, civilians can produce highly accurate digitized map without the help of a professional
cartographer. Therefore reducing the cost of hiring a professional cartographer. ICT can be used
in game parks to prevent animals from wandering into farms and destroying precious crops
through tagging the animals with devices that sends a text message when they cross geo-fence.
Using the technology of SMS and GPS, the elephant can roam freely and the authorities are
alerted whenever it is near the farm.

Texts

In Zimbabwe ICT innovations like the use of text messages to communicate with farmers is
being used. For example Moovah it uses text message to advertise its insurances to farmers to
ensure they crops against crop failure. Also Vaya Africa and Eco farmer also uses the SMS to
communicate with farmers and advertise their farming implements. The use of texts message has
been successful since it is a bit cheaper than using internet and it has the ability to work on all
types of mobile phones. However poor networks associated with many rural areas in Zimbabwe
has led to poor dissemination of information and innovations to farmers.

Radio and Television

Radio and Television are playing vital role in the dissemination of agricultural information to
farmers in Zimbabwe. The radio and television are the easiest ways of communicating with
farmers. Certain farming programmes such as talking farming are there to share knowledge to
farmers. The dissemination of information o farmers through the radio and television has been a
success since nowadays radios and Tv sets are now cheaper and also farmers can use their
mobile phones as radios.

Videos

Information can be disseminated to farmers through videos. Extension services often use videos
to share information with farmers. Youtube and Agtube channels have been developed to share
information with farmers. Many companies such as Seed co, ZFC usually use videos to advertise
and teach their customers about their products. Also extension services can also interview
farmers through video conferencing.

However on the other hand the dissemination of agricultural information and innovations to
farmers is not very successful due to the following reasons:.

Virility

However ICT is prone to viruses that may corrupt the information sent to stakeholders in
Agriculture. Information may reach its destination in unreadable formats leading to
communication breakdown. Hence it is one of the limitation of ICT in the dissemination of
Agricultural information and innovations to farmers.

Language and illiteracy

ICT requires skilled personnel to operate and use the ICT tools. It requires experts to perform
some operations such as capturing data, analyzing data and conversion of data into electrical
formats. Information should be developed according to need of the end users (e.g. farmers), and
provided in local languages, in simple, interactive form. It must be up-to-date, relevant and
supplied in a timely manner. Some felt it would be essential to offer a continuum of information
required for successful farming, not simply to focus on one piece of relevant data

Poor networks and shortage of electricity.

Most communal farmers in Zimbabwe are found in rural areas some of which are very remote.
These areas are associated with lack of electricity and poor network connection. Most of these
ICT tool are electronic in nature hence they need power to function. Also in remote areas there is
poor network coverage, therefore it makes it difficult for farmers living in those areas to access
the internet since storing of large datasets and live communication requires good connectivity.
Therefore these challenges makes it difficult to use ICT in the dissemination of agricultural
information to farmers and all associated stakeholders.

ICT in agriculture sector plans

In Zimbabwe government has not yet realized the necessity to link ICT and agriculture.
Therefore, there is need to incorporate ICT in agricultural sector policies and programmes. This
must also be spearheaded in conjunction with all the stakeholders for ICT to be effective in the
dissemination of agricultural related information to famers.

Lack of relevant information

For successful dissemination of agricultural information and innovation to farmers through ICT,
there is need for relevant and timely agricultural information in appropriate formats available in
portals and platforms where it can be accessible to farmers. It is generally accepted that
information to sustain and increase agricultural production is spread over different agencies,
notably farmers, universities, research institutes, extension services, commercial enterprises, and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, this knowledge is often poorly documented
or hard to access resulting in poor dissemination of information to farmers.

Institutional mechanisms and human capacity to link rural communities

There is a huge gap between information residing in agricultural knowledge centres and rural
communities. At local level, multi-stakeholder mechanisms are important to make relevant
information accessible to end users. Intermediary organizations have to connect rural
communities to available knowledge. Users will increasingly want tailor-made, quality answers
to their questions.

Costly

The initial cost of installing and purchasing ICT devices and tools may be higher and also it is
expensive in Zimbabwe to use the internet. Also there is need for regular servicing and
upgrading of the system to avoid system crushes leading to loss of information. Ultimately this
will be costly in the long run therefore not all farmers may afford ICT making it less effective in
the dissemination of agricultural information to farmers and other stakeholders.

Hijacking of accounts

The use of ICTs in making online transaction is not safe since it is prone to hacking and
hijacking of accounts. This may lead to loss of private information such as bank account
numbers, pins, and passwords. This may result in loss of information and money.

In a nutshell one can conclude that ICTs is very critical in the dissemination of agricultural
information and innovations. ICTs can be very useful in enhancing production, improving
marketing access and improving the capacity and empowering farmers. These advantages of
ICTs can improve the livelihoods of farmers and increased production there meeting the
individual and national goals. However to some extents ICTs are not very successful in the
dissemination pf information due to poor networks, electricity, illiteracy, lack of timely
information, viruses among other disadvantages.
References

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Agricultural Information Systems. WorldAgroInfo Design Team Final Report. 2008.
Link:www.worldaginfo.org/files/WorldAgInfo%20Final%20Report%20Web.pdf.

Dang, H. A study on agricultural information service models in shaanxi. Northwest Agriculture

and Forestry University. MSc thesis. 2009.

http://www.fao.org/3/i9030en/I9030EN.pdf
Ghosh. A. (2006). Communication Technology & Human Development: Recent Experience in
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Kauffman. R.J. & Kumar. K. (2008). Impact of Information
Families that had intermittent access to Talking Books, grew 48% more food in a pilot study,
published in the journal “Information
Technologies & International Development”, and summarized here.
http://www.literacybridge.org/our-mission/pilot-results
Farm Radio’s report on MIS and radio.
http://bit.ly/farmradiomis
From India: Rob Jensen has looked at the adoption of mobile phone by fishermen in south Indian
state of Kerala.
http://qje.oxfordjournals.org/content/122/3/879.abstract.
Aparajita Goyal has looked at the impact of market information systems on prices received by
soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh.
http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.2.3.22
From Sub Saharan Africa: Muto and Yamano have looked at the impact of mobile phone usage
by Ugandan farmers of
maize and banana.
http://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v37y2009i12p1887-1896.html