Nutrient Manager for Rice - Mobile app for the Philippines

NMRiceMobile is a mobile phone-based application of Nutrient Manager for Rice, which uses an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application.

NMRiceMobile is targeted for farmers and extension workers without internet access. When internet access is available, Nutrient Manager for Rice web-based application is recommended.

With NMRiceMobile, a farmer or extension worker in the Philippines calls a toll-free number to access the Nutrient Manager for Rice. A voice prompt instructs the caller to answer questions about his/her rice field by pressing the appropriate number on the phone's keypad. After all the questions are answered, NMRiceMobile sends a text message with a field-specific nutrient management guideline for rice.

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Web conferencing an effective tool to get agricultural knowledge

Knowledge sharing via web conference proved to be an effective tool for rice farmers, extension workers and researchers in obtaining agricultural knowledge from credible sources, according to a study conducted by the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture.

More on this story:

Balita

Business Mirror

Philippines: Agricultural Training Institute Launches Farmers' Contact Center

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap led the unveiling of the hotline numbers of the FCC and delivered a keynote speech during the launching on November 28, 2009 in Tagbilaran, Bohol.

The FCC is an alternative delivery channel in providing timely information and extension services. Through the FCC, people can inquire on agri-related concerns via voice (call), short messaging service (SMS or text) as well as emails and other online communication such as instant messaging and fora.

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ICTs for disaster management

Aurora Solon urges use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in times of calamity and disaster to deliver basic services such as decision support systems for the agricultural and rural sectors and improving health care delivery to the poor and people in far-flung areas.

Read the full article

Key messages from WITFOR Agriculture Commission

The August 2009 'World Information Technology Forum' (WITFOR) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Key messages from the agriculture commission sessions chaired by Kevin Painting and Pham Anh Tuan) were:

1. In this complex, multi-disciplinary but interlinked area there is a great potential of (and demand for) IT applications and solutions to address pressing issues of information and communications management in support of agricultural and rural development.
2. These are complex situations which require detailed analysis and thoughfully tailored approaches, not off the shelf and “technology first” approaches.
3. For successful outcomes, it is necessary to take a bottom up approach by taking into account the local realities such as poor infrastructure, education, limited literacy, languages and technical competence.
4. There are many challenges in communicating the benefits of research, both to farmers (e.g. via extension services) and to policy makers (e.g. via sensitisation processes).
5. While the private sector has an indispensable role in developing services, there is a strong role of governments to support and promote ICT services.

Presentations:

• The future is mobile: ICTs empowering local communities in developing countries - by Kevin Painting

• ICTs towards resilient food and agricultural systems: Asian experiences and perspectives - by Sahdev Singh

• ICT-mediated knowledge services for farmers and agricultural extension: Case study from India - by Gerard Sylvester

• ICT initiatives of the Philippines for sustained agricultural development: The e-Extension Program for agriculture and fisheries - by Pam Mappala

Philippines: Farmers call for better dissemination of weather information

An article in the Business Mirror reports on a paper from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

The paper recommends better strategies for disseminating information on climate and the weather and the construction of small-scale irrigation systems as strategies that can be undertaken by concerned government agencies to enable rice and corn farmers to cope with climate change.

“There is still a wide array of applicable tools that could help agricultural workers mitigate environmental challenges and decide intelligently in the face of seasonal uncertainties ...most important to consider in any development effort is the fit of the intervention on the needs and situations of the target population,” it said.

PIDS researchers noted that among the most pressing concerns aired by farmers is the absence of localized climate/weather forecasts. “Farmers really need to be provided with specific localized meteorological service if they are truly to gain the edge in the battle against seasonal climate variability. Another challenge is the lack of time-series data that can be used for developing forecasting models. There are no meteorological stations in all of the municipalities, It also noted existing meteorological stations which are relatively new or less than 50 years old do not have data long enough to establish significant patterns.

Aside from television and radio, the paper said government agencies could consider publishing print materials in layman form and written in the local dialect to disseminate weather and climate information.“An insured, well-informed and well-funded farmer has a better chance of surviving the challenges offered by seasonal climate variability,” said the PIDS researchers.

ATI Interactive: e-extension for Philippine agriculture

The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) maximizes the potentials of information and communication technology to empower stakeholders along agriculture and fisheries. The ATI is the "home of e-extension" in the Philippines.

'ATI interactive' is a source of information on various programs and services, knowledge products on various agriculture and fishery technologies as well as success stories and breakthroughs along extension and training, among others. It is a place for extension workers to share their views, stories and experiences in the field.

Check out the ATI e-extension portal - and especially the Interactive System for Agricultural Exchange and Electronic Learning.

Aginfo systems for research country case studies

In late 2007, participants in the 2nd Expert Consultation on International Information Systems for Agricultural Science and Technology (IISAST) heard a series of country case studies documenting experiences in developing information systems and institutional networks for agriculture.

This IISAST process has now evolved into CIARD - the Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development initiative.

The country case studies have recently been published examining concrete expereinces of the following aginfo initiatives:

• Thai AGRIS Centre
  
• PhilAgriNet
  
• AGRORED Peru
  
• Lao Agriculture Database
  
• Kenya Agricultural Information Network
  
• Ghana GAINS
  
• Egypt National Agricultural Research Information Management System. 
  

Filipino aglibrarians examine effective AgInfo management

In February 2008, some 30 members of the Agricultural Librarians Association of the Philippines (ALAP) joined an FAO-supported Seminar-Workshop on Enhancing the Capacity of Information Professionals for Effective Agricultural Information Management, Sharing and Dissemination. IRRI librarians were among the resource persons.

Also check out the ALAP blog

Tags: agricultural information philippines

E-commerce for Filipino Famers and Cooperatives

In the recent WITFOR 2007 conference in Addis Ababa, Edgardo Herbosa of b2bpricenow.com introduced an innovative partnership to bring e-commerce to agriculture in the Philippines.

Through an 'E-commerce for farmers program', ICTs are being used in several ways:

First, an e-marketplace has been established where agricultural commodities can be bought and sold online. Cooperatives - agricultural and other - come together to buy and sell different products.

Second, local 'b2b' (business to business) centers in rural areas that provide local connectivity, business and knowledge services to farming communities. Cooperatives run these as telecenters for their members and other customers.

Third, mobile commerce that uses SMS and cashcards to help cooperatives and farmers move money around.

The model is based on an innovative partnership between b2bpricenow.com and the Land Bank of the Philipppines, a government-backed provider of agricultural credit and rural banking services, and UNISYS, a major IT services company.

The initiative aims to help farmers achieve prosperity by lowering the transaction costs of marketing and trading (primarily by supporting the e-commerce efforts of cooperatives affiliated to the Land Bank) and by getting rural people and farmers into the banking system.

Edgardo introduces the initiative in his own words:

Click To Play

Tags: agricultural information philippines e-commerce witfor