ICT Update magazine is looking for articles for our forthcoming issue on e-agriculture strategies how national and regional ICT policies, frameworks and mechanisms targeting the agricultural sector are, have been or can be formulated, implemented and evaluated so that the entire agricultural sector can reap the full benefits of ICTs.
ICT Update magazine is looking for articles for our forthcoming issue on e-agriculture strategies how national and regional ICT policies, frameworks and mechanisms targeting the agricultural sector are, have been or can be formulated, implemented and evaluated so that the entire agricultural sector can reap the full benefits of ICTs.
E-agriculture can be defined as the use of ICT tools to exchange knowledge, provide extension services and market information, improve supply chain management and traceability, and monitor agricultural resources. National and regional e-agriculture strategies are defined here as the plans put in place by governments, in collaboration with various civil society and private sector agricultural stakeholders, to fully integrate ICTs into key agricultural activities.
ICT Update magazine would like to hear from people working in government agricultural departments, research institutes, civil society advocates and other interested people, who are somehow involved in the development agricultural or ICT for development strategies. E-agriculture strategies can focus on specific issues, such as extension services or agricultural marketing or trade; they can also be holistic and address a wider spectrum of agricultural concerns (including research and development, input provision and post-harvest issues). Agriculture is understood to include livestock, forestry and fisheries.
ICT Update magazine is particularly interested in peoples views on the need for these strategies, and what past and current national experiences or future plans are concerning these strategies. How can we ensure effective collaboration between ministries in charge of agriculture and ministries in charge of ICTs? What place do ICTs have in existing agricultural policies, investment plans and how can we ensure their better inclusion? We are also interested in how e-strategies in other sectors can serve as lessons. And finally, what role should the private sector and youth play in these strategies, as well as regional organizations and programmes?
This call ends on 5 June 2013. For more information, contact ICT Updates editor Mark Speer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published by CTA, ICT Update is a bimonthly printed bulletin, web magazine, and accompanying e-mail newsletter focusing on the use of ICT in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.