ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook launched (InfoDev)

Submitted by Saskia Harmsen on Tuesday, 1st November, 2011 — Blog entry

Today at SangoNet's ICT for Rural Development (ICT4RD) conference, Kevin Donovan of InfoDev (WorldBank) launched what I think will be a very valuable resource:

the ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook.

Kevin described it as the Go-To resource on ICT in Agriculture, and he might be right. Judging by the table of contents alone, there will be something in this sourcebook for most people working on designing and implementing programmes that use ICT to strengthen agriculture and agricultural systems.

Quoting from the InfoDev website: "[the source book is] intended to offer agriculture and other development practitioners a set of tested solutions, good practices, and methodologies, along with promising applications, that enable them to leverage ICT and harness innovation for more effective agricultural and rural development outcomes.

The sourcebooks bring together thematic notes and over 200 case studies from all over the world into a single easy-to-use compilation for those working in the agricultural sector."

Here's an outline of the content, which is likely to trigger your interest in one way or another!

Download the e-Sourcebook (full version, 13.2MB)	PDF
SECTION 1: OVERVIEW OF ICT IN AGRICULTURE (Contains modules 1-4)
Module 1: Introduction: ICT in Agricultural Development	PDF
Module 2: Making ICT Infrastructure, Appliances and Services More Accessible and Affordable in Rural Areas	PDF
Module 3: Anywhere, Anytime - Mobile Devices and Their Impact on Agriculture and Rural Development	PDF
Module 4: Extending the Benefits: Gender Equitable-ICT Enabled Agricultural Development	PDF
SECTION 2: ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY ON THE FARM (Contains modules 5-8)
Module 5: Increasing Crop, Livestock and Fishery Productivity Through ICT	PDF
Module 6: ICTs As Enablers of Agricultural Innovation Systems	PDF
Module 7: Broadening Smallholders' Access to Financial Services Through ICTs	PDF
Module 8: Farmer Organizations Work Better with ICT	PDF
SECTION 3: ASSESSING MARKETS AND VALUE CHAINS (Contains 9-12)
Module 9: Strengthening Agricultural Marketing with ICT	PDF
Module 10: ICT Applications for Smallholder Inclusion in Agribusiness Supply Chains	PDF
Module 11: ICT Applications for Agricultural Risk Management	PDF
Module 12: Global Markets, Global Challenges: Improving Food Safety and Traceability While Empowering Smallholders Through ICT	PDF
SECTION 4: IMPROVING PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION (Contains 13-15)
Module 13: Strengthening Rural Governance, Institutions, and Citizen Participation Through ICT	PDF
Module 14: ICT for Land Administration and Management	PDF
Module 15: Using ICT to Improve Forest Governance	PDF