ICT4Agriculture
-
Upload
iicd-international-institute-for-communication-and-development -
Category
Government & Nonprofit
-
view
46 -
download
0
description
Transcript of ICT4Agriculture
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Youth, ICTs and Agriculture - Exploring
how digital tools and skills influence
the motivation of young farmers
Martine Koopman
IICD
The Netherlands
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTDvQT_Kenw&feature=youtu.be
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Smallholder farming – realities and
associations
Poor farm practices
Low productivity Low income Intensive labour
Lack of trainingGender
inequalitiesFinancial risks
Lack of access to the inputs,
services, credit and markets
Vulnerable to environmental and economic
shocks
Intense competition from
sophisticated multinationals
High transaction costs
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
The importance of attracting youth
into farming
“Growth of the agriculture
sector in developing
countries is one of the
most effective
mechanisms to alleviate
poverty.” UN 2010
“Feeding a global
population in 2050 will
require a 70% increase in
global food production.
This will require that
particularly smallholder
agriculture – plays a much
more effective role.” IFAD 2011
“23% of the working poor are young people
and the majority of these poor youth live in
rural areas.
Because of limited job prospects, many young
people leave rural areas to seek employment
opportunities elsewhere.” ILO 2012
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
“With the right conditions smallholders can be at the forefront of a
transformation in the world’s agriculture” UNEP 2013
Propensity for taking higher
entrepreneurial risks
Capacity to innovate
Affinity for using ICTs
Access to extension information, geo-
data and info on agricultural inputs
Access to markets and info on market
price and demand
Access to finance and financial
information
Management and administration of the
farmer organizations
Youth ICTs
Potential of ICTs for activating young
farmers
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
The research investigated the linkages between the
introduction and use of ICT in farming and the interest of
youth in farming and value chain development.
Research focus - Youth’s ICT-enabled
journey into profitable farming
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
• What is the role of ICT in young famers’ engagement in
farming, farmer groups, and value chain development?
• How do they appropriate ICT in their farming operations
and/or value chain development?
• Has the role of young farmers changed as a result of
the introduction of ICT?
Research questions
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Exploratory QualitativeOpen interviews with individuals
Focus groups interviews
Young and older farmers, NGO staff,
village leaders, private sector
actors and local government
Research methodology
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Technology description
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Identified rural youth’s personal
motivations and drivers
“I could use
help to better
manage my
farm and
increase
yields”
“I need
efficient way
of keeping
my farm
records”“ICT could
help me get a
job in town”
“I want to
start using
pesticides
and I want to
know more
how”
“I need to
connect to
the market
directly so I
don’t rely on
exploitative
middlemen”
“I’d like to
start growing
tomatoes,
but don’t
know about
greenhouses
”
“My
cooperative
is looking for
staff to
support new
program”
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Identified steps of youth’s ICT-enabled
journey into profitable farming
Young farmers
struggle to make ends
meet
Young farmers are introduced
to the digital world
through trainings in
the ICT centre
Young farmers start
applying ICTs to
improve production techniques and access to markets.
Early adopters of
ICT see benefits & return on
investment, increased access to
advice services and
higher incomes.
Higher incomes in turn act as motivation to continue
applying ICT tools on farming.
Increased recognition comes from
parents, family and community members.
Other community members,
inspired by early
adopters and their success,
follow suit.
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Identified rural youth’s new ways of
‘harvesting’ information
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Family
Community
Private sector
Government’s
Extension
Workers
Farmer
Organizations
Identified driver of change: Stronger social
position of youth internally and externally
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Social change: Rural youth equipped, empowered,
and capacitated to move beyond restricted futures
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Impact on youth in a nuthsell
Youths are seen as more serious players for private
sector actors
Obtaining market information has enhanced youth’s negotiation basis
The role of youths stands out more strongly internally
and externally
Youth trained in ICT are appointed to more
responsible roles in the producer groups and
collection centres
Youths have started to rent or buy land, in addition to obtaining land from their
parents
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Recommendations
Differentiate and tailor ICT training approaches and
user support on the basis age, marital status, gender, and ownership of or access
to land
Pay attention to removing obstacles that prohibit
young women from fully participating in, and taking advantage of, ICT-related
activities
Furnish ICT centres as learning spaces to support
informal exchanges and networking by young
farmers (male and female)
Encourage the emergence of diverse early adopters
and role models to inspire diverse profiles and groups
of youths to follow suit
Consider strategies to diffuse integration of ICT from specific value chain
crops to diverse crops and activities
Include ongoing monitoring, evaluation and learning activities as part of the programmes to identify unintended negative effects
and undertake corrective action when necessary.
Session 4c, 29 October 2014 eChallenges e-2014 Copyright 2014 IICD
Q&A
Martine Koopman
IICD