88223 ICTs for agriculture in Africa eTransform AFRICA AFRICAN UNION This document, on the use of ICTs for Agriculture in Africa, is the summary of the full sector study which was carried out by a team from Deloitte, led by Omri Van Zyl and comprising Trish Alexander, Liezl De Graaf and Kamal Mukherjee with assistance from Vikash Kumar. The full report is available at www.eTransformAfrica.org. This document forms chapter two of the publication edited by Enock Yonazi, Tim Kelly, Naomi Halewood and Colin Blackman (2012) “eTransform Africa: The Transformational Use of ICTs in Africa.” Funding for the publication came from the AfDB Korean Trust Fund, the WB Pfizer Trust Fund and the WB Africa regional department. eTransform AFRICA AFRICAN UNION ICTs for agriculture in Africa Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to transform business and government in Africa, driving entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth. A new flagship report – eTransform Africa – produced by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with the support of the African Union, identifies best practice in the use of ICTs in key sectors of the African economy. Under the theme “Transformation-Ready”, the growing contribution of ICTs to Agriculture, Climate Change Adaptation, Education, Financial Services, Government Services and Health is explored. In addition, the report highlights the role of ICTs in enhancing African regional trade and integration as well as the need to build a competitive ICT industry to promote innovation, job creation and the export potential of African companies. introduction ICTs for agriculture in Africa 1 3 The strategic application of ICT to the • dependency on foreign aid. agricultural industry, the largest eco- nomic sector in most African coun- African agriculture is largely traditional tries, offers the best opportunity for and practised by smallholders and pas- economic growth and poverty allevia- toralists. This type of agriculture is pre- tion on the continent. Food security is dominantly rain-fed, has low-yielding paramount for the survival of individ- production, and lacks access to critical uals, families and ultimately nations, information, market facilitation, and fi- yet Africa’s agriculture sector has been nancial intermediation services. in decline over the past 40 years. Poor farmers have largely remained poor The role that ICT can play a in address­ with 73 per cent of the people living ing these challenges is increasing as in rural areas subsisting on less than a personal ICT devices – such as mobile dollar a day. phones or tablet PCs – are becoming more widely available. ICT, when em- Like other sectors, African agriculture bedded in broader stakeholder systems, is disadvantaged owing to factors that can bring economic development and include: growth as it can help bridge critical knowledge gaps. Mobile technology, • under-investment in rural areas, on the other hand, is increasingly being adopted as the technology of choice for • inadequate access to markets and delivery of ICT services and solutions. unfair market conditions, The wider adoption of ICT in agricul- • inadequate access to advanced ture is of strategic importance to five technologies, main stakeholder groups: • weak infrastructure, • Businesses: businesses, associations, other organizations • high production and transport costs, • Farmers: individuals; organized and • gender asymmetry in access to assets informal associations and services, • Researchers: researchers; educators • conflicts, and trainers • HIV/AIDS, • Government: ministries of agricul- ture, and other relevant departments • natural disasters, and agencies • deforestation, environmental degra- • Citizens, both as consumers and dation and loss of biodiversity, and as custodians of the environment, 4 for instance through civil society or- ganizations. In identifying the ways in which ICT can help agriculture, it is useful to view the farming life cycle as a three-stage process (see Figure 1): • Pre-cultivation: including crop se- lection, land selection, calendar defi- 1 Information systems including DSS/MISS/GIS etc nition, access to credit, etc. • Crop cultivation and harvesting: 2 ICT-enabled learning and knowledge exchange including land preparation and sowing, input management, water management and fertilization, pest 3 Modelling solutions management, etc. • Post-harvest: including marketing, 4 Sensory and proximity devices transportation, packaging, food pro- cessing, etc. 5 ICT-enabled networking solutions Of course, some aspects of how ICTs can assist with agriculture are cross- cutting, like the use of geographical 6 Online commerce tools (eCommerce/mCommerce) information systems (GIS) for land-use planning, while others are broader than agriculture, such as their use in climate change adaptation. Nevertheless, this framework provides a useful basis for analysis. 5 Figure 1 Information and service needs differ through the crop lifecycle 2 1 1 2 3 1 2 Calendar 2 Land selection definition 1 5 Access Crop selection to credit 4 1 Pre Cultivation 2 2 Food Land processing preparation 1 and sowing 4 ICT in Farming Cycle 4 Packaging Post Harvest Crop Cultivation and Harvesting Input management 1 2 2 1 Transportation Water management and fertilisation 4 Marketing Pest management 1 1 4 6 1 5 4 Source: Deloitte landscape analysis ICTs for agriculture in Africa 2 � Common platforms for agriculture stakeholders p7 � Multi-stakeholder eAgri- culture knowledge sharing in Africa p7 � The role of mobile technol- ogy in eAgriculture p8 � Traceability p9 � Agricultural insurance p9 � ICT in rural development p10 7 Scanning the global landscape high- the identification of trends relevant to lights many examples of the success- Africa. These include: ful use of ICT in agriculture enabling Common platforms for agriculture stakeholders An integrated information system for maintenance is relatively low and the agriculture stakeholders minimizes amount of user training required can the duplication of data and ensures be reduced. A good example of such a consistency, improves integrity of the system is DrumNet, a network of sup- data and can address a wide variety port centres in Kenya that provides of information needs. Although often hands-on assistance through the deliv- complex, systems can be customized to ery of financial, marketing and other ensure that the user experience is rela- information products and services. tively simple. Cost and time spent on Multi-stakeholder eAgriculture knowledge sharing in Africa Multi-stakeholder research partner- • ICTs for spatial analysis and target- ships, including farmers, extension ing of programmes professionals, educators and scientists, have many benefits. They focus research • ICTs for better risk management on the most relevant topics, reduce the time needed to complete research, and • ICTs and financial services for the improve the efficiency and effectiveness farmer of the research process. Examples of ap- plications of ICT in agricultural knowl- • eEducation edge sharing include: • Virtual aggregation of small stake- holders 8 The role of mobile technology in eAgriculture Mobile phones, GPS systems, barcode • Test and prove models for delivering scanners, RFID readers and smart agricultural information services via card readers are all examples of tech- mobile phones; and nologies that can be used to capture, read and store data. However, further • Promote a culture of knowledge components, such as the internet, sharing in the mFarmer ecosystem. communication networks and regu- latory systems (to provide data secu- The mFarmer Initiative Fund will sup- rity and standard systems for codes) port projects in Sub-Saharan Africa are essential to complement the input (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, and output devices. One example of Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanza- the role of mobile technology is the nia, Uganda and Zambia). GSMA’s mAgri Programme, which aims to identify and fund opportuni- Another example of mobile tech- ties for mobile communications in nology in agriculture is a well- the agricultural value chain. For in- established service that has been oper- stance, the mFarmer Initiative Fund, ating in Ghana since 2005. The Esoko launched in 2011 in partnership with Ghana Commodity Index (EGCI) the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a rural communication platform and USAID, is designed to: that publishes a cash market price index composed of data on physical • Stimulate the development of mobile commodities. The index is published phone-enabled agriculture informa- weekly and tracks wholesale and retail tion and advisory services that are prices and aims to improve farmers’ commercially sustainable; incomes by building healthy mar- kets. Currently Esoko is active in ten • Build services that impact farmers’ countries in Africa and has a variety income and productivity; of partnership agreements which in- clude public sector agricultural proj- • Reduce the barriers for operators to ects, Esoko country franchises and launch and improve mFarmer Services; licensed partners. 9 Traceability Consumer demand for quality and food The Coopetarrazú’s processing plant safety is placing increased em­phasis on uses leading-edge technologies for cof- the traceability of agricultural produc- fee drying, hulling, sorting and ship- tion, particularly in the markets of the ping. It also tracks hundreds of thou- developed world. Traceability in the ag- sands of coffee purchases, worth US$16 riculture sector involves the recording million annually from its 2,600 mem- of information on animals and food so bers, during the harvest and ensures that an item moving through a global that purchases meet certification crite- supply chain can be tracked from its ria to ensure premium prices. origin along the entire value chain. For instance, remote tracking among Traceability in livestock farming is also the coffee growers of Costa Rica and the focus of one of the detailed case Mexico are examples of a successful studies, so these two cases provide two implementation in developing nations. different views of traceability. Agricultural insurance Agricultural insurance is becoming • facilitating access to information increasingly important as extreme and services to stakeholders; weather patterns generated by cli- mate change are exacerbating vola- • providing advance information tility in food production and food about weather and market price prices. Crop insurance has long been situations; used in developed countries to deal with weather uncertainties, but its • providing better services and facili- availability in Africa, particularly tate speedy claims servicing; to smallholder farmers, has been extremely limited. Agricultural in- • monitoring and tracking premium surance also applies to livestock, repayments; bloodstock, forestry, aquaculture and greenhouses. ICTs can play an im- • ensuring a better interface between portant role in the agricultural insur- the insurer and the insured, particu- ance process by: larly for field-based transactions; 10 • developing specialized and afford- • improving complaints procedures. able rural insurance products; and ICT in rural development Multi-purpose community centres can the local community is employed to be used to provide remote populations promote and maintain those services. with information and communication Services available at the CICs include options. In Bhutan, for example, Com- basic and advanced computer train- munity Information Centres (CIC) ing, internet access, telephone facilities, were established to provide services government information and forms, to a scattered population, who live in and lamination and scanning facilities. mountainous, forested terrain that has made wired internet and telephone Broadband connectivity brings high-end connectivity prohibitively expensive. services closer to the rural population Their objective was to provide sustain- and helps reduce poverty. As a result, the able, commercially viable ICT services travelling time and cost for villagers and in rural areas. The state provides the farmers is reduced while employment equipment, and an individual from opportunities are generated. africa scan ICTs for agriculture in Africa 3 13 While the landscape analysis high- security related problems – mAgri lighted global best practices and sam- ple cases, the Africa Scan provides a • Seeing is believing – unlocking pre- closer look at recognized eAgriculture cision agriculture in West African successes in Africa. smallholder communities with very high-resolution imagery The Africa Scan provides an overview of ICT solutions in the agricultural The reasons for success identified in sector in Africa, identifying reasons these examples are: for their success and the potential for them to be scaled up. These success fac- • Real economic value was added tors emerged from studying examples either because of savings resulting of ICT use that are described in more from the use of ICT or an increase in detail in the full report, such as: revenue or profitability. • Using ICT to bring together multiple • The language and medium used to stakeholders in the Kenyan agricul- communicate with the farmers were ture sector – DrumNet important contributing factors in the farmers’ response to the programme. • SMS-based services developed by Zambia’s National Farmers’ Union • Good conceptualization and execu- tion was achieved by including mul- • Sissili Vala Kori – farmers’ use ICT tiple stakeholders in win–win part- to share new production, processing nerships. and marketing skills in Burkina Faso • Trust was built with stockists, sup- • A mango traceability system linking port centre operators and the gov- Malian smallholders and exporters ernment by using local champions to global consumers as facilitators. This is an essential ele- ment for success in any project. • Index-based agriculture insurance on agricultural inputs in Kenya – Kilimo • Projects were often augmented by Salama bundling many services together with the basic or original facilities to • Using ICT to improve forest gover- make them truly comprehensive. nance in Liberia – LiberFor • A government-recognized body • Mobile technology as a “Game used to implement a project provides Changer” in South Africa – MXit the initiative with added credibility. • Mobile technologies used by GSMA • Where mobile phone reception and sig- as an initiative to alleviate food nal coverage issues were problematic, 14 local alternative media uses emerged • In instances where farmers were able to circumvent the problem. to identify personally with a technol- ogy solution they were more inclined • Additional faith and trust in the sys- to adopt it and continue to use it. tem are created when a solution is developed locally. • In areas of low literacy and low ICT penetration rates, use of an appro- • Community members find it partic- priate medium was important to the ularly useful if farmers are directly success of the venture. involved in training and can demon- strate a solution. • It is important to establish a long- term interest and commitment • By increasing the scale at which amongst all those involved. knowledge and new techniques can be applied, and by reducing transac- • In the precision farming case study, tion costs, ICTs help to create sus- the adoption of satellite technology tainable business models, based on resulted in lower operational costs the private sector. and increased yield. case studies ICTs for agriculture in Africa 4 � ICT as a potential tool for increased traceability of livestock p17 � Intensified utilization of ICT for increased irriga- tion efficiency p19 17 Here we focus in depth on two ma- These are, first, the improved traceabil- jor opportunities for increased use of ity of livestock and products and, sec- ICT identified as key areas for a rapid ond, the increased efficiency of irriga- increase in agricultural production. tion of crops. ICT as a potential tool for increased traceability of livestock Livestock production is the most Box 1). In this system official identi- widespread and generally practised fication is done by means of animal agricultural activity on the African identification devices as required by continent. If, as a result of intensified international standards. Both radio use of ICT in improving the efficien- frequency identification (RFID) for cy of livestock and meat production automated data input and a visual in selected African countries, sig- plastic ear tag that supports remote nificant increases in production are pastoral production where there is possible at affordable cost and these limited or no technological support, methods are relatively easy to du- are used. As a backup system, brand- plicate in areas with diverse natural ing of animals will continue. Eligible landscapes, the potential for general cattle are tagged as part of a specific increased wealth creation in all parts campaign and further tagging takes of the continent could be enormous. place during annual vaccination campaigns or community visit-based The Namibian Livestock Identi- surveillance activities. In cases where fication and Traceability System handling facilities are in disrepair, (NamLITS), was studied in depth (see mobile crush pens are used. Box 1 next page l 18 Box 1 Namibia: Livestock traceability systems unlock wealth along the value chain The results of the in-depth investiga- comprehensive traceability pro- tion in Namibia revealed that: gramme are relatively low com- pared to the benefits which can • The traceability systems em- accrue to the livestock industry, ployed by the commercial farming the respective role players in the community and its downstream value chain as well as the govern- role players have unlocked wealth ment of the country; along the entire value chain; • An enabling environment should • The experience gained by the be created by the government commercial livestock sector can and all other interested parties to serve as a valuable platform to ensure maximum efficiency of an roll out traceability systems in un- advanced traceability system; der-developed rural areas where livestock production is heavily re- • Should international organiza- lied on to sustain the people; tions involved in the provision of aid funding wish to make a • New, streamlined traceability sys- contribution of note to Namibia, tems which have recently been consideration should be given developed allow a wider spec- to concentrating their funding ef- trum of functions to be included forts on the provision and mainte- so that many additional services nance of a comprehensive trace- can be rendered; ability system; • The co-ordinated extention • Traceability systems can be rolled of comprehensive systems of out in many other African coun- traceability can improve the lives tries where they can be expected of multitudes of poor people to bring about similar wealth cre- and the long-term sustainability ation, but an enabling environ- of the entire livestock industry. ment must be created first; This has the potential to posi- tively affect the economy of the • Investment in the intensified use country at large; of ICT can offer more advantages than investment in possibly any • The capital and operational costs other interventions that may be involved in the roll-out of such a considered. 19 Intensified utilization of ICT for increased irrigation efficiency It has been demonstrated in many areas improving the management of irriga- of the globe that using good irrigation tion and drainage and increasing the techniques can increase the efficiency efficiency of irrigated agriculture water and profitability of crop production as use and services. much as a hundredfold. Efficient ir- rigation practices provide a consistent The plan aims to improve irrigation and moisture supply to crops, water defi- drainage systems and the water man- ciencies can be overcome during pe- agement institutional structure. The riods of drought, more than one crop first phase of the project has resulted in cycle per year can be achieved and crop yield increases of 20 per cent, with the effective use of all production re- drainage estimated to account for 15- sources can be improved dramatically. 25 per cent of this increase. A further The pressure on the diminishing water benefit is the re-use of drainage water. resources can also be alleviated and, as a result, more land can be put under A second type of intervention is irrigation. The increased utilization of illustrated by the Magrabi Farms area ICT could have a positive effect on ir- which was a green-fields operation rigation efficiency. and has been developed from ac- tual desert to the 8,500 acres that Egypt depends almost exclusively on are now fully irrigated and under- the Nile River for its water supply. Of pin an export-oriented agribusiness. this, 85 per cent is used for irrigation. Magrabi exports produce to 38 coun- Two separate aspects of the use of ICT tries. Magrabi is an ideal example of in managing irrigation are highlighted the development of a full-scale, eco- through the case of Egypt. The first of nomically sustainable unit that has these is an Integrated Water Resource used technology in order to reach its Management Action Plan which the current status. They are completely Ministry of Water Resources and Irri- independent in terms of being able to gation in Egypt has been implementing conduct all the functionalities required in response to the increasing demand for good soil, water and multi-cropping for water while the options for in- management. There are fully equipped creasing supply are limited. It is being laboratories on the farm that form part implemented on more than 2,000 km2 of an integrated quality control pro- in the Nile Delta, covering the com- gramme and the whole complex has mand of two main canals, Mahmoudia a fully-integrated, reticulated irriga- and Mit Yazid. The project aims at tion system which is managed by an 20 irrigation engineer. All water passes monitored. An on-site weather station, through filters and all bypass water is for temperature monitoring and evapo- tested for purity as fertigation, i.e. appli- ration pans to determine moisture loss, cation of fertilizers, is a normal practice. is used to facilitate the correct irriga- Efficiency of water usage is continuously tion scheduling. Box 2 Egypt: ICT use increases irrigation efficiency In-depth investigation in Egypt relatively low compared to the shows that: large benefits expected; • Existing ICT systems employed • The enabling environment which by some of the commercial farm- the government and all other in- ing community in large-scale ir- terested parties create to ensure rigated farming operations have efficient use of irrigation water, increased the efficiency of water can serve as an example to other use and generated larger profits; countries; • The experience gained by the • International aid organizations large and small-scale commercial could make a serious contribu- irrigation sector can serve as a tion to Egypt by focusing funding valuable platform for even more efforts on the intensification of comprehensive ICT systems. ICT-based irrigation systems; Many more agrarian communi- ties in Egypt can be reached and • The systems can also be rolled out this will contribute towards the in many other African countries and improvement of living standards; can be expected to bring about a similar magnitude of wealth cre- • The intensified use of ICT can of- ation, provided that an enabling fer government organizations op- environment can be created; portunities to diversify their ser- vices to all communities involved • Investment in the intensification with irrigation farming; of the use of ICT for the improve- ment of crop production under • The capital and operational irrigation, can offer more advan- costs involved in the roll-out of a tages than investment in most range of ICT-based functions are other areas. recommendations ICTs for agriculture in Africa 5 � Recommendations for policy makers and regulators p23 � Recommendations for donors p26 23 The following recommendations aim to • Implement interventions that would assist policy makers, regulators and the have a tangible outcome; donor community to: • Develop multi-country cooperation • Gain insight into the benefits of ICT and best practices; and to led interventions in their respective countries or regions; • Prioritize interventions that would be most beneficial Recommendations for policy makers and regulators Recommendation 1 Create partnerships with the relevant stakeholders In many African countries, synergies between stakeholders for identified between the different parties in the eAgriculture projects with targeted agricultural value chain are not ex- outcomes, working with established ploited optimally. Hence, forums need partners, such as NEPAD or CAADP. to be set up to encourage dialogue, These partnerships can play an invalu- interaction and promote knowledge able role in the research, planning, related to use of ICT in agriculture, problem solving, review of operations such as the World Bank’s ICT in Agri- and in training relevant government culture eSourcebook. Specific partner- officials and staff in the use of ICT in ships should be identified and be built agriculture. Recommendation 2 Establish an agricultural hub Leadership, communication and creative management and support structure thinking are required to initiate and sus- would enable communication between tain eAgriculture projects that will have private sector and government and a significant impact. A purpose-built drive the strategic agenda of the state. 24 Designed to be non-bureaucratic and opportunities in the agricultural sector. nimble, an agricultural hub would These eAgriculture projects would in drive agricultural diversification, turn stimulate commercialization, di- mega projects including eAgriculture versification and job creation. projects, and initiate and coordinate Recommendation 3 Implement legislation and regulations to govern specific opportunities Legislation and regulations relating such as national irrigation schemes and to ICTs must be revisited, to ensure traceability programmes, may require that, amongst other concerns, infor- new, strong legislation and regulation. mation security is protected, the cost National legislative bodies together of communications infrastructure with Ministries of Agriculture and (e.g. broadband) is reduced and ICT Ministries of Communications need to infrastructure is accessible even from coordinate to ensure timely enactment remote rural areas. Some programmes, of laws and regulations. Recommendation 4 Consider adoption of traceability systems at a national level Traceability systems have the potential market destination, since systems that to bring about an observable improve- do not cover the whole lifecycle create ment in the well-being of large num- gaps in traceability, which may be det- bers of people on the African continent rimental to the industry and the con- as export markets can be created when sumer. It is essential that legislation and traceability systems are implement- regulations are enforced and will also ed correctly. Systems should address apply to other agricultural products. full traceability, from first contact to 25 Recommendation 5 Empower women in agriculture In Africa, women perform 65 per cent Governments need to provide incen- of all activities within the agricultural tives to telecommunications service sector. Not only do these women of- providers to expand money transfer ten have little access to finance, but services to rural communities as these also they have little free time to de- enable rural woman to have more au- vote to their own interests or to rest tonomy over their finances. Content and are physically at a disadvantage. providers need to provide health, nu- Women in rural communities, and trition and educational advice on eAg- particularly those moving from sub- riculture web pages. Active monitoring sistence farming to small-scale farm- of eAgriculture programmes by gov- ing, can benefit greatly from ICT as ernment is necessary to assess the de- these can save time and physical effort gree to which these programmes take and equal access can be monitored. the interests of women into account. Recommendation 6 Implement irrigation solutions in Africa ICT can be used to reduce water con- has been used for a number of years in sumption significantly using modern Egypt with great success may still be irrigation techniques and as a result deemed as “new” in many other African enhance the quality and productivity countries, consulting with and learning of land and eventually increase farm- from experts and those with extensive ers’ incomes. Since technology that experience in ICT is recommended. Recommendation 7 Implement integrated eAgriculture plans Implementation of a comprehensive, economies of scale, and ensure that integrated, long-term eAgriculture there is political and executive com- Plan for each country should involve mitment to eAgriculture with the nec- all stakeholders and hence increase essary budgetary allocation. The plans stakeholder ownership, bring about facilitate the design of single technol- 26 ogy frameworks for each country into There is also a need to strengthen Af- which new hardware and software rican research and training institutes components, addressing different in the agricultural and environmental functionality and features, could slot. field, including those that play a role in Single-window services and one-stop- monitoring climate change. shops naturally result from such plans. Recommendations for donors Recommendation 8 Develop self-sustaining funding solutions Since eAgriculture ventures, par- filled by local people and creating ticularly those taken up by commu- these jobs would address the rural nities, must be sustainable beyond brain drain to some small extent. their initial funding periods, it is Donors should publish the fact that necessary that strong business mod- a description of viable plans for ulti- els exist and that the community mately making a project self-funding members can benefit directly. Some is one of their funding application’s jobs related to eAgriculture can be evaluation criteria. Recommendation 9 Focus on community ownership Well-established community owner- in decision making early in the project ship assists projects to survive after do- and progressively hand over leadership nors move on and reduces long-term and operation of the project to them. As dependency on an external champion. community owned projects are often Thus, programme designers and imple- resource-scarce, it is best to adopt ap- menters of community-based projects proaches that make adequate use of the should include community members existing infrastructure. 27 Recommendation 10 Make eAgriculture technology robust and accessible Systems are only valuable if they are available technology devices, such as used, but this can only occur in eAg- mobile devices, and include alterna- riculture projects if the end users find tive communication options in order the systems easy to use and the tech- to include the largest possible num- nology is cheap, available, reliable and ber of end users. Voice is often a bet- can be run off-line when necessary. ter option than text because users are Backup and disaster recovery plans, as often not fully literate. Multi-purpose well as alternative work processes that telecentres not only allow internet and can easily be linked into the primary ICT access but are important centres system, need to be implemented so for learning, listening and stimulating that systems are useable even if there is ideas. Initial donor financial support some failure of the technology. Systems is needed until the number of users designers and developers need to de- reaches a critical mass. sign system access through commonly Recommendation 11 Build human capacity in rural communities Rural communities urgently need ba- classroom tuition. Donors and funders sic education opportunities, includ- are urged to ask for an educational ing basic farming skills and business use component to be made a funding management skills. Complete reliance eligibility requirement for all projects. on eEducation is not recommended A good model here is the African in communities made up primarily of Leadership in ICT (ALICT) compo- smallholders or subsistence farmers nent of the Global eSchools and Com- but the internet can be a very valuable munities Initiative (GeSCI), based in resource for the teachers who provide Nairobi, Kenya. 28 Recommendation 12 Encourage environmental responsibility through country agriculture strategy maps Country specific agriculture strategy assist in developing the eAgriculture maps, using a variety of ICT tools but plan recommended to policy makers primarily imaging tools such as GIS and regulators in Recommendation 7 and satellite technologies, can be used above by providing access to the neces- to encourage environmentally respon- sary technology and international ex- sible farming as well as commercially perts required for developing country astute practices. Donors are urged to specific agriculture strategy maps. 29 Further reading Campaigne, J. and Rausch, T. (2010) “Bundling development services with agricultural finance: the experience of DrumNet” Innovations in Rural and Agricultural Finance, Focus 18, Brief 14, International Food Policy Research Institute and The World Bank http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/focus18_14.pdf Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union (2009) Economic Report on Africa: Developing African Agriculture through Regional Value Chains United Nations Economic Commission for Africa http://www.uneca.org/era2009/ERA2009_ENG_Full.pdf Gakuru, M., Winters, K. and Stepman, F. (2009) Inventory of Innovative Farmer Advisory Services Using ICTs The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa http://www.fara-africa.org/media/uploads/File/NSF2/RAILS/Innovative_Farmer_Advisory_Systems.pdf Kora, G. and Kassem, M. (2010) The Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Agricultural and Rural Development in Egypt Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1930e/i1930e00.pdf Qiang, C., Kuek, S., Dymond, A. and Esselar, S. (2011) Mobile Applications for Agriculture and Rural Development The World Bank http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLO- GIES/Resources/MobileApplications_for_ARD.pdf World Bank (2011) ICT in Agriculture sSourcebook - Connecting Smallholders to Knowledge, Networks, and Institutions The World Bank, infoDev and ARD http://www.ictinagriculture.org www.eTransformAfrica.org Publications for eTransform Africa include the Summary Report, Main Report which includes an overview chapter and summary chapters of the full reports, and the full reports themselves covering the following sectors and cross-cutting themes: Sectors themes: Agriculture Climate Change Adaptation Education Financial Services Modernizing Government Health Cross-cutting themes: Regional Trade and Integration ICT Competitiveness For a more detailed presentation on the role of ICT in agriculture in Africa, see the full eTransform Africa sector report: http://www.etransformafrica.org. Graphic design by Marie-Anne Chambonnier eTransform AFRICA AFRICAN UNION