Publication: Improving Agricultural Productivity and Markets : The Role of Information and Communication Technologies
Date
2009-04
ISSN
Published
2009-04
Author(s)
McNamara, Kerry
Abstract
Raising the productivity of smallholders
is a necessary condition for increasing incomes and
improving livelihoods among the rural poor in most
developing countries. This increased productivity is
essential to both household food security and to
agriculture-based growth and poverty reduction in the larger
economy. Smallholder productivity is limited by a variety of
constraints including poor soils, unpredictable rainfall,
and imperfect markets, as well as lack of access to
productive resources, financial services, or infrastructure.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are also
vitally important to commercial and large-scale agriculture,
and to agriculture-related services and infrastructure such
as weather monitoring and irrigation. This note focuses on
the sometimes less-obvious importance of ICT in improving
the information, communication, transaction, and networking
elements of smallholder agriculture in developing countries.
Citation
“McNamara, Kerry. 2009. Improving Agricultural Productivity and Markets : The Role of Information and Communication Technologies. Agricultural and Rural Development Notes; No. 47. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/1bf42f89-78c0-5c1f-bb6c-1db58b42a895 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”