Data4Ag

All Eyes on the Sky

Smallholders in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are seeing their horizons broaden, as access to technology brings digital applications to agriculture. In Uganda, a project supported by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), has forged a partnership with Igara Tea Factory (IGTF) to transform cultivation through digital innovation.

Profiling tea farmers in Uganda

Leading the data revolution

ICTs Boost Samoan Agriculture

For many years now, most small-scale farmers in the Pacific Islands have struggled to make a decent living. The shift from the traditional diet of fish, fruit, indigenous tubers and fresh vegetables to one based on cheap, imported, calorie-dense foods not only reduced demand for local produce but led to major health problems, with the Pacific now suffering from some of the highest rates of diet-related diseases in the world.

The value of data in connecting farmers to the marketplace in Samoa

CTA has recently interviewed Marissa Areli, Senior Data Officer at Women in Business Development Incorporated (WIBDI). WIBDI is dedicated to strengthening Samoan village economies and promote fair trade. Marissa Areli joined WIBDI in July 2015. Her work involves transferring farmer information, such as type of production, income status and village name into online reports, to help connect farmers to the market and tourists to the farmers.

Samoa: Building a bright future in farming

by Clare Pedrick

Iese Mataia, 24, from Vaitele, Samoa, had always planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a carpenter. He was working with a construction company when he heard about the Organic Warriors Academy programme launched by CTA partner Women in Business Development Inc (WIBDI) to encourage young people to return to the land. It was a decision that was to change his life.

Can access to data really transform agriculture for smallholders?

by Yanick Bakker , Jasmien Bronckaers , Fatma Ben Rejeb and Chris Addison

In order to feed 9 billion people by 2050, sustainable agricultural growth in needed, supporting an agricultural sector which produces enough food, which is inclusive and resilient, and which makes optimal use of innovation and digital solutions. Smallholder and family farmers must play a key role in achieving this. A 80% of the world’s food supply is produced by small-scale and family farmers, yet their full production potential is hardly reached.

Actions to turn the power of open data into real impact

by Sjoerd Croqué and Sander Janssen

At the third international workshop on the impact of open data for agriculture a new action agenda was discussed by a mix of organisations. They concluded that more focus is required on benefits for the less favoured actors, that open data should become a vehicle for multi-stakeholder collaborations, and that assessment of data driven organisational change is required.

Translating complex data into accessible articles

by Chris Addison

It sounds simple, open data is there for anyone to access. However, not all journalists are aware of the open data available to them or how to use it when writing about food security or the critical challenges facing agriculture. Good journalism is not based on opinions, it relies on evidence-based information.

Kenya opens up agricultural data

The Kenya government initiated the Open Data Initiative in 2011 on the idea that Kenya's information is a national asset. Agriculture is one of the main pillars, because food security and economic development can only move forward if decisions on agriculture are evidence-based. To be successful, data needs to be available, accurate, and open for all.