[2012] This paper asks “How is information and communication technology (ICT) being used in agricultural development?” It provides a snapshot of the types of ICT solutions that are emerging in agriculture for development and how these solutions are beginning to be used to fight hunger, reduce poverty, raise education, protect our environment and improve our health, all things we need to do in order to build a smarter global community.
Using case study examples, the paper outlines how ICT applications for the agriculture sector range from the highly sophisticated, fully-integrated chain-wide agri-business service packages used by the most commercial farmers, down to basic voice and text messaging that is being used very effectively by less resourced smallholder farmers and traders. To take advantage of this marketplace, the private sector, NGOs and governments are investing in a range of new tools to link farmers with assets, services and markets.