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Information Systems and Sustainable Agriculture

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Photo Credit: AgroAmerica The achievement of food security and environmental issues are becoming one of the greatest challenge of humankind. With the exploitation of natural resources almost reaching their limits, there is a global call for optimum utilisation and also conservation of natural resources   (Saravanan, 2010) In the field of agriculture, sustainability is endangered through the amount and kind of chemicals we use, the waste products we produce, the depletion of resources like fresh water, soil erosion and salinity. There are regional differences in the seriousness of these dangers   (Ban, 1994) . A communication system and strategy should be well planned on the basis of an analysis of the Agricultural Knowledge and Information System   (Ban, 1994) It is of vital importance that the information technology employed in an information system is sustainable in itself. A sustainable Information System should have the attributes of longevity, simplicity, accessibilit
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Extension Services Delivery and Information Systems

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In today's world, the pace of change is accelerated, and people are continually involved in it, either as passive elements or as active citizens, more often as mere project recipients or targets.   (Swanson, et al., 1997) . Extension planners throughout the world face the difficult challenges of being creative in their programme development efforts and responsive to the needs of rural communities and farmers.  Considering the non-existence of an ideal or universal programme development model or approach, different options and choices are available and may be dependent upon a great number of variables. It is necessary, for example, to have a clear definition of who plans (the institutional scene), for whom (the potential beneficiaries), who takes the initiative, what the goals are, what the means are, what the time frame is, and what the sociopolitical environment is. Other variables may also be very important, such as the source of funds or the project's physical scope (
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Post-Harvest and Food Safety Systems

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Information systems are concerned with data capture, storage, analysis and retrieval. In the context of food safety management, they are vital to assist decision making in a short time frame, potentially allowing decisions to be made and practices to be actioned in real time. (Mcmeekin, et al., 2006) The Food & Beverage (F&B) industry—with its complex global supply chains and multiple sectors and sub-sectors—is particularly vulnerable and, within this evolving landscape, effective, holistic information management is critical to holding and sharpening a competitive edge   (Open Text, n.d.) In considering the agro-food chain system as a whole, harvesting may be considered as the hinge bridge between the pre-harvest slope, corresponding to production activity and the post-harvest slope, extending from harvesting to consumption   (Grolleaud, 2001) . In his book, the Hidden Harvest, Spurgeon considered that “The post-harvest system should be thought of as encompassing
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Introduction- Information Systems in Agriculture

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Agriculture is a knowledge-intensive industry. Value-chain actors need to obtain and process financial, climatic, technical, market and regulatory information to manage their activities   (Just & Zilberman, 2002) . Though it may not be considered as an aspect of agriculture which has been isolated as an autonomous study area, Information systems and management can be considered as a productive resource, potentially limiting and influencing the efficiency of production, marketing, processing and administration in Agriculture.   (Blackie, 1979) .  At the production level, the role of information hardly has been defined and in practice the processing of raw data to provide useful information is informal and crude.   (Blackie, 1979) Agricultural information  interacts with and influences  agricultural  productivity in a variety of ways. It informs decisions regarding land, labour, livestock, capital and management. Relevant, reliable and timely information and knowledge dissem
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Subsidy Management in Agriculture

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Application of granular fertilizer on seedlings Subsidy systems have been a mainstay of development countries government's long-term policy of promoting social equity and political stability. This policy attempts at sharing national natural resource wealth (Akhter, et al., 2001) Governments in most Developing Economies offer social interventions through subsidy systems. It is estimated that Africa loses the equivalent of $4 billion worth of soil nutrients annually, thereby weakening its capacity to sustain plant life. Given the poor natural attributes of the soils, coupled with poor management practices, there is consensus that significant increase in inorganic fertilizer use is necessary to restore and maintain their fertility in order to enhance productivity. (Minot & Benson, 2009) To tackle the inefficiencies in the subsidy distribution programmes, systems must be put in place to arrest the bottlenecks such as fraud, diversion, etc. In order to develop succe
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Unit 1- One Minute Paper

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Systems Thinking From its etymological meaning, a system is the uniting or putting together of different units or components to form a new whole. A system is a set of interacting or interdependent parts coming together to form a complex whole. The essence and the idea of systems is the “bringing together of interdependent components and sub-components with the view of creating a new whole to achieve a set goal or objective” The structure of a system is static whiles the behaviour is dynamic due to the effect produced by a system in operation.   (Kreps, 2016) An efficient system should be self-regulating to allow for the sub-components to provide feedback to the other interdependent components. Sub-components of an information system should be arranged and fitted in an environment to enable them to become self-organizable and governed by feedback. In his publication, SYSTEMS THINKING: WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW? Michael Goodman further espouses “systems thinkin
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Location: Unnamed Road, Ghana
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e-Agriculture Potentials

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Farmer calling an IVR system for information Farming in the 21 st Century has become complex and competitive. The average farmer now sees farming as a business and not just a way of planting to feed himself and the family. It has become increasingly important for farmers to adopt Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) in order to compete on the global market. Implementing GAP in agriculture should not be considered as an end in itself but should be followed up with regular training and adoption in which the producers are trained to understand the economics behind efforts Good Agricultural Practices.   (Agric In Ghana, 2014) With resource constraints and scattered geographical location of farms and farmers in developing economies, Information technology/ systems offers affordable and reliable means of reaching and disseminating information and conducting trainings remotely. e-Agriculture goes beyond technology, to promoting the integ
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