INTRODUCTION

The fate of agriculture determines the livelihoods of the world's poor. A basic development challenge is making it easier for smallholders to access the institutions, networks, and information they need to increase their production, food security, and employment prospects. As networks of information and communication technologies (ICTs) enmesh the globe, rural populations now have a transformative opportunity, both as producers and consumers, when they earlier were largely cut off from the outside world. However, to take advantage of this opportunity, a long-term commitment to mobilizing the necessary resources and skills is needed..

The purpose of this training program is to assist professionals, decision-makers, and development partners who operate at the nexus of ICT and agricultural. We hope that it serves as a useful manual for comprehending current trends, putting effective interventions into practice, and assessing the results of those initiatives.

 COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course, the participants will be able to:

• Develop the fundamentals of ICT for agriculture.
• Recognize the necessity of ICT integration in the growth of the agribusiness.
• Recognize current ICT trends as they relate to agriculture and how ICT might improve agricultural strategy and their implementation.
• Create acceptable and long-lasting ICT components for agricultural initiatives, then implement and assess them.
• Create productive public-private partnerships to advance ICT innovation and access for agriculture.
• Incorporate ICT into policy discussions and planning with country counterparts on objectives and priorities for agricultural and rural development.
• Recognize how ICT is used in marketing, inventory control, farm production, and extension activities.
• Become knowledgeable about gender-equitable ICT development in agriculture, a key factor in rural development

 DURATION

5 Days

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course is designed for a variety of actors involved in agricultural extension (ag extension officers, senior agricultural officials, and policy makers), who work with communities, governments, funding agencies, research organizations, and non-governmental organizations, among others, for agricultural support activities and other development programs.

COURSE CONTENT

Module I: Overview of ICT for Agriculture and Rural Development

• ICT Adoption methodology, priorities, collaborators and constraints
• The economics of ICT implementation
• Innovation theory, e-Government

• Key drivers of ICT-enabled services in agriculture
• Principles of Digital Development
• Impact of mobile phones and mobile technologies on agriculture and rural development.

• Comparative advantages of ICT opportunities
• ICT constraint and solution identification, ICT alternatives 

• Tools for personal involvement in ICT adoption and implementation

Module II: ICT and Farm Management

• ICT, Farm Management and Farm Management Information Systems (MIS)
• ICT and Crop Production 
• ICT and Animal Husbandry
• Crop, agricultural inputs and process Models 
• Extending rural access to financial and insurance services through ICT

Module III: Strengthening Rural Governance, Institutions, and Collective Action with ICT

• National ICT priorities – infrastructure, standards, policies, globalization
• Potential ICT contribution to the integration of national and regional initiatives
• ICT supported services – national, regional, personal and sectoral
• National and regional connectivity issues and solutions
• Agricultural Policy 
• Agricultural Cooperation 

• Government-funded services in rural areas
• Empowering intermediary institutions with ICT

Module IV: Strengthening Agricultural Market Access with ICT Tools

• Strengthening agricultural marketing with ICT
• ICT applications for smallholder inclusion in agribusiness supply chains
• Marketing - Tracking and Traceability, production chains
• ICT applications for agricultural risk management
• Improving food safety and traceability while empowering smallholders through ICT
• Strengthening rural governance, institutions, and citizen participation using ICT
• ICT for land administration and management
• Inventory management with ICT
• Agricultural Marketing and commerce

Module V: Using ICT for Remote Sensing, Crowdsourcing, GIS, and Big Data

• Remote sensing
• Crowdsourcing and crowd mapping

• GIS and RS application in agriculture

• Big data for analytics

GENERAL NOTES

• Our seasoned instructors, who have years of experience as knowledgeable professionals in their respective fields of practice, will be teaching this course. A combination of practical exercises, theory, group projects, and case studies are used to teach the course.
• The participants receive training manuals and supplementary reading materials.
• Participants who complete this course successfully will receive a certificate.
• We can also create a course specifically for your organization to match your needs. To learn more, get in touch with ustraining@dealsontrainers.org.
• The training will take place at DEALSON TRAINERS IN NAIROBI, KENYA in Nairobi, Kenya.
• The training fee includes lunch, course materials, and lodging for the training session. Upon request, we may arrange for our participants' lodging and transportation to the airport.
• Payment must be made to our bank account before the training begins, and documentation of payment should be emailedtraining@dealsontrainers.org