Vol 34. No3.

Dec 2017
palawija
■ forum

Implementation of Information and Communication

MAIN
ARTICLE
Technology to Support Agricultural Development
in Indonesia
By Dani Medionovianto and Ita Sualia

Introduction
The development of information and communication technology (ICT) is snowballing. Digital
technologies allow people, even those in remote areas, to connect across the globe at high speeds and
at any time through telephone or Internet facilities.1 ICT has a potentially important role in transferring
information on agricultural practices from researchers to farmers, among farmers themselves and even
from farmer to researcher. ICT allows farmers to obtain relevant up-to-date information, thus, it can help
in decision-making processes to improve agricultural productivity. Along with information of on-farm
practices, ICT is also able to offer information for post-harvest farming. ICT provides an easy way for
farmers to access market information, such as bidding price, staple commodity price, information about
consumer trends, as well as mobile applications for online markets that enable producers to advertise
or sell their products through cellular phone applications.

In practice, ICT in agriculture also requires the active participation of farmers, not only in an information
end-user role, but in supplying data and information on the amount of harvest, harvest conditions,
Dani Medionovianto
Senior Extension Worker, selling price of crops, and on pest and disease outbreaks. ICT can improve communication and
Indonesian Center for enhance interaction among agricultural researchers, extension workers, farmers and other
Agricultural Technology stakeholders in agricultural innovations and rural development.
Assessment and
Development (ICATAD),
Ministry of Agriculture Agriculture is important in Indonesia as 31.7 per cent of its labour-force works in the agriculture sector.2
Bogor, Indonesia It sees that effective ICT integration into the agricultural sector will support economic development and
poverty reduction, and is also a strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In
addition, it is believed that competitive farmers can increase agricultural productivity and manage the
market through good quality agricultural products, therefore capacity-building for farmers is a high
priority. The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture with support from the World Bank during 2007-2013
developed a farmer empowerment project namely Farmer Empowerment through Agricultural

1 Gartner, 2016. Top 10 Technology Trends Signal the Digital Mesh. Gartner Inc. Accessed online 12 December 2017 at:
Ita Sualia https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/top-ten-technology-trends-signal-the-digital-mesh/
2
Research Consultant, Badan Pusat Statistik, 2016. The New Statistical Table (Tabei Statistik Terbaru). Accessed online 12 December 2017 at:
CAPSA-ESCAP https://www.bps.go.id/statictable.html
2 CAPSA palawija forum

Technology and Information (FEATI). FEATI was information and tutorials on farming practices for
expected to address the geographical constraints pre-cultivation preparation. A recent development
of Indonesia as an archipelagic country and the in telemetry, i.e. GIS, allows the agriculture sector
low number of Indonesian extension workers; that to build, access and use maps of land ownership,
is, 44,000 extension workers for 72,000 potential soil profiles, watersheds, landscape, cropping
agricultural villages,3 where one extension worker patterns and profiles at seasonal levels. The
for each village is the ideal as stated in Law telemetry data can be stored and accessed
Number 19 Year 2013 on Farmers Protection and through a big data facility. Big data allows
Empowerment. information to be distributed at high speed and
low cost, thus allowing efficient decision-making.
Opportunity and challenges of ICT
2. Crop cultivation and harvesting
in agriculture Farmers can access timely weather information,
Global agriculture requires small farmers to adopt information about on-farm management and
sustainable agriculture practices. Hence, there various tutorials on farming practices. Inputting
has been a shift from input-intensive agriculture to data from monitoring and evaluation and applying
knowledge-intensive agriculture. Knowledge- statistical or modelling software makes it possible
intensive agriculture involves dissemination of to see crop productivity trends and develop
information on sustainable agriculture practices, reliable productivity projections. Digital data is
which focus on capacity-building, knowledge also easier to disseminate, facilitating the
exchange to address needs of small farmers, and exchange of information with other parties.
enhancing links between research and extension. Farmers can use ICT to identify and control pests
Experts suggest that some technologies could and diseases, as well as report an outbreak on
generate enormous advantages for agricultural their own farmland or in their neighbourhood.
information management.
3. Post-harvest
Utilization of ICT to support sustainable The use of ICT at the post-harvest stage can
agriculture development include marketing, transportation, packaging, food
Access to appropriate information at the proper processing and product traceability. ICT
time plays a significant role in the agriculture applications vary, ranging from simple
supply chain, and ICT makes this possible. spreadsheets to more sophisticated tailor-made
Precision agriculture has been growing, and it is applications. ICT improves efficiency and
now possible to collect large quantities of data predictability, and reduces waste in value chains,
and to control and monitor individual plants. with a positive impact on all market actors.4 The
Greater efficiencies of time, cost and quality of producer can use ICT to sell their products
services and products can be attained using ICT. through the online market, and manage
The following is an explanation of the role of ICT inventories and rural distribution networks using
in assisting crop production at each stage of the applications that enable communication with the
three-stage farming life cycle: (1) pre-cultivation; buyer, orders to be processed and electronic
(2) crop cultivation and harvesting; and (3) post­ invoices to be issued. Buyers can use a range of
harvest. management information systems to order the
goods, track where the purchased goods are and
1. Pre-cultivation ensure the food safety of the product by tracing it
At the local level, farmers can use ICT to match along the market chain from individual farms to
cropping practices to climatic trends by using the the retail shelf by using cell phone systems and
Cropping Calendar Information System barcodes.
(discussed later). They can also access
(continues on page 4)

Kompas Online, 2017. Indonesia Lack of 28,000 Agriculture Extension (Indonesia Kekurangan 28.000 Penyuluh Pertanian).
3
Accessed online 12 December 2017 at: http://ekonomi.kompas.eom/read/2017/08/09/190000126/indonesia-kekurangan-28.000-
penyuluh-pertanian
4 World Bank, 2011. ICT In Agriculture, Connecting Smallholders to Knowledge, Networks, and Institutions.
 Vol 34. No 3. Dec 2017 3

Dear Palawija Readers, FROM

CAPSA
We are pleased to share the December 2017 edition of CAPSA Palawija Forum. This edition will
highlight the issue of “Technological innovation approach for sustainable and resilient agriculture”.
Agriculture holds the key to supporting economic, social and environmental structures to strengthen
our sustainable society. In addition, sustainable and resilient agriculture is critically important to
achieving goals from other sectors, such as the sustainable use of water and energy, employment,
equitable development and climate change adaptation. Accelerating technological innovation and
facilitating the transfer of useful technologies across Asia and the Pacific is a key strategy to meet
such challenges in the agriculture sector.

This edition of Palawija Forum presents three articles and one case study focusing on the above
issue. The main article discusses the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of
information and communication technology (ICT) to support agricultural development in Indonesia.
The Farmer Empowerment through Agricultural Technology and Information (FEATI) project
developed by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture is also highlighted in the article.

The second article elaborates the Sri Lankan Department of Agriculture's initiative to develop various
farmer-centric services by adopting ICT tools to improve rural farming and ensure food security.
Some successful ICT innovations are also showcased.

The third article describes some important technologies for enhancing agricultural resilience to
natural disasters and climate change in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). The article
concludes that the country's Agriculture Development Strategy to the year 2025 (ADS 2025) will
focus on the development of agricultural technology.

This edition also shares a case story of the Republic of Korea in developing smart farms by using
ICT applications for resilient agriculture, and a review on the updated edition of the World Bank
Source Book, entitled ICT in Agriculture: Connecting Smallholders to Knowledge, Networks, and
Institutions.

We hope that you find the information in this Forum useful.

CAPSA Palawija Team

Important Notice
The fourteenth session of the Governing Council of CAPSA was held in Bangkok, Thailand,
on 13 December 2017, and adopted, among others, the decision that CAPSA will transition to
a new intergovernmental organization outside the United Nations system as of 1 July 2018.
In this regard, the issuance of Palawija Forum will be suspended during the transition period.

CAPSA will nevertheless continue the electronic dissemination of its information products,
including, among others, E-Flash, monthly updates on sustainable agriculture policy issues in
the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Check out our website at www.uncapsa.org for more
updates and follow our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.
4 CAPSA palawija forum

Opportunity number of cell phone users in rural area is

Rural agricultural development can be boosted insufficient, the primary support of mobile
through ICT initiatives that can disseminate transmitter networks has spread to rural and
information to rural communities, exchange remote areas across Indonesia.7 Mobile phones
information between rural farmers, improve and mobile broadband connections are
research and extension linkages and promote affordable and are driving the growth of Internet
rural agricultural growth. The increasing number access in Indonesia. Currently, the number of
of mobile phone and internet users, as well as Internet users is 132.7 million people8 or almost
the improved electricity infrastructure and 51 per cent of the total population of Indonesia.
transmitter networks that have reached remoter Indonesia is ranked sixth in the world in terms of
areas provide great opportunities for ICT in Internet users after China, USA, India, Brazil and
agricultural development. Japan.

Katadata (2017)5 found that the number of cell Widespread broadband connectivity and cloud
phone subscriptions in Indonesia is increasing computing with fourth-generation technology
rapidly, from 282 million in 20156 to 371 million (4G), which has been operating in Indonesia
users in 2017. This figure is equal to 142 per cent since 2010, is bringing almost unlimited capacity
of total Indonesian population of 262 for farmers and other actors to connect with each
millionpeople. Even though the information on the other and engage in complex agricultural market

Number of Internet users in Indonesia per January 2017

JAN INDONESIA
2017 A SNAPSHOT OF THE COUNTRY'S KEY DIGITAL STATISTICAL INDICATORS

TOTAL INTERNET ACTIVE SOCIAL MOBILE ACTIVE MOBILE

POPULATION USERS MEDIA USERS SUBSCRIPTIONS SOCIAL USERS

262.0
MILLION
132.7 106.0 371.4 92.0
MILLION MILLION MILLION MILLION
URBANISATION: PENETRATION: PENETRATION: V» POPULATION: PENETRATION:

55% 51% 40% 142% 35%

Source: Hootsuite, 2017

5
Katadata, 2017. Indonesia Cellular Phone Users Reach 142% of Population (Pengguna Ponsel Indonesia Mencapai 142% dari
Populasi). Accessed online 13 December 2017 at: https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2017/08/29/pengguna-ponsel-
indonesia-mencapai-142-dari-populasi
6
Ramadhan, B. 2016. Number of Cellular Phone Users in Indonesia is Exceeded the Number of Population (Jumlah Pengguna
Ponsel di Indonesia Melebihi Jumlah Populasi). Accessed at https://www.goodnewsfromindonesia.id/2016/01/21/data-terbaru-
ternyata-jumlah-ponsel-di-indonesia-melebihi-jumlah-populasi
7 Kemeninfo, 2017. Indonesia Ranked the Sixth Internet User in The World (Pengguna Internet Indonesia Nomor Enam Dunia).
Accessed online 13 December 2017 at: https://kominfo.go.id/content/detail/4286/pengguna-internet-indonesia-nomor-enam-
dunia/0/sorotan_media
8 Hootsuite, 2017. Digital in 2017: South East Asia
 Vol 34. No 3. Dec 2017 5

chains to access and use information for decision agricultural extension workers and the private
support. Smartphone technology and cloud­ sector/entrepreneurs in agriculture and
based computing can effectively be used to government.
transform smallholder agriculture in developing
countries. The main key activities of FEATI project include:
1. Provision of ICT facilities
Challenge 2. Training needs assessment
ICT utilization in Indonesian agriculture, however, 3. Training and workshops on ICT in agriculture
faces some challenges in its adoption: 4. Internal staff capacity-building (i.e.
■ The spread of the population across an audiovisual training, scientific writing)
archipelago makes the distribution of ICT
devices and infrastructure costly and time­ Two approaches were considered in
consuming. implementing the FEATI project: (1) providing ICT
■ Power supplies in some remote areas are still facilities, training and capacity-building for
insufficient and Internet connection networks extension workers; (2) only providing ICT facilities
are still limited. to extension workers. The evaluation revealed
■ The telecommunication infrastructure such as that there are significant differences resulting
transceiver base station and technical control from these two approaches. The first approach
facilities is still relatively expensive. made extension workers more independent,
■ The amount of resources and capacity of more knowledgeable and confident in utilizing
government personnel is low, preventing ICT and disseminating it to farmers. In contrast,
agriculture data input and processing from the second approach made extension workers
running optimally. less independent and less confident in utilizing
■ Budget allocation for operational application and disseminating ICT to farmers as they had to
of ICT in agriculture from local government or teach themselves how to use the ICT and they
other parties is limited.9 had little support.
■ Lack of capacity and knowledge of extension
workers and small-scale farmers in Lesson learned from FEATI project were:
implementing ICT on agricultural practices. ■ ICT can be used as a strategic tool to support
■ From a sociocultural point of view, culture agricultural development at each stage of the
sharing is still not entrenched. The culture of farming life cycle, including pre-cultivation;
information and knowledge is still insufficient crop cultivation and harvesting; and post­
and the culture of documenting information harvest.
and data is not routine, especially for small- ■ ICT in agriculture is also part of disaster risk
scale farmers.9 reduction efforts, because ICT can help in
disseminating early warnings of pest and
disease outbreaks, presenting information on
Lessons learned from FEATI project cropping calendars in accordance with
The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, with climate predictions and providing information
support from the World Bank, managed the of food stocks (staple food).
FEATI project during 2007-2013. The objectives ■ Capacity-building for extension workers in
of the project were to empower farmers and utilizing the ICT in agriculture is needed.
farmers' organizations in improving productivity, ■ Aspects of the FEATI project were continued
income and welfare through increased after the main project ended: the web portal,
accessibility to information, technology, financial Cyber Extension and Cropping Calendar
capital, production facilities, agribusiness Information System application are still
development and business partnerships. The operated. This continuity is due to
implementation of the FEATI project involved commitment from the government to follow
agricultural researchers, non-governmental up and maintain the project results by
organizations working in agriculture, farmers, allocating human resources and funding.

9
Sumardjo, Lukman M. Baga, and Retno S. H. Mulyandari, 2009. Kajian Cyber Extension. Faculty of Agriculture. Bogor Agricultural
University
6 CAPSA palawija forum

a. Cyber Extension The ability of CCIS in presenting the information

The Cyber Extension, which can be accessed at as mentioned above and recommendation of
http://cybex.pertanian.go.id/ is an information adaptive technology according to climate
portal that aims to support extension workers prediction, allows farmers to determine (1) time
throughout Indonesia in providing agricultural planting and cropping patterns; (2) potential
information among regions. This information planting area for each season on rainy, normal,
includes news, and location-specific agricultural and dry conditions; (3) adaptive technology on
technology and market information. It is expected varieties, fertilization systems and pest control
that communications between agricultural mechanism.
extension workers and other extension workers in
Indonesia will improve. Room for improvement
There is now growing evidence of how new ICTs
Activities include: are creating a discontinuity between agricultural
■ Provision of ICTs tools and facilities to development in developed and developing
extension workers countries. The issues for smallholders, beyond
■ Training for extension workers on how to adopting and adapting technology as its cost
operate various type of ICTs and how to declines, are in availability and access to
produce extension material, including how to relevant, timely and useful content. This requires
upload it into Cyber Extension the significant transformation of current
■ Development of a web application that agricultural organizations and how they address
provides extension workers with agricultural farming. These organizations will need to be able
materials and a platform for sharing to manage and promote effective use of data and
information among extension workers. information that the new ICTs will generate to
improve production efficiency for all actors. These
Conventional counselling meant extension organizations will also need to make the entire
workers had to wait for agricultural information information-sharing process participatory. The
materials (such as leaflets, brochures, posters) agricultural information manager now has to
and in electronic information (such as films, consider the challenges of using new ICTs and
interactive dialogues, radio broadcasts) to be transforming organizations to enable community
prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture. This participation for agricultural development and
information was limited, often late and relatively progress.
expensive. The ICT-based extension system is
expected to increase the level of interactivity Provisions of standards, norms, methodologies
(communication), add speed (information), and tools, as well as the development of
deepen two-way communication, expand the individual and institutional capacities, and policy
range of communication, increase quality/quantity support are all key components of ICT in
of information, reduce costs, improve speed and agriculture. Some of the areas to be developed
be accessible anywhere, anytime and by anyone. include:
■ Capacity-building for extension workers on
b. Cropping Calendar Information System the implementation of ICT into agriculture
(CCIS)
practices
This application provides recommendations on ■ Intensive training for smallholder farmer
cropping season and appropriate innovations groups
based on climate conditions at a subdistrict level. ■ Providing information on agricultural
It has been launched as web and android extension material to extension workers
versions. The information provided by CCIS ■ Increasing the number of extension workers
include: with a target of one village one extension
1. Information on season and rainfall predictions worker
2. Information on cropping season and potential ■ Disseminating information and agricultural
planting area ICT to all stakeholders
3. Information of endemic areas, droughts and ■ Providing adequate ICT equipment and its
floods infrastructure
4. Recommendation of varieties ■ Enabling policy support
5. Recommendation of fertilizers
6. Recommendation of tools and machines
 Vol 34. No3. Dec 2017 7

ICT Innovation to Improve Rural Farming and

SHORT
Ensure Food Security in Sri Lanka ARTICLE
By R. D. Siripala

Introduction aim is to improve the accessibility of agricultural

technical and market information and other
Agriculture is the backbone of the Sri Lankan
farmer-centric government and private-sector
economy; it contributes significantly to export
services. It is hoped that these measures will
income and contributes approximately 7.5 per
ensure the food security of the country through
cent of gross domestic products (GDP).1 Over 30
planned food crop production, while ensuring
per cent of Sri Lankans are employed in the
farm incomes are optimized.
agricultural sector.2 Demand for agricultural
produce at the national level has grown
exponentially over the decades due to population ICT innovation by the Department of
growth. At the same time, the agriculture sector is Agriculture
vulnerable to changes in climate making The traditional extension system of the
agriculture more challenging and resulting in Department of Agriculture (DOA), which has been
declines in productivity. To meet this expanding operating for many decades in the country, has its
demand, farmers must become more adept at own strengths in respect of strong infrastructure
anticipating climate changes, supported by the and capacities. The extension system together
development of a Training & Visit (T&V) System with agricultural development research has
by the Government of Sri Lanka. The T&V system ensured the food security of the nation. However,
initially significantly contributed to agricultural the DOA is currently taking measures to merge
development, but the system is unable to address ICT-supported agriculture extension systems with
the current needs of the farmers. the traditional systems to strengthen and improve
the efficiency of the extension system by using
Through the Information and Communication ICT.
Technology Act No. 27 of 2003, (ICT Act), the
Government of Sri Lanka has taken the Crop-based information repositories on
breakthrough decision to use information and interactive multimedia CD-ROMs
communications technology (ICT) tools in
Interactive multimedia CD-ROMs (IMM CD-
national development. The agriculture sector is a
ROMs) are stand-alone applications developed
main target for empowermnet through ICT. The

Figure 1. Interactive multimedia CD-ROM on food crops in Sinhala and Tamil languages

R. D. Siripala
Director (information &
Communication), National
Agriculture Information &
1
Communication Centre
Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2016. Central Bank of Sri Lanka Annual Report Department of Agriculture,
2
World Bank, 2017. Employment in Agriculture. Accessed at https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ Sri Lanka
8 CAPSA palawija forum

using multimedia authoring tools. Each IMM CD- Radio programmes on agriculture
ROM includes technical information on a food In rural Sri Lanka, radio is the most popular mass
crop or other agricultural subject, such as media for accessing information. Many
integrated pest management, micro-irrigation or agriculture programmes have been produced by
protected agriculture. The production of IMM CD- the DOA and broadcast through community radio
ROMs has helped to pool almost all of the stations and national radio channels. The
technical information on new crop varieties, good programmes were produced in Sinhala and Tamil
agricultural practices, post-harvest technologies, languages.
value addition, success stories, etc.
A web-based radio station, KrushiFM, hosted
Considering the low computer literacy of under the domain name of www.krushifm.lk
extension workers, as well as farmers, a familiar started broadcasting in 2013 with the objective of
concept, similar to reading a book, is used for the establishing a dedicated national radio channel
interface, including a page-turning facility. The for agriculture (Figure 2). Further, an android­
contents are organized into chapters, topics and based mobile app has been introduced with the
subtopics and users can also print each page. expectation of popularizing KrushiFM among
smartphone users (Figure 3).
Television programmes on agriculture
Television programmes are the most common Websites
means of mass media activity and are highly a. Official website of the Department of
effective in technology transfer, especially in the Agriculture
field of agriculture. Three videos have been The DOA has also developed an official website,
produced by the DOA for national broadcast, which provides institutional information to staff
namely Govi Bimata Arunalu (Agriculture and the general public. Initially, the static website
Technology Programme), Mihi Katha Dinuwo was developed using hyper text mark-up
(Farmer Success Story) and Ketha Batha language (HTML). Then, along with the
Kamatha (Traditional Agriculture). The development of e-Government initiatives and the
programmes are very popular among farmers demand for agricultural technology transfer
and related groups. The videos have been through the Internet, the website was revamped
uploaded to the YouTube and Vimeo, and shared to include institutional and technical information
through social media. The statistics show that this for the stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
has significantly increased access to these Currently, the website is based on a content
videos by interested groups. management system to ensure a user-friendly
interface with a decentralized updating facility
(Figure 4).
Figure 2. KrushiFM
mobile app Figure 3. KrushiFM website: www.krushifm.lk
 Vol 34. No3. Dec 2017 9

b. WikiGoviya website of the Department Figure 4. Official website of the Department of Agriculture hosted under
of Agriculture the domain name of www.doa.gov.lk
Wikigoviya is a Web 2.0-based initiative that has
established a discussion forum to facilitate
progressive dialogues among agriculture
stakeholders and developed a Wiki-based public
agriculture knowledge repository (Agripedia).
Further, it is supported by a multimedia-based
e-learning system in agriculture. The IMM-CD-
ROMs produced by the DOA on crops and other
subjects have been uploaded for e-learning and an
online agriculture classified advertising system has
been developed to facilitate agricultural
e-marketing (Figure 5).

Agriculture Call Centre, 1920

The Agriculture Call Centre known as Govi Sahana
Sarana Sevaya was established in 2006 to cater
for the quick and timely information dissemination
needs of the farmer. It is accessed via the short
code, 1920. The call centre is the most popular Figure 5. WikiGoviya website of the Department of Agriculture hosted
under the domain name of www.goviya.lk
initiative among farmers and is supported by
recording the caller information from each call and
video-calling facility. Initially, there were 4 call
centre agents providing advice, but this has now
increased to 20. They can handle more than 1,000
calls per day. However, the 1920 Agriculture
Advisory Service currently receives only around
300 calls per day. The Agriculture Call Centre
allowing information to be better tailored to
farmers' needs.

Management Information Systems

Real-time information is key for many decisions in
agricultural ventures that are characterized by a
high-risk environment. Agriculture-based
Management Information Systems (MIS) can
collect, process, manage and disseminate
information to farmers in terms of timely and
effective decision-making. The Decision Support
System and the Market Information System are
two different approaches of MIS applied to support
decision-making by farmers, policymakers,
extension workers and research officers. Some
applications of the MIS system include: (i) Crop
Forecasting Information System (CFIS); (ii) Good
Agriculture Practices (GAP) Certification System;
and (iii) Seed and Planting Material Information
System.

Agriculture mobile apps

Smart phones are the most popular sources of
information sharing among the local communities
in Sri Lanka. Smart phones provide a variety of
service platforms to share audio, video, text,
10 CAPSA palawija forum

images, animations, etc., in addition to the voice National policy to support ICTs in
call and SMS services available on basic mobile
phones. The DOA has started to develop mobile
agriculture: Sri Lanka e-agriculture
apps. For example, the mobile app Agri Staff is a strategy
simple and useful telephone directory, which The Government of Sri Lanka has the vision of
provides quick access to the contact details of building a digital economy to provide digital
DOA staff and a one-touch dialling facility. facilities, including e-agriculture, to every citizen
in the country. The Sri Lanka e-agriculture
Figure 6. Mobile app of Agri Staff Telephone Directory strategy identifies the following priority objectives
for the agriculture sector:
■ Achieve self-sufficiency in food crops, which
may grow locally and save foreign exchange
on imports of those food items
■ Increase availability of safe food by
promoting eco-friendly practices and
minimizing agrochemicals and pesticides in
food crop production
■ Ensure food security through appropriate
management of buffer stocks
■ Introduce and implement agroecological
region-based food-crop cultivation
programmes
■ Increase the productivity of crop production
through appropriate technologies
■ Establish proper coordination among all
agricultural stakeholders in the local food
production process and connect all schools,
civil organizations and general public to the
programme
■ Provide quality inputs for production and
establish a proper marketing mechanism for
products
Agriculture information dissemination ■ Build a healthy nation.
through social media
Social media and smart phones allow content Way forward for ICTs
delivery at both a global and local level. The in agriculture
DOA has adopted a variety of strategies to utilize
The establishment of the National Agriculture
the popularity of social media for sharing
Information & Communication Centre of the DOA
information in order to deliver agricultural
opened up enormous opportunities to streamline
content. Facebook is the most popular social
the process of adopting ICTs in agricultural
media in the country, with 5.4 million registered
development through coordinating the process of
users. The e-Agriculture Working Group has
developing e-agriculture solutions. Further, the
recommended creating an official page for every
DOA has formed a high-level body known as the
institute under the DOA to collaborate with user
e-Agriculture Working Group to coordinate ICT
groups. The official pages have initiated various
initiatives and development of e-agriculture
discussions among agricultural interest groups,
solutions. Based on the Sri Lanka e-agriculture
and this is the simplest way to disseminate
strategy, the Working Group has prioritized
agricultural information in an effective manner
activities to be addressed immediately and
and allow feedback. Further, the DOA also
initiated the development process.
utilizes the power of other social media such as
YouTube, Twitter and Google+ in agricultural
technology dissemination. This helps to raise
awareness of new technological developments,
latest trends, news, etc., among the public.
 Vol 34. No3. Dec 2017 11

Agriculture Technology Development to Enhance

Resilience to Natural Disasters and Climate Change SHORT
ARTICLE
in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR)
By Chanseng Phongpachith

Background natural environment, agricultural production

potential and rural poverty. About 80 per cent of
The Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) is
livelihood is small-scale agriculture in the rural
a landlocked country that is highly exposed and
area. There is low adaptive capacity,
vulnerable to climate-related disasters, namely
exacerbating vulnerability to climate change.
floods, droughts and storms. For example, a
temperature anomaly occured on 25-27 January
Technological development priorities to enhance
2017 causing the northeast of the country to be
the resilience of agriculture to natural disaster
hit by an extreme cold snap with temperatures as
and climate change include: (1) improving the
low as -2°C, which resulted in the death of
climate change knowledge base;
livestock. Since 1960, rainfall intensity has
(2) strengthening agriculture and rural
increased during the rainy season, followed by
development policies; (3) developing institutional
extended dry periods, more frequent flash-floods
capacities for executing the climate change
and a series of typhoons from the South Pacific.
adaptation plan; (4) implementing appropriate
Floods and droughts occurr almost every year,
and adaptive agricultural practices;
sometimes twice a year, in the south and central
(5) introducing alternative livelihoods for rural
parts of the country. The flood-prone areas are
communities; and (6) building the capacity of
located along the Mekong River and its main
farmers to support the government's green
tributaries, while the drought-prone areas are the
growth policy.
upland northern areas and a few areas in
southern provinces.
The following sections describe some important
technology for enhancing agricultural resilience to
Climate-related disasters due to climate change
natural disasters and climate change in Lao PDR.
have damaged public infrastructure, property,
crops, productive agricultural land and other
Rice seed development: New rice varieties that
agricultural assets. Furthermore, they undermine
are resistant to environmental stresses, namely
farming systems, which increases farming
TDK, VTE450 and Homsavan, have been
household food insecurity as both floods and
produced. TDK is drought and flood resistant,
droughts severely damage rice, the main staple
VTE450 is specifically for lowland cultivation and
crop. In 1998 and 2003, drought events
Homsavan is a wet season, rain-fed lowland
destroyed 29,202 ha and 23,770 ha of rice fields
variety. In the last two decades, Lao has
respectively, while in 2005, floods destroyed
established several rice research centres,
54,640 ha of rain-fed rice fields and killed 14,941
including a Rice Laboratory under Naphok Rice
livestock. Floods also damage agricultural
Research Center and Thasano's rice research
infrastructure, such as irrigation systems or
centres under the National Agriculture and
channels, roads and electricity infrastructure.
Forestry Research Institute.

Agriculture innovation and Water-use technology for agriculture: The use

technology development of water from ponds and small reservoirs by
There are two main farming systems in Lao PDR: using gravity canals allows rain-fed lowland rice-
Chanseng Phongpachith
lowland and upland farming. They have high based farmers to capture rainfall and use it as a Senior Researcher, National
regional disparities. There are six agroecological water supply for a short-term irrigation, Agriculture and Forestry
zones based on the interdependence of the conserving water from other sources. Research Institute, Lao PDR
12 CAPSA palawija forum

Pumping the water into rice paddies from tributaries of the Mekong River

Lowland farms often pump water from nearby Integrated farming systems: In the last century,
tributaries or wetlands. The water level of these the rural farmers in upland areas were
sources changes significantly between the wet encouraged to improve agriculture production by
and dry seasons, as backwater flows up from introducing new crops, growing horticulture crops
tributaries and some places along the Mekong. instead of rice, diversifying crops and changing
A floating pump or ‘pontoon’ method is used to cropping systems; for example, changing from
cope with these changes. Some farmers also upland rice to maize, upland rice to Job's Tears
used drip irrigation systems. plants, rubber trees, tea and coffee.

Agricultural mechanization: Agricultural Currently, farmers are encouraged to use an

machines help to improve agricultural productivity integrated farming system, with cattle as
and yield quality, and make land preparation, livestock, as this is economically efficient. It has
growth, harvest and post-harvest handling more been estimated that 10,000 cattle and buffaloes
time efficient. were exported from Lao to Viet Nam in 2004,
increasing to 40,000 animals in 2010 with an
Greenhouses: Greenhouse vegetables are now additional 20,000 cattle exported to China.
popular in Lao PDR, as greenhouse technology However, issues in marketing, breeding
controls environment stresses, temperature and programmes, artificial insemination, animal
pest control. health, feed shortages, standard veterinary care
and low fertility need to be addressed.
In addition, they allow a more precise estimation
of the effects, degree and timescale of climate National initiative and partnership
change impact on agriculture. This information
Several international organizations have worked
can then be used as the basis for climate change
in the agriculture sector with the Ministry of
adaptation measures in agriculture; for example,
Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development
crop modification.
(MAF) and the Lao Government more generally.
They include UNDP, ADB, WB, ACIAR, FAO,
Solar energy: In some rural areas, solar energy
IFAD, CIAT, IRRI, JIRCAS, TABI, KOPIA, Care
is being used for pumping water, light and to
International and HEVITAS.
supply drinking water. However, the focus is on
domestic needs. In the future, solar energy could
be used to support farming practices, primarily by
offering an alternative energy supply during the
dry season.
 Vol 34. No 3. Dec 2017 13

Concluding remarks and ways addition, the green growth policy will enforce
environmentally friendly and sustainable farming
forward practices to achieve fiscal stability while moving
Recent climate change has already affected towards green growth.
crops and animal production in Lao PDR. The
core agriculture sector problems are low The Planning of Agriculture Development
agricultural productivity, devastating natural Strategy to the year 2025 (ADS 2025) defines
disaster, and the unrealized potential of global objectives and goals in developing the sector and
market. The result is high rural poverty and low agricultural production up to 2025. It will focus on
economic productivity. the development of agricultural technology. The
vision of the agriculture sector to the year 2030 is
As most of the country is still very much locked “ensuring food security, producing
into the production of glutinous rice for comparative and competitive potential
subsistence purposes, there are opportunities to agricultural commodities, developing clean,
supply market-demand with products that are safe and sustainable agriculture and shift[ing]
significantly different from those of larger regional gradually to the modernization of a resilient
competitors. Furthermore, Lao PDR is at the and productive agriculture economy, linking
centre of a market, and many more consumers with rural development contributing to the
are increasingly demanding high-value and safe national economic basis”.
products, especially livestock products. In

CAPSAto Evolve as an Independent Inter-governmental

Organization CAPSA
NEWS
The fourteenth session of
CAPSA Governing Council
marked a critical change in
CAPSA's institutional future.
The session held in
Bangkok, Thailand, on
13 December 2017
concluded with a decision
by the member countries
to transition into an
independent
intergovernmental
organization outside of
the UN system.

Read the Communiqué:

http://www.uncapsa.org/sites
/default/files/uploads/publica
tion/CAPSA_Communique-
Dec_2017.pdf
14 CAPSA palawija forum

Smart Farm as an ICT Application for Resilient

CASE
STUDY Agriculture: A case in the Republic of Korea
By Sanghun Lee

Introduction Horticulture
Smart Farm involves the use of new agricultural The temperature, humidity and CO2 levels of the
facilities and information and communications greenhouse are monitored through a PC or
technology (ICT) to accurately maintain and mobile device to provide the optimum
manage the crop or livestock growth environment environment for vegetables and flowers
remotely and automatically. Smart Farm is (including tomatoes, paprika, mushrooms,
optimized according to crop growth data and ginseng, medicinal plants, etc.). Environmental
environmental information to improve the quality controls include remotely opening and closing
and quantity of products, with less labour, energy windows. ICT is used to collect environmental
and nutrients than previously. information and mobile devices are used to
manage growth and environmental parameters,
Smart Farm enables precision agriculture by such as the heating system.
automatically monitoring environmental and crop­
growth information to measure the duration and Orchard
quantity of nutrient supply required precisely. Fruit plantations (e.g. apples, pears, tangerines)
Therefore, water and fertilizer use can be use PCs and mobile devices to monitor sensors
reduced as the dripper irrigation system for temperature, humidity, wind speed and other
accurately provides the needed nutrition. This weather conditions in the open fields, and
ultimately improves farmers' income, producing a operate automatic irrigation and pest control.
consistent quality product by avoiding Growth, pest control, prevention of cold-weather
environmental stresses caused by climate damage, optimal irrigation, protection from thefts,
change and natural disasters. etc., are monitored and controlled using mobile
devices.
Smart Farm can also contribute to reducing
greenhouse gas production and livestock Livestock farming
mortality rates by utilizing an automatic Smart Farm in livestock farming refers to the
separation system for livestock waste. Studies on smart barn, which can monitor growth
adopting renewable energy (e.g. geothermal and environment parameters, such as temperature
solar power) in Smart Farm based on energy and humidity, and also remotely control the time
storage and energy management systems are and amount of feed and water using PCs or
ongoing. By using geothermal and solar power, mobile devices. ICT technology is used to collect
greenhouses gas emissions and production costs environmental information from the barn; for
can be reduced. example, temperature, humidity, power outages
and fires. Remote monitoring from outside the
Smart Farm implementation for barn uses CCTV and mobile devices. Mobile
devices also can control feeding and breeding
resilience agriculture management, such as automatic feeding
Sanghun Lee
Smart Farm in the Republic of Korea is mainly systems, drinking water management systems,
Director, International Trade applied to horticulture, orchard and livestock etc.
and Cooperation Department, farming.
Korea Agency of Education,
Promotion and Information
Service in Food, Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries,
Rep. of Korea
 Vol 34. No 3. Dec 2017 15

Smart Farm for horticulture (left), outdoor (middle) and intensive pig farming (right)

Evaluation of Smart Farm through Korea Agri ICT-ODA stated that 'to apply
Smart Farms successfully in low developing
implementation countries, the local environment and practice of
Seoul National University R&DB Foundation, crop cultivation should be well analysed formerly,
2016)1 evaluated Smart Farm implementation. according to each country's condition, especially,
The study revealed that the production per unit considering the economic condition of the
area was increased by 27.9 per cent, along with countries'. Investment costs are the primary
a decrease in labour needed. The self-employed factor for consideration. Rather than applying
hours reduced by 15.8 per cent from 278 high-tech technology unconditionally, we should
hours/year to 234 hours/year. The average cost consider implementing Smart Farms using
of hiring labour was reduced by 15.9 per cent. optimal technology for the local environment to
Additionally, after the adoption of the Smart Farm reduce operating costs and maximize profits.
system, the number of pest and disease incidents
decreased by an average of 53.7 per cent, and The initial investment cost for Smart Farms is
the cost due to damage was reduced by 57.3 per high. Establishing public-private partnerships is a
cent, reducing the business risk of farms as a realistic approach for developing countries.
result. Public funds could suport pilot project stages,
while the private sector could supply capital for
Smart Farm is not immediately applicable to expansion and investment in technology creating
every environment. A report by Education, a win-win strategy for the development of Smart
Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS)

1 Productivity analysis on Smart Farm implementation (SNU R&DB Foundation, 2016)

16 CAPSA palawija forum

ICT In Agriculture: Connecting Smallholders to

PUBLICATION
INFO Knowledge, Networks, and Institutions
(updated edition)
World Bank, 2017

nformation and communication have always The Sourcebook provides users with a

I mattered in agriculture. Agriculture is facing

new and severe challenges, including
population growth, increased disaster events,
climate change and environmental degradation.
comprehensive overview of current and
upcoming ICT-in-agriculture applications and how
they might improve agricultural interventions or
strategies. It is not a primary research product;
With rising food prices that have pushed over 40 nor does it claim to be the definitive treatment of
million people into poverty since 2010, more a sector that is evolving so rapidly. Its modules
effective interventions are essential in agriculture. are intended to serve as a practical resource for
Given these challenges, the arrival of information development professionals seeking a better
and communication technology (ICT) in the understanding of the opportunities and existing
agriculture sector is well timed. applications offered by ICT as tools for
agricultural development.
This publication is an updated edition which is
designed to support practitioners and To facilitate learning, the Sourcebook is split into
policymakers in taking maximum advantage of an introduction plus 14 modules focusing on
ICT's potential to improve agricultural productivity specific aspects of the agricultural sector in
and smallholder incomes, strengthen agricultural relation to ICT. A module box briefly describes the
markets and institutions, improve agricultural content, an overview, topic notes and innovative
services and build developing-country linkages to practice summaries. The innovative practice
regional and global agricultural value chains. It summaries are bulleted underneath the
focuses primarily on how ICT can assist small- description of the topic note, and can be viewed
scale producers and the intermediate institutions directly by clicking on the title. Many of the tools,
that serve them, yet it also looks at how to link examples and projects discussed also include
smallholders to ICT-enabled improvements in links to websites and other useful resources.
larger-scale farming, markets and agribusiness to
stimulate the broader rural economy. For more information, please visit:
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/5221
41499680975973/ICT-in-agriculture-connecting-
smallholders-to-knowledge-networks-and-
institutions

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