FOOD SECURITY AND ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT

HOW ICT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA

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FOOD SECURITY AND ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT (ICT4D) The magnitude of the problem of hunger and lack of food security is alarming, with the death of a child every six seconds. It is imperative to secure access to sufficient and healthy food for all1. For this we need to increase production and improve allocation of food. This cannot be realised without affordable means of communication and the capacity to access, use and generate information relevant to both producers and consumers. While access to information is expanding rapidly, this is not the case for local content and capacity development. This article provides a short summary of what Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development programs can do to help establish food security. It is based on experiences by local organisations supported by IICD and its partners in the Connect4Change alliance2. WHAT CAN ICT DO FOR FOOD SECURITY? To achieve security, ICT can contribute to the key elements of food security as put forward by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in 2012:

Food availability at local or national level by using ICT to increase domestic productivity and enhance entrepreneurship

Stable food access (consumption) at household & individual level by creating more efficient markets

Food utilisation resulting in a good nutrition status by promotion of healthy food ICT FOR INCREASED DOMESTIC PRODUCTIVITY First of all, food security requires increased productivity and quality by subsistence farmers, thereby securing sufficient and production for auto-consumption. For market-oriented farmers it is equally important to increase production levels and quality enabling them to secure sufficient income to secure consumption. Information and communication improves the efficiency and effectiveness of agriculture in many aspects. In the first place ICT can enhance the dissemination of information about best practises in production techniques, optimal use of soil and inputs, post-harvest solutions and packaging by research institutions and extension services. This can be realised by using combinations of radio, Internet, information centres and mobile services. Secondly, the use of participatory multi-media has shown to be effective to enhance the impact of peer-to-peer exchange between producers.

Farmers in Burkina Faso and Bolivia share production techniques via multimedia To improve quality and productivity, IICD successfully works together with local farmer organisation FEPPASI in Burkina Faso. In three years, the federation’s advisors have trained about 2,500 farmers in innovative production, food-processing methods, marketing skills, production of organic fertilizers, and techniques for the sustainable management of natural resources, using video, photos and digital presentations. For example, a photo stream explains the step-by-step process of how to turn yam into flour. Since the project started, FEPPASI the crops production per hectare has increased from 0.5 to 4.5 tonnes. See: www.iicd.org/articles/icts-and-rural-development-a-case-from-burkina-faso

for more information. The same approach is taken by AGRECOL Anders in Bolivia, where farmer groups document their production techniques with video cameras, to share with producers in other communities.

1 Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life, Rome Declaration on Food Security, 1996 2 Connect 4 Change alliance is a collaboration between Dutch NGOs IICD, ICCO, Cordaid, Edukans, Text to Change, Akvo

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Alternatively, ICT assists research institutions and extension officers to be able to bring relevant information to the level of the farmer. Here mobile devices such as notebooks and smartphones are very effective to bring along information including text, pictures and videos to field visits. USING ICT TO ENHANCE ENTREPRENEURSHIP ICT-supported training in business skills has shown to improve assist producers and traders in much more efficient, effective and more sustainable ways of doing business and enhance their entrepreneurship. This applies equally to agricultural and livestock as to other small-scale business relevant to rural and urban environments. Such training also generates new business opportunities for young people, for example, in hardware maintenance and repair services. Ghanaian livestock holders improve their business skills In Ghana over 1,000 lower income small scale farmers and livestock holders in Northern Ghana participate were trained in basic business and marketing skills using ICT trough the PEPS-C programme. Over 90% of participants indicate that this improved business performance and revenues. In Zambia the Chawama Youth Centre and Ndola Training Centre have successfully introduced ICT in all its vocational training programmes. Examples include the use of the computer to learn about more sustainable agriculture practises, design furniture for carpentry, preparing recipes for cooking classes, music recording (see picture), preparation of business plans on the computer and ICT as a subject. Given the success, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has adopted the approach and together integrated ICT in its vocational training programmes nation wide. As a result participating training centres have seen a 20% increase in subscription and job opportunities for students increased. ICT FOR MORE EFFICIENT MARKETS Producing more, does not necessarily imply that this increases access to food. Many export-focused countries will actually decrease local production of staple foods. This causes regular shortages of food staple products in parts all or parts of the country. Despite the obvious, in most countries farmers do not have access to price information. In many countries, prices on local markers can differ that substantially, that producers can increase income substantially by making informed decisions on where and when to sell. ICT can play an important role in improved allocation of products by providing information on market prices using a combination of radio and mobile services. Mobile phones increase revenues of farmers in Ghana Mobile phones and other digital tools are used to provide price information to farmers in Ghana’s Eastern Corridor. IICD assisted Ghanaian partner SEND in the training of small scale farmers to effectively use market price information and to connect producers with buyers, using the ESOCO platform. Important innovation here is the development of voice-based responses allowing illiterate – particular female- farmers to actually use the service to contact and negotiate with potential buyers. Over 85% of participants indicated increased revenues through participation in the programme. For more information, go to www.iicd.org/projects/ghana-ecamic. While access to market information supports awareness of producers, it does not guarantee better decision making. For promotion and analysis, integrated use of different ICTs including rural information centres provide in an even more powerful approach to strengthen joint analysis of markets and decision making also by smaller-scale producer groups.

Daily radio broadcasts to inform farmers about crop prices An example of the use of ICT for market access is the large-scale information system for small-scale farmers managed and funded by the Departmental government of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Fully sustainable since 2007, the programme provides crop price information on 8 national reference markets to a large and growing audience of 300,000 producers. The programme also informs farmers about production techniques. Key media include a national daily radio broadcast with a potential audience of

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1 million providing market prices on a daily basis and technical advice to producers on demand. So far 1,000 farmers subscribed to a mobile SMS services providing price information. This service will be expanded in 2012 to 10,000 users and additional information services such as weather alerts other tailor-made services will be developed. In adition to radio and mobile, the programme has set up network of 15 provincial telecentres. The telecentres provide over 100 extension workers access to on-line information used to inform and train producer organisations in actual use and analysis of information at local level. See: www.sicsantacruz.com for more info. PROMOTING THE PRODUCTION OF HEALTHY FOOD Similarly relevant to increasing agricultural productivity is the use of ICT to support more sustainable and healthier production. Here ICT has supported farmers in accessing information on nutrition values and more sustainable production practises, particularly ecological production. The use of GPS, notebooks and smart phones allows for a much more efficient recollection of field data for certification and traceability. This lowers time and costs allowing even small-scale producers to seek national or international certification. Faster organic certification in Zambia by using smartphones The Zambian farmers association OPPAZ has successfully introduced ICT to increase efficiency of certification processes. Over 10,000 organic farmers throughout Zambia participate in a programme to use a digital collection system for organic certification through the use of smartphones. Introduction of ICT has resulted in a 30% decrease in costs and time of national and international certification for participating producers. It also resulted in a 20% increase in membership of new producers now able to finance the certification process and gain access to premium prices in the market for organic products. www.iicd.org/articles/smart-phones-assist-farmers-in-zambia-in-faster-organic-certification On a level beyond the individual producers, natural resource management can strongly benefit from ICT. This includes the use of databases and mobile devices to track soil quality, fertilizers and pesticides, water quality, deforestation and other relevant data. With the use of web applications and geographic information systems, this information is increasingly easy to distribute and share with relevant stakeholders.

Better use of soil for growing quinoa in Bolivia AUTAPO Foundation assists the largest association of quinoa producers in the highlands of Bolivia to track production information using basic GPS devices. Quinoa is one of the few products that can be produced under the soil and climate conditions in the region and is also a product with a high sales value in both domestic and international markets. The information is essential to secure balanced use of the extremely vulnerable soil conditions in the highlands and the limited possibilities to extend the production area. Without better information about land use the region risks over exploitation and long-term depletion of production possibilities, affecting income of thousands of families in Bolivia.

ICT AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ICT-supported training in business skills has also shown to improve assist producers and traders in much more efficient, effective and more sustainable ways of doing business and enhance their entrepreneurship. This applies equally to agricultural and livestock as to other small-scale business relevant to rural and urban environments. Such training also generates new business opportunities for young people, for example, in hardware maintenance and repair services. Ghanaian livestock holders improve their business skills In Ghana over 1,000 lower income small scale farmers and livestock holders in Northern Ghana participate were trained in basic business and marketing skills using ICT trough the PEPS-C programme. Over 90% of participants indicate that this improved business performance and revenues. In Zambia the Chawama Youth Centre and Ndola Training Centre have successfully introduced ICT in all its vocational training programmes.

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Examples include the use of the computer to learn about more sustainable agriculture practises, design furniture for carpentry, preparing recipes for cooking classes, music recording (see picture), preparation of business plans on the computer and ICT as a subject. Given the success, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has adopted the approach and together integrated ICT in its vocational training programmes nation wide. As a result participating training centres have seen a 20% increase in subscription and job opportunities for students increased. IMPACT IICD has developed an advanced evaluation approach based on online questionnaires and focus group meetings with beneficiaries. Analysis of 35,000 questionnaires collected since 2005, indicated that women felt especially empowered by participation in ICT activities in the livelihoods and environment sector. As in other development sectors, women perceived more overall impact than men. This is encouraging, since most livelihood projects focus on women and the alleviation of poverty among them. Especially in rural areas, women tend to start from a more disadvantageous position, with lower incomes and little or no formal education. Also encouraging is the high impact measured in rural areas. This indicates that IICD’s livelihood programmes have been successful in reaching out to the places where most underprivileged people live. The data show perceived impact to be highest among people from 20 to 60 years of age. This is an economically active population, acutely interested in improving their livelihoods, as they often have a family to support. Our activities have made a difference in the livelihoods of many. Further evaluation of the date, indicates the importance of appropriate targeting. Projects that make use of broadcast media, such as radio, are most appreciated by people with less capacity to read and use modern ICT services. More educated users indicate greater satisfaction with projects that utilise computers and the Internet. Clearly even in today’s world, traditional media is still vital for reaching out to the less privileged members of society. ABOUT IICD IICD supports poverty reduction in developing countries by helping local organisations and their target group in improving income and their quality of life by the integration of Communication for Development in health, education and livelihoods/economic development programmes. Since its start in 1997, IICD’s has been supporting economic development programmes in 7 countries, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Ghana, Mali, Uganda and Zambia. These reach out to more than 3.7 million farmers, live-stock holders and entrepreneurs. Since 2011 we also work in Ethiopia, Kenya and Peru. The projects are all implemented by 250 local partner organisations including grass root organisations, NGOs, private sector entities and government agencies. Furthermore, IICD and its local partners are strategic advisor to national and local governments on ICT policies in the agriculture and livestock sector in Bolivia, Ghana, Mali and Uganda.

International Institute for Communication and Development Visitor’s address: Raamweg 5 | 2596 HL The Hague | The Netherlands P.O. Box 11586 | 2502 AN The Hague | The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)70 311 7311 | Fax: +31 (0)70 3117322 | E-mail: information@iicd.org Website: www.iicd.org | Twitter: @iicd | Facebook: facebook.com/iicd.org Text: Stijn van der Krogt | Copyright © IICD 2012