1
ESDU- KariaNet- FAO
ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM & SURVEY
Improving ICT solutions and rural communication services forsmall-scale family
farmers.
Trends, Experiences perspectives in the NENA region
Family Farming: the need for information and communication.
Summary of online survey and studies conducted in 7 NENAcountries
Prepared by: Salwa Tohmé Tawk and Sarah Karam
Date: October, 2017
The present report is a compendium of the differentinvestigations conducted by KariaNet1
researchers in selected countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia) and
the online discussion forum conducted with the FAO RegionalInitiative on Small Scale Family
Farming in the NENA Region.
Summary:
There is a big potential for ICT tools to improve ruralcommunication services for small-scale
family farmers and improve their livelihoods in the NENA region.However, connectivity, internet
coverage and costs of internet and devices are still notadequate. The currently widespread and
used tools are the SMS phone messages, the email and Facebookpages. Lebanon through the
Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute and the Ministry ofa*griculture manages a mobile
application (LARI-LEB) to send messages to farmers; in Jordan,extension agents often use social
media (Facebook) and emails; also in Egypt and Tunisia SMS areused either by the government
1 Knowledge Access for Rural Inter-connected Areas Network(KariaNet) is a regional network for the management and sharing
of knowledge in agriculture and rural development in the MiddleEast North Africa region (MENA). With a focus on knowledge
management KariaNet facilitates and supports demand drivencapacity building activities, action research and networkingactivities
across MENA region through the use of Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) and non-ICT tools. The member
countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. A competitive call for an
expression of interest to host KariaNet was launched and inFebruary 2013, the Environment and Sustainable Development Unitat
the American University of Beirut (ESDU) was selected to be thehosting organization. With a new focus on strengthening Local
Food Systems (LFS), a proposal was developed in consensus withthe nine network member countries to sustain KariaNet work
after the full portal management transition to ESDU. For thecurrent third phase of KariaNet, the network will be implementedand
regionally administrated by ESDU.
2
or NGOs to link with farmers. You-tube short documentaries seemto be an effective tool that is
easily shared on all social media and smart phones. Radio provedto be more effective than TV;
for example the successful radio programs in Palestine.Moreover, farmer conferences showed a
high impact in Palestine. Statistical data base on small scalefarmers is not available, and when
available, it is not accessible and/or not reliable. Agricultureinput suppliers develop their own
data base but do not share it; they also use ICT tools to informfarmers on agricultural practices;
however, their advice is more directed towards the marketing ofown inputs. The main challenges
facing extension services and the use of ICT is the limitedbudget and the diversity of farmers with
respect to farming systems, literacy and age. Moreover, someareas lack the tools to use ICT (such
as connectivity, computers and smart phones), hence the role ofextension agents remains
important.
Introduction
Family farming in the Near East North Africa (NENA) accounts formore than 80% of all the
farms. The sector therefore plays a significant role in foodsecurity and the social and economic
cohesion of rural families. However, smallholder family farmersin the NENA region face
unprecedented challenges marked by the impact of climate change,limited access to resources and
inequalities. Access to information and communication isessential for the development of family
farmers and rural communities. Small-scale rural farmers in theregion, especially women and
youth, highly need information and communication supportregarding: suitable agricultural
technologies and practices; land and water use and tenureissues; access to credit; market
opportunities; producers’ organizations; and policy dialogue.Adequate rural communication
services (RCS) in addition to affordable access to Informationand Communication Technologies
(ICTs) are needed to meet such information and communicationneeds. ICTs and RCS are the
current innovative trends for sharing information betweenfarmers and extension agents and rural
institutions.
Research in the NENA region suffers from information gaps on theextent of ICT use and
efficiency. Enhancing the effectiveness of extension servicesand farmers’ organizations in this
region requires assessing the current situation in theapplication of ICT and rural community
services for rural development and family farming in addition toexploring the potential of ICTs
and RCS in the region. For this aim, the Karianet network incollaboration with FAO Regional
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Initiative on Small Scale Family Farming and the Communicationfor development team, launched
an online survey and facilitated an online discussion in August2016 involving specialists and
practitioners from seven countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,Lebanon, Palestine Sudan and Tunisia.
The team invited specialists and practitioners to share theirexperiences on how ICTs and rural
communication services can address challenges faced bysmall-scale farmers, particularly women
and rural youth. Both the survey and the online discussionparticularly focused on projects and
programs that have demonstrated results and achieved scale, aswell as on exploring the role that
specific stakeholders can play across different initiatives inthis field. Following the online
discussion, 7 studies were conducted in 7 countries respectively(Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon,
Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia) in the period extending fromJanuary through June 2017. Two sets
of questions were investigated and addressed in the surveys andstudies. The first set aimed to
identify main trends in the use of ICTs and RCS in the regionand share experiences on the use of
ICTs, community media and other RCS in support of agricultureand rural development. The
second set concerned with respondent’s perspectives foridentifying a means to improve the use of
ICTs and rural communication services in the NENA region - withthe ultimate aim of supporting
smallholder family farming. (Refer to Annex 1 for more detailson the two sets of questions.)
The following section is a compilation of the main initiativeson ICTs per country presenting
initiatives implemented by the public and private sector.
Algeria:
Public Sector
There is a problem in communication with the farmers and thedifferent agents/stakeholders in the
agricultural sector. In order to allow better knowledge transferand sharing between farmers and
actors in the production chain, the DRDPA (Director ofRegularization and Development of
Agricultural Productions) opted for the adoption of several ICTsto improve communication
including dissemination through the website of the Ministry ofa*griculture the speeches presented
in relevant events; outreach and extension sessions on radiostations "Channel 1" and "Channel 3";
communication through mobile phones with leading producers invarious regions and for different
agricultural chains; and publishing through a Facebook page(Madrp.dz) all the information that
needs to be delivered to stakeholders.
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Regarding the National Chamber of Agriculture, communicationamong the members of the
chamber is not efficient and the only means is the emailcorrespondences. However, with farmers
the mobile phone is the predominant means. The Chamber also usesthe website of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries concerning the main activities inaction. The Facebook pages, one
specific page for each chamber and province, as well as someunofficial sites dedicated to
agriculture are also used to disseminate information to bothfarmers and agricultural investors.
The National Institute of Plant Protection (INPV) is concernedwith major diseases and pests
control and hence disseminates extension services to farmers andagriculture institutions in this
matter. Through its stations installed in all the Wilayas(provinces) of Algeria and the experimental
stations installed in certain, the institute seeks to fightdiseases through research conducted at the
level of various laboratories. It receives reports from itsbranches (local and regional directorates),
public agricultural institutions, chambers of agriculture,agricultural cooperatives, and agricultural
associations. The results and advice are regularly and widelydisseminated via ICT tools: 1) a
website (www.inpv.edu.dz/) in which news about the differentorganized activities are posted; 2)
a Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/INPV-station-boufarik-406599959466578/?fref=ts)
on which awareness and vulgarization videos, as well aseffective products for vegetable protection
are published; 3) e-mails that are adopted to disseminateinformation to all relevant institutions; 4)
a weekly televised program called "5 ;"إرشادات فالحية) a programon radio "Channel 1" and "Channel
3", which is called "معا لتنمية فالحية مستدامة" between2003-2005 and was relaunched in 2010, to date;
6) mobile telephone communication (by messages or direct phonecalls). Contacts with official
bodies and organizations are made through e-mails andcorrespondence. Agricultural investors are
also contacted by mobile telephones and e-mails. The mobilephone is used to inform about events
such as fairs and technical trainings. As for small farmers, theinstitute opts for radio stations as
well as television stations. Since its inception in 1975, theinstitute has seen continuous
development of communication tools and techniques over time. Themain stages through which
the means of communication have developed are as follows: Stage1 (1975-1985): Posters and
awareness posters at different agricultural establishments inthe national territory, as well as the
adoption of telegrams to contact the directorates concerned.Stage 2 (1986-1994): the use of fixed
telephone land line, but in a very limited way. Stage 3(1995-2003): television program on crop
management and disease control. However, not all ruralcommunities had access to televisions at
that time. Stage 4 from 2004: Adoption of radio broadcasts, andthis procedure received positive
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feedback from farmers. And since then, the institute hascontinued to broadcast the program and
improved it. Stage 5 from 2006: mobile telephone was used tocommunicate and broadcast
information. Stage 6 from 2009: Social networks including awebsite on which all the main
activities are displayed, a Facebook page on which the newdisease control measures and other
relevant information are shared, and the adoption of videoconferences for training farmers
remotely by experts.
A good example of an experiment on ICT use and efficiency inAlgeria would be the “control of
white fly” experience. In 2010, the region of BISKRA (southAlgeria), the first greenhouse
production area, was a victim of the white fly that infects theproduction of tomatoes. During this
period of concern in the peasant environment, the INPV played akey role in the fight against the
disease and its considerable damage. Tests at the experimentalfarms of the Institut Technique de
Développement de l'Agronomie Saharienne (ITDAS) under theguidance and support of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the INPV havemade it possible to find means
of communication, and knowledge was transmitted to farmersthrough various field
demonstrations. It is because of this fight that greenhouse cropproduction continues to exist. The
main channels of information transfer are: 1) Technical and OpenDays: In collaboration with the
agricultural associations and the various institutionsconcerned, INPV organizes technical days
and demonstration days at its experimental station or at thelevel of the ITDAS. In addition, field
visits are conducted by extension engineers at the level of thefarms with the farmers. During these
trainings, the Institute used posters to illustrate the methodsof control and prevention. The
dissemination is generally done by agricultural technicians andagricultural engineers. 2) The
radio: Through radio broadcasts, the institute organizesawareness-raising and guidance sessions
on the proper use of treatments for the disease, methods ofdetection and especially prevention
techniques. These broadcasts are made 3 times a week and for onehour duration. 3) Mobile
telephone communication: Farmers and participants are invited byphone to the technical days, the
institute invites them by phone. Data collection and situationreports are most often carried out by
phone calls interviews. The institute was able to master acrisis situation by adopting good
communication methods, through which it networked with a greaternumber of actors. In Algeria,
radio and mobile telephones are practically available for all,so intensifying extension through
broadcasts is a good attempt. In addition, mobile telephones areaffordable. Online and social
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media training is also a good learning method to be adopted inthe various agricultural training
centers.
Private Sector
Groupe Kherbouche is an agriculture consultancy firm andprovider of large agricultural
equipment. It aims to expand its distribution network and itscustomer base. Its website
(http://gkgroupe.com/gk/index.php) and Facebook page offersfarmers all the information they
need in the form of extension and material for sale. Emails arealso used but only with farmers
having good levels of education, or the providers of inputs. Themobile phone remains the effective
communication tool through which messages reach the highestnumber of targeted persons.
The general secretary of Agricultural development and livestockcooperative Ouargla raised a
big issue in convincing farmers to use ICT. With a firstattempt, they tried to activate a Facebook
page to encourage farmers to follow the newshttps://www.facebook.com/cooperative.ouargla,
where Information on agricultural extension and other relevantinformation are posted. However,
mobile telephones remain the most preferred means ofcommunication for farmers.
Online Platform
Institut Technique des Grandes Cultures (ITGC) – TechnicalInstitute for crops cultivation
(http://www.itgc.dz) is a public administrative institutionunder the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development. It is a scientific and technical institute incharge of crop production and food
security facing climatic risks.
http://gkgroupe.com/gk/index.phphttps://www.facebook.com/cooperative.ouargla?fref=tshttp://www.itgc.dz/
7
Egypt:
Public Sector
In 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the mobileextension initiative through cooperation
with the Central Administration of Agriculture Extension, theAgricultural Research Center,
Vodafone Telecom, and QuickServe advertising company. TheMinistry of Agriculture obtained
farmers’ database from QuickServe which in turn broadcastsrecommendations to registered
farmers. Vodafone Telecom offered lines to agriculturedirectorates, cooperatives and agricultural
departments in selected governorates of the Republic. The lineswere then distributed to farmers.
The telephone department of the Central Administration forAgricultural Extension takes the
agricultural recommendations from the Agricultural ResearchCenter each month depending on
the crop season and then asks QuickServe Company to send throughSMS the recommendations
(including appropriate innovations, practices and weather news)to the farmers and extension
agents. Future plans aim for hotline connections (two-waycommunication). As for voice calls, it
is answered by subject matter specialists from the mobileextension service staff at the National
Methodology
In order to get a general overview of use of ICT, a number ofmeetings with resource persons and key
informants of different levels and different professions wereconducted in order to have general
information from key informants from different professions:
- Director of Regularization and Development of AgriculturalProductions (DRDPA): Chérif
Omari
- Head of Department at the National Chamber of Agriculture:Djeghboub Borhane Eddine
- Communication Manager Groupe KHERBOUCHE: Hani Said
- Agricultural development and livestock cooperative OuarglaHamdani Youcef
- Head of Division National Institute of Plant Protection(INPV): Ben Salah Kamal
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Research Center. In addition, a special webpage and a Facebookpage exist for sharing information.
This service is provided at the normal call rate and the normalmessage price. The service is funded
by the Ministry of Agriculture, and part of the cost of theservice is paid by the farmer in the form
of a fee for the messages. This service is important since:information reaches the farmer without
effort and without incurring the trouble of traveling andmoving; SMS messages allow farmers to
share information among themselves; the service reaches as manyfarmers as possible; and it is
possible to store messages on mobiles and therefore be areference to be used when needed.
Private Sector
The Bashaier platform, launched in 2016, is the firstAgriculture Digital Marketing Network in
Egypt. It is one of the projects of the Knowledge EconomyFoundation in collaboration with the
Research, Development and Innovation Program of the Ministry ofScientific Research and the
Canadian International Development Research Center(www.idrc.ca). Knowledge Economy
Foundation (KEF) is an Egyptian NGO created by entrepreneurswith social business interests and
by experts in ICT, business information, and agrifood to addressthe lack of knowledge
management and dissemination at the core of Egypt’s developmentchallenges. Different
partnerships have been established for this initiative includingpartnerships with the Agricultural
Research Center (Climate Institute), Orange Telecom, the GeneralUnion of Producers and
Exporters of Horticultural Crops (UPEHC), Microsoft, FoodIndustries Chamber, Faculty of
Agriculture - Minia University, Société Générale de Surveillance- SGS (www.sgs.com.eg), and
Borsa Merci Telematica Italiana (www.bmti.it). The Bashaier
(http://www.bashaier.net/DefaultEn.aspx) is a digital platformaccessible through web/mobile
combining technical and marketing information and presenting oneof the most important online
marketplace for agriculture produce and input supplies, linkingfarmers to buyers. It offers small
scale farmers access to market and technical information. Itoperates as third party independent
facilitator linking small-scale farmers to market buyers. Itworks by establishing a Network of
Village Entrepreneurs in partnership with selected Coops/NGOsand train them to manage
alternative supply chains at local level and coordinate the bulkoffering of small farmers produce
and the monitoring of contract farming. It is coupled withcapacity building on the principles of
Farmers Producers Organizations (Indian model) which combinescooperatives as well as
commercial functions; it covers capacity building on marketingprocedures and managing supply
http://www.idrc.ca/http://www.bmti.it/http://www.bashaier.net/DefaultEn.aspx
9
contracts and support in developing and promoting marketingplans. The platform provides a
permanent marketing link for small-scale farmers with the marketbuyers through analysis of each
category of supply chain, and it develops corresponding manualprocedures to be followed by the
Village Entrepreneurs and corresponding Coops/NGOs. The programstarted its first phase with
See Also2015 - 2016MTECH STuDENTS » 2015 Batch » 2014 Batch » 2013 Batch MSC STuDENTS » 2015 Batch » 2014 Batch MA IN SOCIETY & CuLTuRE » 2015 Batch » 2014 Batch PGDIIT STuDENTS » - [PDF Document]A descriptive study of the experiences of lesbian, gay and transgender parents accessing health services for their children¿Cómo puedes mantenerte motivado cuando la programación se vuelve repetitiva?Diabetes management: How lifestyle, daily routine affect blood sugar16 pilot projects in two governorates, Beheira and Minia, withthe mapping of the most promising
horticultural areas in the two governorates followed by theselection of the best NGOs and Coops
to act as bulk contractors for the market buyers. This wasfollowed by the launching of the
1st mobile service: “Prices on Egypt’s Wholesale HorticultureMarkets” in April 2015, in
cooperation with “Mobinil” (Orange Group) using SMS and VoiceMail campaigns and adapted
to the basic mobile sets models. In addition, a “Call Centre”with 4 digits number “7676” was
customized to register interested small-scale farmers in theservice for the future technical and
marketing support. This comprehensive marketing and technicalweb/smart phones platform
includes 10 key services: online market place, horticulture inEgypt and Europe, small-scale
farmers database, market buyers database, input suppliersdatabase, agriculture experts database,
horticulture crop directory, agriculture projects directory,agriculture investors guide, horticulture
export guide. The platform hence establishes regular two-wayscommunication between network
of farmers associations and village entrepreneurs, small-scalefarmers and exporters, processors,
retail chains, input suppliers, agronomists and banks/MicroFinance Institutions. It also enables
small farmers groups to focus on good agricultural practices,while relying on Bashaier marketing
platform to handle the marketing aspects. Part of this serviceis funded by organizations, but to
ensure sustainability of services, the farmer pays asubscription of 8 pounds/month or 30
piasters/day for information on daily market prices, climateinformation, agricultural extension,
crop sale offers, purchase of production supplies, reception ofpurchase orders, sales offers by
SMS, and offers of sales and purchases (via the mobile and theinternet). Another subscription is
1 pound/day or 25 pounds/month to add the analysis of marketprices, access to all the data on the
Bashaeir website, requests for crops purchase, and the sale ofproduction inputs. This service is
significant as it: ensures sustainability of the project sincethe service is paid; allows connectivity
between all parts of the supply chain; helps small farmers tomarket their crops at the best prices
and do not leave it to the greed of traders and intermediaries;enables illiterate farmers or those
unable to use ICT tools to call the short service number ofOrange Company allowing the employee
to assist the farmer in registration; helps companies andfactories ensure the supply of their crops;
http://www.mobinil.com/en/
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and helps to exploit the tools of information technology whichhas achieved a high rate of use in
the recent period.
Studies indicate that about half of Egyptians have access tosatellite channels on a regular basis,
while the other half have an irregular access. Egypt is coveredby five local channels in Cairo,
Ismailia, Tanta, Alexandria and Assiut, most of which provideagricultural and rural shows within
its programs. Egypt Agricultural Channel was inaugurated inSeptember 2011, a self-funded
channel targeting the quality of rural life through the human,economic, social, cultural and health
aspects of the rural environment. Kabcha2 (2016) found that 110farmers (22%) from the study
sample of 500 respondents were exposed to the Egypt agriculturalchannel. The reasons for not
being exposed to the channel were lack of knowledge of theexistence of the channel, preference
for watching other satellite channels, poor transmission of theEgypt Agricultural channel, lack of
knowledge of the frequency of the channel, preoccupation andlack of free time. Most farmers
watched the channel at a rate of 1-2 hours per day that focused(100%) on agricultural extension
programs. In addition, the channel has a website(http://misr.alzeraya.tv) which includes the most
important news and guidelines, the list of programs and theirdates of transmission, recorded
agricultural displays, news of conferences and meetings,etc.
The most important agricultural radio programs and broadcaststations include: 1) The “Talking
Journal (الجريدة الناطقة): a radio program broadcasting anagricultural program on the most important
strategic crops on a daily basis at 8:00 pm. 2) “Agriculture andDevelopment” (الزراعة والتنمية): a
radio program that informs farmers about different agriculturaldevelopment programs and
agricultural solutions. It is broadcasted on a weekly basis onCairo Radio. 3) “Our country's
services” (خدمات بلدنا): a radio program that broadcaststraining seminars daily at 6:50 am. 4) "Dear
farmer" (عزيزي المزارع): a radio program that arranges meetingswith farmers and officials about
the most important agricultural issues and broadcasts extensionannouncements daily at 10:40 am
and at 7:30 pm on the Greater Cairo Radio. 5) “A moment please”(لحظة من فضلك): a radio program
that broadcasts guided calls at 2:10 pm and 4:10 pm on GreaterCairo Radio. 6) “Public meeting”
( جماهيري لقاء ): a radio program that broadcast meetingsbetween the masses interested in agricultural
2 Kabcha, A.M. , 2016 (PhD letter), Analytical Study of theExtension Role of Agricultural Satellite Channels, Faculty ofa*griculture, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Saudi Arabia
)رسالة دكتوراه(، دراسة تحليلية للدور اإلرشادى للقنوات الفضائيةالزراعية، كلية الزراعة، جامعة المنصورة، 6102عطية محمد كبشة، دعاءالسيد المنصورة، ج.م.ع.
11
fields and officials to discuss the most important agriculturalevents and on the air every Sunday
and Wednesday at 12:00 noon on the Central Delta Radio. 7)“Egypt today” (مصر اليوم): a radio
program broadcasting seminars and important technicalrecommendations of agriculture on a daily
basis at 7:00 pm. 8) “Extension information” (معلومات إرشادية):a radio program broadcasting the
most important daily agricultural recommendations of the mostimportant agricultural crops and
agricultural areas. It is broadcasted daily at 7:55 am on theGreater Cairo Radio. 9) “Overview at
four” (موجز الساعة الرابعة): a radio program broadcasting at4:00 pm, 8 episodes per month on the
General Radio.
Al-Ahram Agricultural Gate is a specialized weekly newspaperwith a long history. It publishes
everything related to agriculture and rural Egypt. In additionto Egyptian and international news
and reports, it publishes meetings, research, health reports,advisory guidelines, job opportunities,
new ideas and lessons learned from projects. It also has awebsite (http://agri.ahram.org.eg/) which
includes an archive of previous topics.
The study found that the means of communication technology usedin the extension work in the
governorate of North Sinai were respectively: mobile phone(85.7%), agricultural research and
extension network (48.6%), international information network(42.9%), e-mail (31.4%), expert
farming systems (25.7%), and voice-messages (11.4%). Therelative importance of the use of these
media for the transmission of the extension recommendationsranked as follows: mobile phone
(86.18%), agricultural research and extension network (26.32%),expert farming systems
(13.82%), e-mail (3.29%), and International Information Network(1.32%).
The two pesticides and agrochemicals companies Syngenta andShoura have been relying on
different ICT tools to reach farmers to provide information andpromote their products since 2012
and 2013 respectively. These ICT tools include: SMS messages,voice calls, a short customer
service number, the company's websites(https://www.syngenta.com.eg/ and
http://www.shourhemicals.com/en/home ), and Facebook pages wherethe company's experts
answer technical farmers' inquiries. In addition, farmers andsales representatives rely on mobile
phone and computer connected to the Internet. In thesecompanies, a technical support unit updates
information, and design advice based on field trials anddemonstration plots. The companies send
SMS to the farmers on important agricultural advice. Themessages also include the short phone
number for customer service allowing farmers to inquire aboutany problem. Through this service,
farmers get agricultural information and warnings about theweather and the dates of agriculture
http://agri.ahram.org.eg/https://www.syngenta.com.eg/http://www.shourhemicals.com/en/home
12
and the emergence of some diseases and pests with the nominationof the most important pesticides
company, and the companies reach the largest customer base andthus achieve the required sales,
and overcome the weakness of the number of sales representativesof the company. The companies
organize agricultural extension seminars for farmers duringwhich a registration form is distributed
to the farmers to fill personal data. Data includes: name offarmer, mobile phone number, name of
the center/branch of the company, the village, and 3 crops asper farmer’s preference. In addition,
Syngenta partners with an advertising company to obtain thefarmers' database. The cost of the
service is covered by the companies as part of their advertisingstrategy. This cost is compensated
by increased sales. Receiving SMS messages is free of charge,and the voice call service is charged
at a regular minute price however it is judged cost-effective.These services are significant since
information reaches the farmer without effort and withoutincurring the trouble of traveling and
moving; large broadcast of information is possible; and travelfor the delegates of the company to
reach farmers costs less.
Online Platforms
Kenana Online Community Development Portal(http://kenanaonline.com/) is a project established
by the efforts of The Ministry of Communications and InformationTechnology to increase
community integration using ICTs aiming at: empowering rural andmarginalized communities
through development projects and raising awareness of benefitsof ICTs; promoting development
in rural and marginalized areas through application oftechnology solutions to establish an
integrated sustainable development model; empowering womenthrough illiteracy eradication
programs; and improving services in education and healthcare andsupporting SMEs. It is available
in Arabic language.
KarmSolar (http://karmsolar.com) is a solar technology andintegration company that delivers
innovative solar solutions to the agricultural, industrial,tourism and business sectors. Since its
founding in 2011, KarmSolar has been Egypt’s largest privateoff-grid solar energy integrator,
with exceptional experience in developing its award winninghigh-capacity solar pumping stations,
including the region’s largest off-grid Hybrid Pumping &Irrigation System (147 kW). KarmSolar
also offers MW-scale off-grid solar energy stations andgrid-connected utility-scale installations.
Committed to R&D and innovation, its goal is tocommercialize sustainability, enabling businesses
to gain from an increase in productivity whilst benefiting from,and protecting, the environment.
http://karmsolar.com/
13
Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Research Institute(AERDRI)
(http://www.arc.sci.eg/InstsLabs/Default.aspx?OrgID=10&lang=en)was established in 1977.
AERDRI conducts applied research in the fields of agriculturalextension, rural community
development, and rural home economics. The overall objective isto communicate the results of
such studies to policy-makers and to assist them in providingbetter extension service that
contributes to Egypt’s sustainable agricultural development. Itis available in English and Arabic
languages.
Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD)(http://www.aoad.org/Eabout.htm) was
established in 1970, upon the desire of the Arab countries.Realizing the vital role of agriculture
within the region's economy, the Arab countries recognized theneed for coordination between
their different policies in agriculture, natural and humanresources as well as economic
development, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a fullyintegrated Arab economies. It is
available in Arabic and English languages.
Jordan:
The study revealed that the use of ICT services in Jordan isoften irregular, except in the formal
framework of the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Centerfor Agricultural Research and
Extension, and some institutions dealing with agriculturaleducation, such as universities, where
the agricultural information is archived and recorded by pressreports, short televised interviews,
and broadcasting radio programs on a daily or periodic basis andas required by the official and
Methodology:
This study includes a detailed analysis of some successful casesof ICT use for small farm
households. A questionnaire was used to collect the requireddata and information through a
personal interview of two officials in each area. The study datawere collected during February
and March 2017. The questionnaire included two sets of guidingquestions:
- The first set of questions helped identifying main trends inthe use of ICTs and RCS in
the region and share experiences on the use of ICTs, communitymedia and other RCS in
support of agriculture and rural development.
- The second set of questions helped identifying a way forwardto improve the use of ICTs
and rural communication services in the NENA region - with theultimate aim of
supporting smallholder family farming.
http://www.arc.sci.eg/InstsLabs/Default.aspx?OrgID=10&lang=enhttp://www.aoad.org/Eabout.htm
14
private television stations and channels. The media mostlydepends on interviews with experts,
technicians, people concerned and press reports. Early WarningSystem and Knowledge Stations
has been launched in addition to the use of social networkingtools such as WhatsApp and
Facebook by research institutions and many people interested inthe agricultural sector. But this is
not done through a certain methodology or planning, and theoutcome of this work and the impact
obtained are limited.
Agricultural extension methods used include: 1) Text messagesthrough mobile phones, especially
in the case of frost and heat waves. The messages are usuallysent via groups on WhatsApp and
Facebook among farmers and extension agents to exchangeexperiences and information. This
process is applied through private mobile phones or extensionsites of the extension department on
Facebook or through a direct hotline; 2) Short agriculturalmessages on the local TV news relative
to the agricultural seasons; 3) Social media (Facebook),YouTube, photography; and 4) Periodic
magazines and newspapers. In some areas, IT centers allowfarmers to use computers to obtain
information. In general, technicians and extension workerscommunicate with each other using
social media such as Facebook, e-mail, and WhatsApp. Inaddition, courses are usually held for
agricultural extension workers to train them on the usage ofinformation technology in order to
document agricultural work and records of agricultural land andpractices for each farm (The
records are prepared by the Research and Extension Departmentand distributed to the farmers).
Some organizations use electronic training via Skype, and onecase has been monitored where a
group of farmers and stakeholders in Gaza / Palestine have beentrained.
Farmers' experiences are documented through: reports and fieldvisits; photography clips showing
the nature of the activity or technology that would be presentedin the periodic technical meetings
and seminars; radio interviews or illustrated agriculturalprograms; the website of the National
Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Jordan Radio and Television andprivate stations; publications
that include success stories for rural women and farmers (casestudies are published on the social
networking sites and the Agricultural Research and ExtensionDepartment website
(http://www.ncare.gov.jo/DefaultAr.aspx); and social networkingpages, by uploading short
videos on social media. There is a reluctance in financingdocumentation on agriculture in the
projects due to budget limitation and incompetence in the fieldof knowledge management.
Moreover, there is a reluctance in sharing knowledge that wouldnot be acknowledged.
http://www.ncare.gov.jo/DefaultAr.aspx
15
Knowledge in Jordan is shared through: 1) Extension visits tofarmers by extension service
providers; 2) photography, recording and presentation of shortinstructional films for new
agricultural techniques and success stories in variousagricultural branches during the orientation
meetings; 3) media coverage for agricultural activities; 4)television broadcasting: TV news reports
about exhibitions and agricultural festivals such as the “olivefestival” and “guava festival” and
other agricultural events such as the celebration of the treefestival; in addition to reports on
agricultural information and methods (ex: ( المبيدات الزراعية-برنامج سواعد اإلنقاذ ) “Pest Control
Program- Agricultural Pesticides”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1EZp137mM&feature=youtu.be);5) social networking
pages such as Facebook and WhatsApp for institutions, farmers,associations, initiatives and
activities; and 6) printed extension material.
Public Sector
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Extension Department,notifies farmers of emergency
situations related to weather and pest outbreaks by sendingmessages through WhatsApp or
Facebook and through radio and television broadcasts.
The National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension(NCARE), receiving its core funding
from the government, is responsible for: organizing agriculturalresearch and extension plans for
sustainable development; adopting the latest agriculturaltechniques for local conditions;
disseminating appropriate technologies to farmers throughextension agents; enhancing knowledge
and improving skills of researchers and extension agents througheducation and training activities;
conducting socio- economic studies; evaluating the effect ofeconomic factors on agricultural
production; and capacity building of researchers and extensionagents in collaboration with local,
national and international partners and providing training andcross-learning opportunities in order
to better address agricultural development problems. NCAREwebsite (http://www.ncare.gov.jo/)
and Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/-المركز-الوطني-للبحث-واالرشاد-الزراعي
5467199966659971/ share important information on agriculturalexperiments and best practices.
In addition, in some of the typical farms, field activities arebeing implemented for the training of
farmers where crops such as strawberry and production ofseedlings are being demonstrated. These
experiments are documented and published on NCARE Facebookpage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1EZp137mM&feature=youtu.behttp://www.ncare.gov.jo/https://www.facebook.com/المركز-الوطني-للبحث-والارشاد-الزراعي-1794566693902245/https://www.facebook.com/المركز-الوطني-للبحث-والارشاد-الزراعي-1794566693902245/
16
Agricultural extension units do not have any organized andcomplete electronic database,
especially for small farmers; therefore, it is difficult toreach them and send information. These
information are available with those who work in the fieldincluding extension agronomists and
engineers. The Directorate of Agricultural Information andManagement in collaboration with the
Training Directorate at the National Center for AgriculturalResearch and Extension train farmers
on farm records and documentation of all agricultural practicesto estimate the financial benefits
of the farm and monitor agricultural operations. The NationalCenter for Agricultural Research
and Extension, in cooperation with Jordan Telecom Companies, hascreated a database that is still
limited by sending SMS on warnings of frost and hightemperatures. These messages are sent free
of charge to farmers.
The radio broadcasts on the official Jordanian radio a programentitled "With the Farmer" and the
local radio stations broadcast weekly agricultural programs,evening and daily morning programs,
through which the farmer can obtain information, guidance,techniques and modern methods in
agriculture, both plant and animal production. These programs aswell highlight the role of projects
and activities in serving farmers and women and reveal successstories for farmers, both men and
women, and deliver their voice and demands.
Private Sector
The collective approach of farmer field schools has been appliedin several major agricultural
areas in Jordan, particularly the Jordan Valley, within theframework of a regional program
entitled "Regional Program for Integrated Pest Management (IPM)"funded by the Italian
Government and implemented by FAO in collaboration with theMinistry of Agriculture. The
program started in 2004 and terminated at the end of December2012. The total number of
beneficiaries was about 3,000 farmers. It worked to promotelocal adaptation to integrated crop
management mechanisms and local agricultural products. Theimportance and results of these
farmer field schools are documented on the Good Practices inAgriculture website
(http://goodpractices.agrinnovation.net/Pages/FFSDetails.aspx?Id=62&lang=AR&I=0&DId=0&
CId=0&CMSId=58)
Online Platforms
http://goodpractices.agrinnovation.net/Pages/FFSDetails.aspx?Id=62&lang=AR&I=0&DId=0&CId=0&CMSId=58http://goodpractices.agrinnovation.net/Pages/FFSDetails.aspx?Id=62&lang=AR&I=0&DId=0&CId=0&CMSId=58
17
African – Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO)
(http://aardo.org/aardohomepage/English/about.html) is anon-political body enjoys observer
status with various UN and other international organizationslike Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), International Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD), United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United NationsEducational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP),
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Centre on IntegratedRural Development for Asia and
the Pacific (CIRDAP), etc. It also promotes collaboration withvarious international
organizations for the economic and social welfare of the ruralcommunity. It is available in
Arabic, English and French languages.
National Agricultural Information System (NAIS)(http://www.nais-
jordan.gov.jo/Pages/index.aspx?lang=EN&DId=0&I=0&CId=0&CMSId=8)is a national
platform for Information dissemination and knowledge sharing andexchange for Agricultural
Research and Development (ARD) for target groups andstakeholders in Jordan. It is available in
Arabic and English languages.
Lebanon:
Public Sector
Around 28 centers of advisory services in Lebanon communicatewith farmers directly by phone
to reply to the farmers’ concerns and give them advice. Theyorganize seminars and farmer field
schools often linked to externally funded projects and theyinform and invite farmers in their region
by sending them SMS messages. These SMS are sent through thedirectorate of the ministry of
agriculture (there are 5 directorates) based on an email requestby the center of advisory service
who provides the content of the message and the list of phonenumbers to be reached. However,
the budget is limited to 2000-3000 SMS per year, and many agentshave no mobile phones. The
ministry had one project where they used to send SMS to farmers,but the only success ICT tool
Methodology
In order to study the use of ICT in Jordan, severalinstitutions, companies
and associations, including the Ministry of Agriculture and theNational
Center for Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE), were
interviewed as main centers for agricultural extensionservices.
http://aardo.org/aardohomepage/English/about.htmlhttp://www.nais-jordan.gov.jo/Pages/index.aspx?lang=EN&DId=0&I=0&CId=0&CMSId=8http://www.nais-jordan.gov.jo/Pages/index.aspx?lang=EN&DId=0&I=0&CId=0&CMSId=8
18
has been the LARI SMS messages and currently the App LARI-LEB.In addition, the ministry has
a farmer record for grapes farmers and a list of farmers percenter.
The Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) is agovernmental organization under the
Minister of Agriculture Supervision. The institute conductsapplied and basic scientific research
for the development and advancement of the agricultural sectorin Lebanon. In addition, the
Institute keeps close ties with the farmers and tries to developresearch activities aiming at solving
their problems. It has 8 different experimental stations (TelAmara, Tourbol, Kfardan,
Kfarchakhna, Abdeh, Sour, Fanar, Lebaa) located in agriculturalareas. Research Projects are
conducted in the stations through its different agriculturaldepartments and laboratories. The
Department of Irrigation and Agro-Meteorology (DIAM) isresponsible for maintaining the
network of sixty weather stations all over Lebanon. The weatherstations are currently covering
almost every microclimate zone in Lebanon. The Departmentcollects all the information from the
stations, stores the climatic data and checks its accuracy. In2009, LARI introduced a short message
system (SMS) to send early warming to farmers in Lebanon.Farmers received daily warming on
irrigation water advices and requirements, early warning systemsfor pests and diseases (in
collaboration with the other departments), drought events andweather forecast in direct relation
to agriculture. In 2015, a smart phone application (LARI-LEB )available on apple and android
was introduced that provides the farmers with the sameinformation also maintained by DIAM.
LARI has now more than 3000 registered farmers and more than14000 subscribers to this service
via SMS, smartphone and web-based application. However, manyfarmers are reluctant to use the
application as they do not find applications practicalespecially due to their low experience in using
such technologies. In addition, LARI has two specializedsoftwares specific to the analysis of data
for potato and apple crops respectively. This enables LARI tosend alert messages based on
weather data and analyzed by the system to give timely andaccurate advice and messages to the
farmers. However, these messages are only accurate for theregion covered by the weather stations
and not always relevant to areas with a specificmicro-climate.
Private Sector
Pesticides and fertilizers companies share information regularlythrough their Facebook pages.
They get in direct contact with farmers through theirrepresentatives in the field who are agriculture
engineers and give direct advice to the farmers and respond totheir phone calls.
19
Mada Association (www.mada.org.lb) is an active non-profitorganization for development in the
North Lebanon since 2004. A recent project funded by theEuropean Union supported 133 apple
growers in Akkar to build their capacity on good agriculturalpractices. The project installed a
weather station in the area where the apple growers are presentand commissioned LARI to send
alert SMS to 300 farmers on weather forecast, pest outbreaks,and expected diseases, with
instructions on the required control and preventive measures. InDecember 2016, this service was
evaluated among 75 beneficiaries of which only 29% use the LARILeb application; all
beneficiaries receiving SMS messages from LARI-MADA aresatisfied and prefer it compared to
the LARI-LEB App. Early warning on pest outbreaks and time ofspraying were selected as the
most useful information received. The advantage of this serviceis that the messages were specific
to the geographical location of the farmers and was serving themdirectly.
The Georges N. Frem Foundation (GNFF)(http://www.georgesnfrem.org/agriculture) is a
Lebanese non-profit organization established in 1997. Itsmission is to improve the economic
prosperity and quality of life of the Lebanese people throughthe implementation of effective
programs targeting economic, agriculture, education andcommunity development. Since its
inception, GNFF has assisted growers across Lebanon to modernizetheir orchards and provided
them with technical assistance on good agricultural practices toensure the production of safe and
healthy products. In 2009, GNFF pioneered in launching the SMSmobile phone service to growers
as part of its extension program from its own budget. Theagriculture team at GNFF regularly
sends through SMS messages relevant and timely advice on propercultural practices (pest control,
fertilization, irrigation, etc.…) to more than 1,000 growersspread in Lebanon and who took part
of the trainings implemented by the foundation. Growers are alsoprovided with a hotline number
to contact the team members and get the needed advice. Somegrowers also communicate with the
team via email. More recently and in view of the widespread ofmobile apps, GNFF started to
connect with the growers via WhatsApp. Moreover, a monthlyinformative newsletter is sent to
the growers in a form of a link in addition to invitations toworkshops and events. Growers also
use this app to consult with the engineers on urgent symptomsthat cannot await the scheduled
field visit. GNFF believes in the role that ICT can play instrengthening the linkages between the
growers, engineers and new research and will always strive touse new technologies that are
convenient for the growers to transfer appropriateknowledge.
http://www.mada.org.lb/http://www.georgesnfrem.org/agriculture
20
Palestine:
The use of community communication is common acrossorganizations and many individuals in
Palestine, but knowledge production is not done in a systematicmanner and may be weak. The
impact of use of these tools has not been evaluated so far. Theextension tools used include: radio
programs; TV meetings; text messaging through mobile phones;social media; YouTube;
photography and news press. Farmers’ experiences are usuallydocumented through the website
of the Palestinian radio, television and other Palestinianstations, social networking pages, and
sites of the General Directorate for Guidance and RuralDevelopment. Knowledge in Palestine is
shared through 1) individual visits; 2) short informative filmsduring extension meetings (these
movies showcase new agricultural techniques and success storiesthat pertain to various branches
to agriculture); 3) media coverage (radio, television,documents) for group and individual
activities; 4) TV broadcasts showcasing reports, exhibitions andall sorts of agricultural related
events; 5) distribution of the "Agricultural calendar"; and 6)Facebook pages to promote
institutions and people. There are no studies conducted toassess the percentages of farmers that
have access to the internet or are interested in watchingtelevision or listening to radio broadcasts.
When it comes to mobile phones (dial-up connection or mobilenetworks), a number of
communication companies reaches the majority of farmers inPalestine except for the areas
occupied by the Israeli regime and dominated Israeli lines andconnectivity, hence hindering the
spread of timely information through text messages. Through theuse of different social platforms
such as Facebook and the internet, a farmer can get in contactwith agriculture extension officers.
In addition, he would be able to browse the official website ofthe Ministry of Agriculture and
other institutions to access extension material. This can beachieved through the use of mobile
phones or laptops owned by farmers. However, no studies havebeen done in this regard. Access
of small-scale farmers to information and knowledge is hinderedby: the location of some farmers
near the borders or in remote areas where access to the internetor transmission signal of mobile
phones is weak; or interrupted electricity (case of Gaza). Theprocess of storing data is done
through individual initiatives or by institutions and usuallynot shared. The only source of statistics
is generated by the Palestinian Central Bureau of statistics,and it only covers general indicators.
Public Sector
21
The use of information and communication technology in Palestineis often irregular, except in the
Ministry of Agriculture Information Department, where theagricultural knowledge is documented
in press reports, media coverage and radio broadcasts. This isdone periodically and based on the
needs of official and private radio stations.
The National Strategy for Agricultural Extension aims to empowerfarmers by expanding the
exchange of information and transfer of knowledge and skills andchanging their behaviors in order
to help them manage their resources efficiently. The strategyaims to do all this in the context of
environmental conservation. However, in all strategies (for theagricultural sector, extension, olive
sector) there were no clear indications of agriculturalknowledge sharing, neither on the strategic
objective level nor in regards to policies or interventions. TheMinistry of Agriculture provide the
only examples from Palestine. However, its efficiency cannot beproven due to the lack of
evaluation to assess viewers’ ratings, the specific audience andfollowers. At present, the
Agriculture Directorate has no electronic database. Informationavailable at the regional level is
partially stored as administrative files, making agriculturalinformation available at the district and
village level limited and insufficient.
Farmers’ experiences are documented through radio interviews orvideoed interviews upon the
possibilities available for farmers, in addition to reportingand documenting the success stories and
new agricultural techniques and disseminating them on theagricultural channel of the Director of
the Department of Agricultural Mediahttps://www.youtube.com/c/EngDohaAbedi.
Knowledge is shared in the Ministry of Agriculture through theDepartment of Agricultural Media
that follows the General Extension Directorate through: 1)Sharing specific agricultural news; for
example:
https://www.facebook.com/duha.abedi/media_set?set=a.10154466070327976.1073741877.8105
32975&type=3&pnref=story. 2) Presenting shortinstructional films for new agricultural
techniques and success stories in various agricultural branchesduring the extension meetings. 3)
Media coverage of group and individual activities. 4)Demonstration of reportages on exhibitions
and agricultural festivals carried out by the directorates ofa*griculture "Guava Festival, Grape
Festival, Cherry Festival...." on TV. 5) Press coverage of localand international agricultural
exhibitions and participation in provincial exhibitions. 6)Media coverage of various awareness
campaigns based on agricultural seasons and in cases of hazardsfacing agricultural practice "rain,
floods, frost, heat, diseases on agricultural crops orlivestock". 7) Sending text messages via cell
https://www.youtube.com/c/EngDohaAbedihttps://www.facebook.com/duha.abedi/media_set?set=a.10154466070327976.1073741877.810532975&type=3&pnref=storyhttps://www.facebook.com/duha.abedi/media_set?set=a.10154466070327976.1073741877.810532975&type=3&pnref=story
22
phones to warn, guide and educate farmers, with more than 17,000registered people on the
agricultural media list. 8) Displaying agricultural radioprograms through official radio and local
radio stations. 9) Social networking pages and sites of theGeneral Directorate for Extension and
Rural Development; examples: How to protect your farm and animalwealth from frost...
http://www.arn.ps/archives/191291;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9XWd8cNVuQ;
Agricultural Calendarhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3s_SDQBvk; Agricultural
guidelines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnZa87yD-g; Theimpact of high temperatures
on the agricultural sectorHttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV0f4Uuecj4; Agricultural
guidelineshttps://www.facebook.com/duha.abedi/posts/10154686556177976?pnref=story;
Agricultural guidelines on plants used for decorations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdhuwiT-1_o; Bee-keeping
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNoH7oYbnl4.
In addition, the Department of Agricultural Media in theMinistry of Agriculture works on
publishing new techniques and how the farmer can apply them, andclarify through a reportage or
a short extension film the extent of the farmer’s application ofthis technology and its impact on
production. This reportage would be uploaded to YouTube and thefollowing examples illustrate
this: Short video on: Pollination of vegetables, origin, taste,method, incubation and reproduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Pnx-BZjBs; Short video aboutcompost manufacturing
units in the Jordan Valley areaHttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB2gNKLSRA4; Video on
breastfeeding made locally for small babiesHttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4oza4aAHww;
Video about olive trimming in West Line Areas; Palestinian GreenGold Project and program from
the field Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9ihU8pdKR0; and The‘beautiful patience plant’
and information about itHttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB6S4MWSQSw. The Department
of Agricultural Media documents as well farmers' success andresilience stories, communicating
their voices to officials, and finding solutions to theirconcerns, for example: Farmer Jihad Sarras
from Khallet Afana, Bethlehem Governorate: Story of commitmentand success
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvvKEOXJz-U; VegetablePollination: The success story of
farmer Iyad Maluh Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQqn73QLHVo; Asuccessful
agricultural project, Mrs. Sabha Abu SousinHttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidQq0N7xI8;
and a Successful story on how to manufacture liquid soap: SabhaDouha
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEwqrnYmsg8
http://www.arn.ps/archives/191291https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9XWd8cNVuQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3s_SDQBvkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnZa87yD-ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV0f4Uuecj4https://www.facebook.com/duha.abedi/posts/10154686556177976?pnref=storyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdhuwiT-1_ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNoH7oYbnl4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Pnx-BZjBshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB2gNKLSRA4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4oza4aAHwwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9ihU8pdKR0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB6S4MWSQSwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvvKEOXJz-Uhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQqn73QLHVohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidQq0N7xI8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEwqrnYmsg8
23
The Department of Agricultural Information in the GeneralAdministration for extension and Rural
Development, at the Ministry of Agriculture in collaborationwith the Palestinian
Telecommunications Company "Jawwal", has carried out a programthrough which extension alert
messages are sent notifying users about high or low temperaturesor the impact of particular pests.
These messages were delivered through a computerized program, atthe Department of
Agricultural Information in the Directorate General forExtension and Rural Development, to more
than 17 thousand beneficiaries registered on the agriculturalmedia list. These included farmers
and rural women, associations, nurseries, beneficiaries ofprojects, fishermen, private enterprises,
agricultural extension officers, and ministry employees. Theservice was free of charge. In
addition, radio programs are broadcasted through the officialradio station "Voice of Palestine"
and local radio stations. They transmit weekly agriculturalprograms, during both the evening and
the morning, allowing farmers to obtain information, knowledge,techniques and best practices.
For example, an agricultural radio program "AgriculturalMessages" is now being displayed on
the official “Voice of Palestine” radio, enabling theagricultural advisor and the agricultural expert
to direct the extension letter based on the agriculturalseasons. The farmer can send messages to
the official or other farmers. These programs are prepared andsubmitted free of charge by the staff
of the Department of Agricultural Information.
Private Sector
Some organizations use text messages with the beneficiaries ofsome projects. For example,
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) sends to 70 farmersmessages and information about
food security projects in a specific area.
Daily radio programs are broadcasted such as "with the farmer”,broadcasted by the official radio
station "Voice of Palestine", and the "Blessed Land" programbroadcasted on the Holy Quran radio
/ Nablus. Through these programs, daily communication withfarmers and citizens are established
in order to raise awareness and give proper advice concerningvarious agricultural fields and
common disease between humans and animals.
24
Sudan:
Public Sector
The General Directorate of Agricultural Extension of theMinistry of Agriculture launched in 2009
and for the first time the mobile Agricultural ExtensionService, known as the Mobile Agriculture
Service, to support farmers with agricultural news andinformation in different agricultural fields
in a simple and timely manner. SMS messages are sent for free onan average of 15 messages per
month from the Central Administration of Agricultural Extensionunder the supervision of a group
of experts (subject matter specialists). The service waslaunched through two telecommunications
companies, Zain and Sudani. The General Directorate ofTechnology Transfer and Extension
initiated the transfer of extension material through thisservice. A contract was signed with Datanet
for the implementation of the program, which aims to involveproducers through individual contact
on a 4-digit short number 1519 to provide him with technical andmarket information.
Private Sector
The Sudan Integrated Food Security Information Program (SIFSIA)program, funded by the
European Union, is implemented by the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations
(FAO) in cooperation with key national institutions in Northernand Southern Sudan. It is a Mobile
Market Information System to help farmers in getting bettermarket deals; and traders in making
Methodology
To study the use of information and communication technology inPalestine, eight institutions and
companies were interviewed as the main providers of agriculturalextension services:
Ministry of Agriculture
Arab Agricultural Development society (PARC)
Applied Research Institute –Jerusalem (ARIJ)
Union Agricultural Working Committees (UAWC)
MAAN Development Center (MAAN)
Economic and Social Development Center of Palestine (ESDC)
Meqdadi Agricultural Company
AlJunaidi Agricultural Company
25
decisions about what, where and when they can buy and sell. Italso provides policy makers with
the information they need to make markets more efficient andguide researchers with lines of action
for applied market research. SIFSIA works with the government toenhance its ability to manage
existing information systems in the market and to strengthentheir capacity to produce, analyze
and disseminate food security information. In the meantime, theyare working together to build
more modern systems and strengthen public-private partnershipsto make them sustainable.
In addition to mobile services, the radio plays an importantrole as an ICT tool in Sudan. FM 95
addresses agricultural issues and related problems that are ofimportance to the population. It
transmits news and urgent alerts through the following programs:i) daily program on agriculture
news (3 minutes news); ii) weekly (every Sunday) agriculturejournal broadcasting a specific
educational topic; and iii) weekly (every Monday) extensionagriculture program.
In an attempt to compare the two preceding tools, the radio andthe SMS, it is revealed that radio
programs are considered the best system in Sudan due to the highilliteracy among the farmers and
the wide coverage by radio waves especially that the FM coversall parts of Sudan and uses local
dialects. The system of SMS by mobile is a good system in thedelivery of agricultural information,
mainly prices, but the system is used by a small proportion offarmers due to the high rate of
illiteracy.
Country Level Platforms
The Sudanese Agricultural Extension Site(http://www.ttea.gov.sd) is the official site of the
General Directorate of Technology Transfer and Extension of theMinistry of Agriculture and
Forestry. The site provides its information services to theworkers in the agricultural sector, the
farmers and the companies.
Kenana Online (http://kenanaonline.com/users/sudaextension) isconsidered one of the most
important information portals visited by students, researchersand workers in the agricultural
sector. It is an Egyptian based portal and has a special pagefor Sudan (http://arc.sudanagri.net/).
It is one of the important interactive portals in the deliveryof agricultural information and includes
a number of websites (the site of agricultural extension andlivestock and the project of upgrading
and development of the Ministry of Agriculture State of NorthKordofan).
Tunisia:
http://www.ttea.gov.sd/http://kenanaonline.com/users/sudaextension/followees?page=2&stamp=1348389661-http://arc.sudanagri.net/
26
Public Sector
In 2013, the National Institute for Agricultural Research inTunis (INRAT or Institut National de
Recherche Agronomique de Tunis), in collaboration with theRegional Commissariat for
Agricultural Development (CRDA de Siliana), established a pilotremote communication system
through SMS for farmers who cultivate grains and forage. Thissystem targeted at first 50 farmers
and expanded to reach 160 farmers in 2016. The number ofbeneficiaries is still low compared to
the total number of farmers (around 20,300 individuals) of which60% are small land owners with
areas that do not exceed 10ha. The service is supposed to bereaching 1000 farmers in 2017. This
service aims to increase productivity, by improving thetechnical capabilities of grain and forage
farmers in Siliana. The SMS messages are free and are addressedto large, middle, and small scale
farmers and to 30 extension agents. They include information onthe adjustment of the seed drill
to ensure an adequate application rate for seeds andfertilizers; the treatment of seeds against fungal
diseases and weed seeds; the appropriate and timely use ofphosphate (P2O5) and ammonium
nitrate fertilizers; the prevention of fungal disease incidence;the maintenance and adjustment of
some parts of combined harvesters to avoid grain losses; theprevention of field fires; and
invitations to attend capacity building events. This ICT servicewill be further developed to include
irrigation advice to increase the productivity of irrigatedcrops. However, this requires the use of
smart-phones, technical and financial assets and agriculturalequipment, which are not always
available or affordable for small scale farmers.
The CRDA Siliana also relies on broadcasting voice messagesthrough a loud speaker set on a car
and visiting the agriculture areas to alert from diseaseoutbreaks and veterinary care and other
information.
As for the dairy breeders, they use mobile phones more often asthey need to communicate with
the experts by phone calls or SMS messages regarding matterssuch as artificial insemination and
veterinary care at the CRDA – Siliana (OBP3 2017). This tool isconsidered the most effective and
most used by around 60 to 70% of dairy breeders.
3 Office of Breeding of Pastures (OBP), 2017, Annual report ofthe activity of the Regional Commissariat for AgriculturalDevelopment in Siliana, entitled 2016
التقرير السنوي لنشاط ، 6102الجمهورية التونسية وزارة الفالحةوالموارد المائية والصيد البحري المندوبية الجهوية للتنمية الفالحيةبسليانة، " ."2016المندوبية الجهوية للتنمية الفالحية بسليانة بعنوانسنة
27
In addition, the agency for extension and agriculture educationAVFA (Agence de Vulgarization
et de formation Agricolehttp://www.avfa.agrinet.tn/fr/accueil.php) develops radio andtelevision
programs that are broadcasted during specific seasons to raiseawareness on plant pest, disease
control and animal health care. This initiative is funded by theministry of agriculture.
Private Sector
Some agricultural cooperatives use websites and/or Facebook topromote their services and
innovations in the agricultural sector such as the GDA(Groupements de Développement Agricole)
(https://www.facebook.com/GDAJilma/) and the SMSA (La SociétéMutuelle des Services
Agricoles de Majel Bel Abbès). The latter was established in1999 and works in the region of
Magel Bel Abbas for organic production of pistachio, almonds anolive oil; it has a website and a
facebook page to share information (http://www.smsa.tn/;https://www.facebook.com/Plate-
Forme-Pistachier-Majel-Bel-Abbes-1089477334448635/?fref=ts).
Suppliers, entrepreneurs and engineers rely on emails, SMSmessages and websites to access
information related to market, technology and agriculturepractices.
Conclusion
The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) issignificant for ensuring farmers’
access to information which is crucial for their development. Inaddition, ICTs contribute to
reducing gender imbalances in agricultural extension andinformation services for rural women in
this region. Rural women do not meet agricultural extensionworkers, especially when they are
mostly male, and rural women do not participate in meetings ortrainings. Information will be
available to these women through ICTs. Radio and televisionprograms for rural women especially
in the field of home gardens and food industries must besupported.
Methodology:
- A questionnaire targeting a group of agricultural extensionworkers, big, medium and small scale farmers
- Interview with agriculture extension agents and farmers -Meeting with heads of agricultural extension centers affiliated tothe Regional
Commissariat for Agricultural Development in Siliana. - Reviewof annual reports of three development institutions: a)Regional
Commissariat for Agricultural Development in Siliana, b) Branchof the Bureau of Livestock Breeding and the Provision of Pastureand c) National Institute of Agriculture in Abu Salem
- Online research for reports related to ICT
http://www.avfa.agrinet.tn/fr/accueil.phphttps://www.facebook.com/GDAJilma/http://www.smsa.tn/https://www.facebook.com/Plate-Forme-Pistachier-Majel-Bel-Abbes-1089477334448635/?fref=tshttps://www.facebook.com/Plate-Forme-Pistachier-Majel-Bel-Abbes-1089477334448635/?fref=ts
28
Stakeholders and employees in the agricultural sector in theNENA region are realizing more the
importance of ICTs for rural communities; in Jordan for example,stakeholders are valuing the role
of ICTs in the social and economic development and genderequality. Therefore, ICTs services
have been offered in this region including mainly phone calls,SMS, online portals, TV and radio
shows initiated by governmental organizations or publicinstitutes or through a collaboration
between both public and private sectors. Phone calls and SMS areconsidered in many countries
of the most successful tools used such as in Tunisia where 60 to70% dairy breeders use this tool.
However, surveys have revealed that application of ICTs stillfaces considerable challenges in
many countries in the NENA region specially that it requires theuse of technical and financial
assets, not always available or affordable for small-scalefarmers. In Jordan and Palestine for
example, some agricultural areas do not receivetelecommunications network or receive a weak
network because of their remote location such as the southernJordan Valley and Gaza respectively.
The Online Discussion Forum and Survey on Improving ICTsolutions and rural communication
services for small-scale family farmers (2016) and the studiesconducted in 7 countries (Algeria,
Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia) in theperiod extending from January
through June 2017, revealed that the high prevalence ofilliteracy among farmers presents a major
constraint as well usually resulting in the young generationmost using such services. In addition,
ICTs services providers suffer from: lack of logistic tools suchas cameras, voice recorders and
special computers; the high cost of communications and lack offunding to achieve specialized
television programs or specialized agricultural radio programson radio stations…; lack of training
required for those in charge of agricultural media; and lack ofknowledge sharing strategies. For
example, in Egypt, the main challenge is the limited budget andthe complexity of technological
services. Projects implemented in this field lack sustainabilitysince they rely mostly on external
funding, however, some studies have shown that rural people arewilling to pay in return for proper
knowledge and information (case of Egypt).
In order to enable farmers’ access to ICTs and thecommunications services, the following aspects
should be taken into consideration: (a) access to andavailability of Internet in rural communities;
(b) affordability of ICTs based products and services; (c)awareness of the importance and
usefulness of information and communication technologies and (d)the ability to translate ICT
access to value. In order to improve the efficiency of ICTsservices provided, technological means
must be provided to support farmers as well as workers in theagricultural extension sector.
29
Cooperation between the private sector and the public sectorwould increase the efficiency of ICTs
services. Furthermore, necessary training and capacity buildingshould be provided for trainers,
extension agents as well farmers on the use of the ICTs tools; afulltime staff in the field of ICTs
with the right qualifications is inevitable to be hired. Theextension agent remains an important
facilitator in defining farmers’ extension needs. Moreover, itwould be effective to develop new
applications that focus on agricultural knowledge targetingyouth who are already acquainted with
ICTs tools. Comprehensive studies and surveys must be conductedin the field of agricultural
activity, and there must be indicators for the effective impactof such technology; in addition, it is
important to classify farmers based on a number of indicatorssuch as access to ICTs tools,
connectivity, and literacy, prior to any action planning.
Annex I
Survey
The survey particularly focused on projects and programs thathave demonstrated results and
achieved scale, as well as in exploring the role that specificstakeholders can play across different
initiatives in this field.
Guiding questions, divided in two main blocks:
A. Trends and experiences
The first set of questions will help identifying main trends inthe use of ICTs and RCS in the region
and share experiences on the use of ICTs, community media andother RCS in support of
agriculture and rural development. The five (5) guidingquestions are the following:
1. Do you use ICTs or other types of communication media toolsas part of your work in
agriculture and rural development? Please describe.
2. Are you aware of examples of the use of ICTs andcommunication services or media that
work in your field? Please share relevant examples and lessonsfrom your experience
making reference, if relevant, to the usefulness and costefficiency for small-scale farmers
who have limited access to resources. Do you have evidencesabout the results?
30
3. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) represent an effective approach toshare knowledge among
farmers in the NENA region. Are you aware of existingcontributions of ICTs and
community media, such as rural radio, to FFS in the NENAregion?
4. Based on your experience, can you identify the mainchallenges that the region is facing
when it comes to share information and knowledge through ICTsand other media and
suggest ways to enhance their accessibility in your country? Howcan these challenges be
addressed?
5. Data about smallholder and family farmers are pivotal todesign informed policies to
strengthen their livelihoods. What are the main sources of dataon smallholder and family
farmers in the region? Are there examples of ICT-based datacollection systems used
by/with farmers (e.g. registries)?
B. Perspectives
The second set of questions will help identifying a way forwardto improve the use of ICTs and
rural communication services in the NENA region - with theultimate aim of supporting
smallholder family farming.
1. Do you believe that ICT tools and services are accessible tofarmers in your region? What
are the data gaps regarding the status of small-scale farmers’access to information and
knowledge as well as the challenges they face?
2. How can programs in knowledge sharing through ICT and othercommunication
media/tools reach small-scale farmers in a cost-effectivemanner?
3. How can access to training in ICTs and Communication fordevelopment be improved to
support small scale farmers in general and rural women and youthin particular to improve
agriculture? What are the skills and support they need?
31
4. What are the factors that affect farmers to get timely andrelevant agricultural information
via ICT tools? How can ICTs help to reduce gender imbalance inagricultural extension
services and information delivery? Are there existing examplesfrom your region?
5. What is the potential of blended ICTs, communication servicesand community media?
6. What are the policy implications to promote access to ICTsand rural communication
services for family farming in the region?
PROFILES
Nhadir Alouar
Agronomic Sciences
First assistant of president of the agriculture department
Abbes Laghrour University – Khenchela
Algeria
Rasha Mouhammad Alsayyed Chebaneh
Agricultural Extension Research and Rural Development ResearchInstitute
Agricultural Research Center of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Kassem Mohamed
Chief Researcher (Emeritus), Extension Methods and Aids ResearchDepartment
Director of the Information and Communication for Developmentunit, Rural and Agriculture
Development Communication Network (RADCON);
Focal point, innovation platform in Egypt, CRP Dry-landSystems
Egypt
Babuq Sersa
Agriculture engineer/ Freelancer/ Trainer
Coordinator and trainer for small-scale projects in foodsecurity and agriculture,
Jordan
Tohmé Tawk Salwa
Farming Systems and Sustainable Development
32
Associate Professor,
Lebanese University, Faculty of Agriculture,
Department of Economy and Development
Lebanon
Sarah Karam
Research Assistant
American University of Beirut, Environment and SustainableDevelopment Unit
Lebanon
Qadous Naser
American Near East Refugee Aid ANERA/ Ramallah Office
Palestine
Nazik Salahaldeen Dafalla Ahmed
Sudan National Biosafety Council
Bio-safety Officer
Sudan
Lakhdar Hichem Ben Mohamed
Expert in agriculture and rural development/monitoring andevaluation and research in
«structuration socio-professionnelle» production chaindevelopment and combatting
desertification.
Ministère Agriculture, FIDA, FEM, AFD, ICARDA, OIT,CE/ENPARD
Tunisia
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