Uses of ICT in Agriculture

The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture is increasingly important. E-Agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agriculture and rural development through improved information and communication processes. More specifically, e-agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture. E-Agriculture is a relatively new term. E-Agriculture is one of the action lines identified in the declaration and plan of action of the WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY. The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) has been assigned the responsibility of organizing activities related to the action line C.7 ICT Applications on E-Agriculture. The main phases of the agriculture industry are : Crop Cultivation, Water Management, Fertilizer Application, Fertigation, Pest Management, Harvesting, Post-Harvest Handling, Transporting of Food/Food Products, Packaging, Food Preservation, Food Processing/Value Addition, Food Quality Management, Food Safety, Food Storage, Food marketing. All stakeholders of agriculture industry need information and knowledge about these phases to manage them efficiently. Any system applied for getting information and knowledge for making decisions in any industry should deliver accurate, complete, concise information n time or on time. The information provided by the system must be in user-friendly form, easy to access, cost-effective and well protected from unauthorized access. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play a significant role in maintaining the above mentioned properties of information as it consists of three main technologies. They are: Computer Technology, Communication Technology and Information Management Technology. These technologies are applied for processing, exchanging and managing data, information and knowledge.