2017 ICT4D Conference

Timely communication and provision of right information are among the critical needs for deployment of appropriate plant health management solutions to protect crop yields and farmer access to markets in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite dramatic increase in use of internet, smartphones and other ICT technologies, substantial digital divide exists between service providers and seekers. Moreover, several ICT-based farm tools are not readily applicable for agricultural systems in SSA. At the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), R4D efforts are focused on development of fit-for-purpose ICTs for agricultural development in SSA. This presentation provides details of ICTs for disease diagnosis and decision making. Drawing from extensive experience of farming systems in SSA, a multidisciplinary approach has been employed to develop two Web app’s: (i) for the surveillance (crop disease surveillanceTM) of emerging and invasive diseases to improve capability to quickly identify and effectively respond to emerging diseases; and (ii) seed quality management (SeedtrackerTM) along the value chain to enhance the production and trading of quality seed. These interactive custom made apps connect farmers, seed producers, regulators, extension services, input suppliers, traders and researchers, and dramatically improves lab to landscape connectivity for timely delivery of services to the end-users and document baseline of trends of disease emergence and seed production and trade. Details of these apps, their uses, scaling-up and its implications will be discussed.