The livelihoods of the world’s poor rise and fall with the fate of agriculture. Enhancing the ability of smallholders to connect with the knowledge, networks, and institutions necessary to improve their productivity, food security, and employment opportunities is a fundamental development challenge. Where once rural areas were largely disconnected from the greater world, today, networks of information and communication technologies (ICTs) enmesh the globe and represent a transformational opportunity for rural populations, both as producers and consumers. However, realizing this opportunity requires a long-term commitment to mobilizing appropriate resources and expertise.

This training programme is designed to support practitioners, decision-makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. Our hope is that it becomes a practical guide to understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of those programs.

Duration:       5 Days

Target Audience

This course is intended for various actors in the Agriculture Extension (Agricultural extension officers, senior agricultural officials, and policymakers) working with communities, in governments, funding agencies, Research organizations and non-government organizations among others for Agriculture support activities and other Development programmes.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Gain basic skills in ICT in agriculture.
• Appreciate the need for ICT integration in agribusiness development.
• Understand current trends in ICTs as they pertain to agriculture and the contributions that ICT can make to enhance agricultural strategies and their implementation.
• Design, implement, and evaluate appropriate and sustainable ICT components of agricultural projects.
• Build effective public and private partnerships to promote ICT access and innovation for agriculture.
• Include ICT in policy dialogue and planning with country counterparts on agricultural and rural development goals and priorities.
• Understand the application of ICT in farm production, inventory management, and marketing and in extension services.
• Gain knowledge on gender equitable skills in ICT development in agriculture which is a major player towards rural development.

Course Content

• Introduction to ICT in agricultural development
• Making ICT Infrastructure, appliances, and services more accessible and affordable in rural areas
• Mobile devices and services and their impact on agriculture and rural development
• Gender-equitable, ICT-enabled agricultural development
• Increasing crop, livestock, and fishery productivity through ICT
• ICTs as enablers of agricultural innovation systems
• Broadening smallholders’ access to financial services through ICT
• ICT application in farmer organizations
• ICT enabled agricultural extension.
• Strengthening agricultural marketing with ICT
• ICT applications for smallholder inclusion in agribusiness supply chains
• ICT applications for agricultural risk management
• Improving food safety and traceability while empowering smallholders through ICT
• Strengthening rural governance, institutions, and citizen participation using ICT
• ICT for land administration and management
• Inventory management with ICT
• GIS and RS application in agriculture

Methodology

This course will utilize a variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension and retention of the information presented.

Certification

• Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with an Macskills Training and Development Institute Certificate

Training Venue

• Training will be held at Macskills Training Centre. We also tailor-make the training upon request at different locations across the world.

Airport Pick Up and Accommodation

• Airport pick up and accommodation is arranged upon request.

Terms of Payment

• Payment should be made to Macskills Development Institute bank account before the start of the training and receipts sent to us via email.