A very interesting video showing the evolution from 1810 to 2009. We all can be in the "rich and healthy" region. It's up to us to decide where we want to be and what we can do to reach there. As we say, Nothing is impossible!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Agriculture Research and Development: Questions for a better future!
The questions are intended for all .. from the Planter to Extension Officers / Researchers, Directors of Public and Private Institutions, Policy Makers and Households.
Each post will cover a particular area, with its own set of questions. We invite our readers to interact on this blog and leave their valuable comments. At the end of the 100 questions, we will try to compile the comments and publish them on this blog as an article.
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SERIES 1
Natural resource inputs: Climate, watersheds, water resources and aquatic ecosystems
1. What are the predicted critical impacts of climate change (e.g. changes in temperature, wind speed,humidity and water availability, storm intensity, crop water requirements, snowmelt and seasonal runoff, pests, waterlogging, agroecosystem shifts, human migration) on agricultural yields, cropping practices, crop disease spread, disease resistance and irrigation development?
2. What would be the global cost of capping agricultural water withdrawals if environmental reserves were to be maintained?
3. What is the effect of increased rainwater harvesting on local hydrological fluxes, and how do local changes combine and alter water resource availability at larger geographic scales?
4. How can aquaculture and open water farming be developed so that impacts on wild fish stocks and coastal and aquatic habitats are minimized?
5. What approaches (operational, agronomic, genetic, supplemental irrigation schemes, fertility management, winter rainfall storage) can be developed to increase water use efficiency in agriculture and what is the cost-effectiveness of these approaches?
6. What combinations of forestry, agroforestry, grass cover, water-collecting systems and storage facilities, drought-resistant crops and water-saving technology are needed in arid and semi-arid areas to increase food production, and to what extent can they become cost-effective?
7. How can the allocation of water be optimized between irrigated agriculture and environmental functions, and what innovative policies and technologies can minimize trade-offs between irrigation and healthy functions of natural ecosystems?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Use of ICT in Agriculture
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are “new or advanced technologies that enhance the dissemination or creation of information and communication”. Formerly, when we talked about ICT in agriculture, it was all about the use of videos, radios, television and newspapers. But today, ICT in agriculture involves the use of mobile phones, computers, internet, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) etc. and a combination of the traditional and new ICT can be adopted by farmers in order to meet the Government goals, which are to increase local food production, as well as be concerned about the quality, marketing, profitability and food safety of the products.
How can ICT be used in agriculture?
In Mauritius, we are already using ICT in agriculture at a certain extent, but still we can exploit it further.
Mobile Phones
In Mauritius the telecommunication sector is growing very rapidly, and today, for a population of 1.2 million, there are 1.06 million mobile phones that have been sold and according to the Mauritius Telecom, more than 60% of the population will have a mobile phone in 2016. Furthermore, we have mobile network coverage all over the island for the 3 main mobile operators, namely Orange, Emtel and MTML.
The greatest advantage of proposing farmers to use mobile phone is that it is affordable (and also less expensive than a computer) and is easy to use. The only service that makes use of mobile phone in the Mauritian agriculture is the “SMS Disease Alert” by the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU). This service is about sending SMS to registered planters when there is a disease outbreak on a particular crop. The service is beneficial to the planters as they can take precautions to prevent the disease to affect their crops. However, mobile phones can have many more applications in the agricultural sector other than disease alert only. Mobile phones may be useful in marketing agricultural product, getting information on price of inputs, weather updates, good agricultural practices, animal health/husbandry etc.
Computers
A computer is an essential ICT tool for farmers who are engaged in crop or livestock production as it enables them to have a proper record system (e.g on Ms Excel) and using the record, they will be able to make proper decision. Furthermore, we can also install farming software on it to record, retrieve and save farm records on the office computer. The importance of having a farm record is that we can use the data for management, forecasting and marketing, which can help these producers in keeping their cost of production low and practice sustainable agriculture. For example, with proper record, we can know when to apply a particular fungicide and the rate to be applied.
GPS Guidance
This technology has already been adopted by two sugar estates in Mauritius. This type of farming is called precision farming. It involves full mechanization of all agricultural activities using tractors equipped with GPS. Since labor is expensive and difficult to find, the use of precision agriculture is the solution to this problem. While the tractor is furrowing with the use of GPS guidance, data is recorded and used for other operations. This gives the machine the ability to operate on auto-pilot mode (i.e driver is not required to control the tractor) and the tractor will always move through the wheel tracks, without damaging the crops.
Internet
The internet may be used for agricultural purposes in many ways. First of all, it can be used to have information on farming, check market prices, weather report and news, download forms and guides etc. Moreover, by using the internet, we can create a website where different kind of information can be shared.
How can ICT be used in agriculture?
In Mauritius, we are already using ICT in agriculture at a certain extent, but still we can exploit it further.
Mobile Phones
In Mauritius the telecommunication sector is growing very rapidly, and today, for a population of 1.2 million, there are 1.06 million mobile phones that have been sold and according to the Mauritius Telecom, more than 60% of the population will have a mobile phone in 2016. Furthermore, we have mobile network coverage all over the island for the 3 main mobile operators, namely Orange, Emtel and MTML.
The greatest advantage of proposing farmers to use mobile phone is that it is affordable (and also less expensive than a computer) and is easy to use. The only service that makes use of mobile phone in the Mauritian agriculture is the “SMS Disease Alert” by the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU). This service is about sending SMS to registered planters when there is a disease outbreak on a particular crop. The service is beneficial to the planters as they can take precautions to prevent the disease to affect their crops. However, mobile phones can have many more applications in the agricultural sector other than disease alert only. Mobile phones may be useful in marketing agricultural product, getting information on price of inputs, weather updates, good agricultural practices, animal health/husbandry etc.
Computers
A computer is an essential ICT tool for farmers who are engaged in crop or livestock production as it enables them to have a proper record system (e.g on Ms Excel) and using the record, they will be able to make proper decision. Furthermore, we can also install farming software on it to record, retrieve and save farm records on the office computer. The importance of having a farm record is that we can use the data for management, forecasting and marketing, which can help these producers in keeping their cost of production low and practice sustainable agriculture. For example, with proper record, we can know when to apply a particular fungicide and the rate to be applied.
GPS Guidance
This technology has already been adopted by two sugar estates in Mauritius. This type of farming is called precision farming. It involves full mechanization of all agricultural activities using tractors equipped with GPS. Since labor is expensive and difficult to find, the use of precision agriculture is the solution to this problem. While the tractor is furrowing with the use of GPS guidance, data is recorded and used for other operations. This gives the machine the ability to operate on auto-pilot mode (i.e driver is not required to control the tractor) and the tractor will always move through the wheel tracks, without damaging the crops.
Internet
The internet may be used for agricultural purposes in many ways. First of all, it can be used to have information on farming, check market prices, weather report and news, download forms and guides etc. Moreover, by using the internet, we can create a website where different kind of information can be shared.
These are only a few examples of how ICT can be used in agriculture.
But, what other examples can we have and how far can we use them in the Mauritian Agriculture?
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