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Elton Manguwo
THE country has made significant strides in incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture, as the push towards achieving a smart agriculture economy by 2025 gathers tempo.
Global agricultural production trends have for some time been shifting towards smart technological systems.
Speaking during the launch of the Agriculture Information Management System (AIMs) project Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said ICT was currently at the helm of every successful agriculture sector and should therefore be used to enhance sustainable management practices.
“One of the milestones of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is building community resilience and this can be achieved through digital technologies, which support adaptation and mitigation,” said Dep Min Haritatos
This comes on the backdrop of the recent launching of ZimSat-1 meant to address key issues related to utilisation of space technologies and solutions for a sustainable agricultural sector.
Essentially, ZimSat-1 will attend to the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and mitigate effects of climate change for food security amid increasing populations and corresponding pressures on the available agricultural land.
Dep Min Haritatos added: “The objective is to develop an e-agriculture system to boost growth in the sector and integrate it closely into the wider digital economy supported by good information management strategies through harnessing agriculture smart technologies.”
The advent of climate change has resulted in the roping in of agricultural methods that influence precision production and conservation agriculture practices. Therefore, the capacitation of extension workers with modern tablets gives the country a better appreciation of the latest developments in agriculture.
“The major resource required in the achievement of a smart agriculture economy by 2025 is information technology with ICT in agriculture providing farmers with vital information and data,” he said.
Accurate information analysis can assist in predicting a region’s agricultural output well in advance. This is critical in anticipating and mitigating the effects of food shortages and famines through the provision of a basis for policy formulation.
The Government launched various projects to modernise the country’s agricultural industry through the provision of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools.
The Dep Min highlighted that Zimbabwe like most developing nations had been affected by the lack of information in the agriculture sector as reported in the recent 3rd Cycle The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Biennial review report.
Investing in ICT for agriculture is part of Ministry’s strategy in the digitalisation of agriculture leading to automated decision making to improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase production and productivity.
Online Reporter