Triple ‘C’ Consultancy is on a mission to boost e-Agriculture

Jun 17, 2018 News

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E-Agriculture can be defined as a global community of practice, where people from all over the world exchange information, ideas, and resources related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for sustainable agriculture and rural development.
One local company, Triple ‘C’ Consultancy (TCC), is pushing frontier boundaries with its use of e-Agriculture to support local farmers. The company was founded in 2009, and is managed by a 13-member board of local, regional and international professionals.
However, the use of e-Agriculture is not the least of what is done by the firm. TCC also provides other agricultural and environmental services such as Climate Smart Agriculture, Value Chain Development, Hydroponics and Aquaponics, Artificial Intelligence through agro-advisory, soil testing and mapping, Business Plan Development, Soil Testing and Mapping and Training.
Founder of the company, Bissasar Chintamanie, a Climate Change/Sustainable Development Specialist, explained that e-Agriculture is an emerging field in the intersection of agricultural informatics, agricultural development and entrepreneurship, referring to agricultural services, technology dissemination, and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies.
More specifically, he said, it involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of new (innovative) ways to use existing or emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs).
TCC services go beyond technology, to promote the integration of technology with multimedia, knowledge and culture, with the aim of improving communication and learning processes between various actors in agriculture locally, regionally and worldwide, Bissasar added.
He said, too, that it also involves facilitation, support of standards and norms, technical support, capacity building, education, and extension are all key components to TCC line of services.
Chintamanie explained, “Our platform allows members to upload a request for information. For example they can ask for information on how to deal with crop diseases. All they have to do is send us a photograph or even send us a written summary of their problem and we can respond within 24 hours.”
Pointing out that Guyana’s agricultural policies and plans have been developed and implemented by focusing on agricultural diversification, the founder disclosed that agricultural diversification plan gives high priority to national production, where more than 80% of the population depends on farming for their livelihood.
Agriculture shares about 20% of the national GDP making the country predominantly agriculture based.
The agriculture sector utilizes a huge mass of unskilled, economically active population. There are several types of activity related to e-agriculture applications that are widely recognised around the world today.
Mr. Chintamanie explained that the delivery of agricultural information and knowledge services (i.e. market prices, extension services, etc.) using the Internet and related technologies falls under the definition of e-Agriculture.
Where more advanced applications of e-agriculture in farming exist in the use of sophisticated ICTs such as satellite systems, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), advanced computers and electronic systems to improve the quantity and quality of production, say Chintamanie.
He added that Guyana’s food production and productivity can be increased by an effective use of ICT for agricultural purposes. Some Developed Nations are using laser technology instead of tractors to plough lands. This helps in optimizing the use of various inputs such as water, seeds, fertilizers, etc.
“The problem is that most Guyanese farmers cannot afford this technology; with the introduction of the Triple “C” Consultancy support services for development, the use of this technology can be realised. Farmers can access these services for ‘less than a beer a week’.”
The cost for this service is less than $30 per day.
Chintamanie added, “Our team of experts work 24/7 to provide support services that is needed to enhance the agricultural sector in Guyana and the Caribbean…Our members are served through our Rural Development specialist and through our web interface…We promote technology with the human touch.”
GIVING BACK
Chintamanie noted that TCC is not only seeking to offer a service, but gears the service it provides to support efforts at poverty reduction, through job creation and support of women in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).
He said, “Women, especially those who are supporting their families, and youths are being targeted by TCC. We want to not only help the developed businesses, but also support SMEs by exploring the acceleration of equitable agricultural expansion and by also using more innovative approaches.
“TCC’s philosophy is based on the belief that it is possible to galvanize whole communities through social mobilization, and to create wealth and sustainable food security through social entrepreneurship training and by identifying local resources the population can add value to in an environmentally sustainable way.”
The local entrepreneur added that TCC’s tools and methods are to a large extent based on process-oriented ideas and research within agriculture.
“So we are talking about soil improvement techniques for increased yields and crop diversification and so on, as well as renewable energy, natural resource management and to provide services to communities by jointly pilot enterprise ideas with community members, providing training in agriculture, entrepreneurship and social mobilization,” he said.

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