Region 10 Agri. Dept. launches e-agriculture project

Dec 16, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – The Region 10 Department of Agriculture has launched an e-agriculture project which includes the development of a digital database aimed at mapping all the necessary information about farmers operating in the region so as to better support them.

Regional Agricultural Officer, Deryck Collins

The database is currently in the first phase, according to Regional Agricultural Officer, Deryck Collins. This phase consists of registering all the farmers and mapping their geographical location. To date, close to 600 farmers have been mapped.
Collins said this ‘big ticket’ 2021 project, aims at transforming the region’s agriculture sector, through the use of (Information Communication Technology) ICT. The database when completed will possess information on the farmers’ geographical location, the crops they are sowing, their challenges and progress amongst other things, to provide the necessary support and marketing. These farmers are located in all communities across Region 10 and include kitchen gardeners, traditional and non-traditional farmers, cash crop farmers, livestock and poultry farmers, ground provision farmer and agro-processors. “The focus for 2021 was on service delivery, getting the services to the farmers and we are doing this through ICT. We are creating live data that will be in real time about all the farmers operating in Region 10” Collins said.
The data will also be updated every time field officers visit the farmers to determine whether their operation is active or not. In 2022, this data will be transformed into a more reporting database, which will allow for more accurate projections for reaping and more analytical data for reaching market demands. “The database will be able to say which farmer is active or inactive. Officers when they visit, will enter a log note that will reference the observations during the visit. This will allow for a projection based on the information and we will try to have algorithms to generate information that will allow for more effective results.” Based on the information generated from the database, the department will be able to determine how to plan their budget and what farmers are really in need of, whether it be assistance with pesticides, training, seeds or climate smart techniques.
The Department has been striving to make the region more self-sustainable by pushing the ‘return to the soil’ initiative. Large-scale farmers are also encouraged to network so as to meet these growing demands both locally and regionally. “One of the essential goals of running such software is to map market trends, market trajectory and the supply and demand chain,” Collins explained.
In addition to this database, the Department is also in talks with a German company to develop an App in 2022, which will consolidate all the information needed for a broader e-agriculture drive. The app is expected to determine whether projections, track world and regional market pricing, amongst other things. The Department will also be procuring soil testing equipment and a soil testing mobile laboratory, in an effort to better serve farmers.