ICT and farmers: lessons learned and future developments

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) evolution is well advancing Moore?s Law prediction of geometric progression of computer performance indexes. Indeed, these technologies are not only fast developed but, in addition, are giving birth to newer ones nicely branching existing “old fashion” ICT systems and tools. These innovations of ICT are not only regenerating traditional sciences, like Agriculture, and practices, like farming, but also, awake well neglected human sensitiveness and indifference for poverty, environmental protection, climatic deterioration issues and the future of our planet as a whole. To refer to a few examples of these innovations affecting Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Cloud Computing provides equality in resources management and exploitability to small budget farms against the big ones. Web2 browser allows, as a platform, effective runtime environment and considerably easy access to applications by farmers lacking proper education and training. Parallel Computing brings exponentially increased core processing to low-end computers facilitating the use of huge computer power by small agricultural research units. Never the less agricultural and farming communities, in their majority, do not adopt new ICT tools and systems to the degree required for substantial agricultural development. In this paper, experience gained over the years is used to evaluate and reason poor performance in the area of applicability of ICT innovations and tools by the vast majority of farmers throughout the world.