Information and communication technology (ICT) has always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. Today, ICT represents a tremendous opportunity for rural populations to improve productivity, to enhance food and nutrition security, to access markets, and to find employment opportunities in a revitalized sector. ICT has unleashed incredible potential to improve agriculture, and it has found a foothold even in poor smallholder farms. ICT in Agriculture, Updated Edition is the revised version of the popular ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook, first launched in 2011 and designed to support practitioners, decision makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. Our hope is that this updated Sourcebook will be a practical guide to understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of ICT interventions in agricultural programs.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. Today, ICT represents a tremendous opportunity for rural populations to improve productivity, to enhance food and nutrition security, to access markets, and to find employment opportunities in a revitalized sector. ICT has unleashed incredible potential to improve agriculture, and it has found a foothold even in poor smallholder farms. ICT in Agriculture, Updated Edition is the revised version of the popular ICT in Agriculture e-Sourcebook, first launched in 2011 and designed to support practitioners, decision makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. Our hope is that this updated Sourcebook will be a practical guide to understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of ICT interventions in agricultural programs.

This book offers a remarkable collection of chapters covering a wide range of topics related to ICT applications in agriculture and the environment. It gathers the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on ICTs in Agronomy and Environment (CITAMA 2019), held in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 22–25, 2019. The conference attracted a total of 27 papers, submitted by pioneering researchers from countries around the globe. Following a thorough peer-review by leading experts, only 14 papers were ultimately selected for publication. They cover a diverse range of topics, including: intelligent and knowledge-based systems; the Internet of things and monitoring systems; image processing; and social and collaborative systems. The book offers a valuable resource for a broad readership, including researchers, educators, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals from the areas of ICT, Agriculture and Environment.

The articles included in this book focuses on; Digital divide in rural India, e-Agriculture issues, Cyber extension, overview on Village Knowledge Centres VKCs, Community Information Centre iniative in Orissa, SATCOM application in Karnataka State, Model e-Villages in Arunachal Pradesh State of North-East India, Nationwide InDG web portal initiative for rural development, Kisan Mobile Sandesh KMS, Dynamic Market Information DMI by Web and Mobile in Tamil Nadu, Expert systems for pest and diseases diagnosis in rubber, Interactive Multimedia Compact Disc IMCD, Village Information Centres among Dairy Farmers in Tamil Nadu, KISSAN initiative of Kerala State, Mobile Agricultural School and Services MASS in Jharkhand, Farmers Database creation in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, Village Resource Centres VRCs in Uttaranchal, Pest Surveillance of Rice using satellite data, Techmode Approach for Distance Learning Courses for Field Veterinarians in Maharastra, Information Retrieval System for Buffalo Reproduction, Web Portals and Digital Data base in Agroforestry, Watershed Modelling using GIS and Remote Sensing in Gujarat State, e-Readiness and Participation Level of Akshya and KISSAN Kerala Beneficiaries and VRC & CIC Network in Assam and Internet utilization pattern, evaluation of Kissan Call Centres KCCs, ICT adoption level, impact, stakeholders feedback, policy implications and recommendations.

This book is an attempt to document the National Policy on ICTs in agricultural extension, ICT infrastructure scenario and related issues, case studies on innovative ICTs for agricultural extension initiatives (Village knowledge centres, information kiosks, mobile ICT units, web portals, digital data base and networks, rural tele centres, farmer call centres, mobile telephony, video conference, offline multimedia CDs, decision support systems, expert systems, innovative community radio and television programmes, open distance learning etc. The agricultural extension students, academicians, scientists, practitioners, administrators and policy makers will find this compilation of the "ICTs for Agricultural Extension: Global Experiments, Innovations and Experiences" from twenty eight countries relevant to providing a framework for the design and implementation of sustainable ICT-enabled extension services for the agricultural development.

The livelihoods of the world's poor rise and fall with the fate of agriculture. Enhancing the ability of smallholders to connect with the knowledge, networks, and institutions necessary to improve their productivity, food security, and employment opportunities is a fundamental development challenge. Where once rural areas were largely disconnected from the greater world, today, networks of information and communication technologies (ICTs) enmesh the globe and represent a transformational opportunity for rural populations, both as producers and consumers. However, climate change and price fluctuations in the global food market remind us that realizing this opportunity requires a long-term commitment to mobilizing appropriate resources and expertise. It is for this reason that we are particularly pleased to introduce the ICT in agriculture e-sourcebook. This resource was designed to support practitioners, decision-makers, and development partners who work at the intersection of ICT and agriculture. The authors hope is that it becomes a practical guide in understanding current trends, implementing appropriate interventions, and evaluating the impact of those programs. It combines cutting-edge expertise in ICT with empirical knowledge of a wide range of agricultural sectors, from governance to supply chain management. As an online knowledge source, it will continue to evolve and be updated to reflect the emerging and changing challenges and opportunities facing the sector. This activity was carried out as part of the program on creating sustainable businesses in the knowledge economy, for which the Government of Finland provided generous support. The publication represents a partnership of infoDev and the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank Group, with significant contributions from outside experts.

"This book is a comprehensive collection of research on the emerging trends and advances in the global application of information and communication technology use in agriculture and rural development"--Provided by publisher.