Computer tablet for technicians, farmers seen to 'revolutionalize' PHL agriculture - Business Mirror

Saturday, 21 April 2012 18:22 Ramon Efren R. Lazaro / Correspondent THE Department of Agriculture (DA)-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), together with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), is seeking to develop an affordable computer tablet that will give the DA’s corps of technicians and farmers a tool for quick Internet access in a bid to advance agriculture entrepreneurship.The DA is seeking partnerships for a proposed Pinoy tablet computer, which, the DA said, will empower farmers with critical information such as soil nutrients and farm-goods markets.

The tablet computer should have a 24-7 access to the Internet that must be purely focused on vital farm information (possibly blocking entertainment sites) and geographic information system (GIS).

The GIS will be pivotal in enabling farmers to determine whether the crop they are planting in a particular location at any given season is suitable to that locality. It will help them in determine if the soil needs certain types of fertilizer, or whether water or moisture is needed in plant growth may be sufficient in a particular farm area.

“We have an idea to revolutionize Philippine agriculture. We’re bringing a proof of concept tapping the power of information technology so we can inform farmers well. There’s no other than the DA [led by Secretary Proceso Alcala] that’s leading in enhancing the welfare of the farming community in the country,” said Dr. William Dar, Icrisat director general.

Icrisat’s network in India, where Dar, a former DA secretary, is based, will extend the Philippines assistance in fabricating the hardware, the tablet PC.

“If we want to move forward, we have to start the first step. That’s what a famous Chinese philospher said,” A journey of a thousand journey miles begins with a single step,’” said Dar.

The BAR will provide content for the tablet. The Icrisat is also facilitating to provide the Agropedia, a farm-management system that a consortium of seven institutions, including Icrisat, developed to aid Indian farmers.

“The Agropedia will be very useful to our own farmers, initially to our extension workers. We’ll discuss on how to implement this project with our partners in DA, the Itcaf [Information Technology Center for Agriculture and Fisheries] and the private sector,” said Dr. Nicomedes Eleazar, BAR director.

Arun Tiwani, Indo-US Healthcare chairman, said the Indian Telephone Industry has the capability to develop the tablet given Philippine government’s approval.

“We’ll have a bilateral agreement. William Dar is using his experience and influence in India to produce for the Philippines the kind of tablet computer that India will have for its students in three to six months,” said Tiwani in a discussion on April 10 in the Philippines on the tablet computer.

Tiwani envisioned a “Pnoy” tablet computer that will cost only around $100 (P4,300) each. It may be provided for free by the government. In India the tablet computer for students costs only $50, of which $25 is shouldered by the government and the $25 is paid by the student.

Access to Internet is provided by the Indian government, which also controls the telecommunications business, at only an equivalent of P100 per month. An initial 100,000 tablet computers will be produced in India for the pilot stage of the project. A similar volume may be produced for the Philippines.

“When I first saw Agropedia in India, I thought it’s really revolutionary. It will be a giant leap for us in sharing experts’ information and practical knowledge between us and our farmers. We don’t want to miss the train. We will seek enough support for it to be approved,” said Itcaf Director Gary Glenn Fantastico.

 

View the original article here