m-Kisan: Using mobile technologies to strengthen farmer-extension-expert-linkages in India

Posted on 26 Jun 2012 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • 3 Comments

This week, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) joins partners in India for the launch of the m-kisan project, part of an mFarmer Initiative funded by GSMA (the worldwide association of mobile operators). In partnership with Handygo Technologies, a mobile value adding service provider for major network operators, ILRI will provide quality content mainly for small … Continue reading →

Asia / India / Innovation Systems / Knowledge and Information / South Asia

Do ICTs help us put research into use?

Posted on 21 Jun 2011 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

A new report from Research Into Use examines the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in South Asia as a tool to put research into use for innovation. The authors conclude: “If ICTs are to contribute meaningfully to innovation management, there has to be a fundamental rethinking of our approach to agricultural and rural … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Feeding / Animal Products / Dairying / East Africa / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Uganda

Computers serving Ugandan cows

Posted on 20 Dec 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

A computer programme for feeding dairy cows has won the top prize in the 2009-2010 Africa-wide science competition held by CTA together with partner organisations. The Endiisa Decision Support Tool was developed by a team of scientists led by the National Livestock Resources Research Institute of Uganda. Team leader Dr Sarah Mubiru said the software … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Knowledge and Information / Livestock

Molecular diagnostic methods help identify disease in livestock

Posted on 20 Jul 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • 2 Comments

Scientists have developed technology that can be carried to the field in a laptop suitcase to diagnose diseases in animals on the spot. The joint division of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are using molecular diagnostic methods, once only available in laboratories. Dr. Hermann Unger, Technical Officer … Continue reading →

Dairying / Knowledge and Information / Livestock

When the cows go moo (with mobile phones)?

Posted on 24 May 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • 2 Comments

So here’s an odd one to ponder for the weekend – could cows have mobile phones? Last week I got to stay on a dairy farm for the weekend (city kids need to smell some country air from time to time). Whilst there, we got a tour of the milking parlour and, even though I’m … Continue reading →

Animal Products / Knowledge and Information / Livestock

Information technology and manure have a symbiotic relationship

Posted on 20 May 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

America’s dairy farmers could soon find themselves in the computer business, with the manure from their cows possibly powering the vast data centers of companies like Google and Microsoft. While not immediately intuitive, the idea plays on two trends: the building of computing centers in more rural locales, and dairy farmers’ efforts to deal with … Continue reading →

Africa / Drought / ILRI / Insurance / Knowledge and Information / Livestock

ICT in Africa’s insurance business

Posted on 15 Mar 2010 by Dorine Adhoch • Leave a comment

It’s all about the customer right now. The insurance sector is grappling with the same sorts of cost pressures evident in other industries, and “outsourcing is a trend” among most players, says Haydn Pinnell, MD of Gallium. …The insurance sector in Africa only represented about 1.3 percent of the global insurance business in 2007, according to … Continue reading →

Dairying / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / South Asia / Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka introduces ICT to dairy farmers

Posted on 7 Jan 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Web and mobile technologies have been introduced such that Sri Lanka’s dairy farmers can achieve self-sufficiency in milk production. The project, called e-Dairy, is part of the effort by the country’s Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) to improve livelihoods of the rural community, which accounts for 70 per cent of the country’s population. Read … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Cattle / East Africa / ECF / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Tanzania

Using mobile phones to monitor cattle disease

Posted on 23 Nov 2009 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

In October, the London International Development Centre (LIDC) organised a workshop to discuss the ‘Impact of Mobile Phones Upon Development and Health’. Three speakers spoke on the use of mobile phones and animal health in Africa: Andrew Hagner (Royal Veterinary College) explained how he and his Undergraduate Research Team used mobile devices to record the … Continue reading →