ICT for agriculture sector.

ICT for agriculture sector.

By Letwin Mazarura

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) donated information and communication technology (ICT) equipment to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to support the operationalisation of the Agricultural Information Management System (AIMS).

A consignment of 250 tablets, 22 laptops and 70 desktops valued at US$154 000 was handed over during a ceremony in Harare with Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) also received part of the donation.

Acting UNDP resident representative, Ms Madelena Monoja said the equipment will be used to set up a modern agricultural information system.

“We are positive that the equipment will be used to improve evidence generation and utilisation within the relevant Ministries, for informed resilience-related policy decisions,” she said

“The generation of data by AIMS will improve both agricultural productivity and profitability. The benefits include knowledge and access to appropriate inputs, extension advice, weather warnings and market prices.”

Dr Basera said the use of ICTs in agriculture and resilience-building enables the monitoring and prediction of trends, which in turn allows communities to plan for risks and disasters.