CSIR sets a roadmap towards enhancing agricultural productivity through digitization

The Science and Technology Policy Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR – STEPRI), has begun disseminating findings of a study the ICT for Agriculture (ICT4Ag) has conducted on ICTs in agriculture to farmers’ project.

Dubbed “Enhancing Farmers’ Uptake of Digital Technologies through Empirical Research, Innovation, and Policy Intervention” (EFUDTRIPI) it seeks to assess and advocate increased usage of digital innovations in small, medium, and large-scale farmers. It also aims to understand why farmers are not adopting digital technologies to contribute to the development of national policies that enhance farmers’ access to digital technologies.

EFUDTRIPI project falls under the parent project, “Accelerating Inclusive Green Growth through Agri-based Digital Innovation in West Africa (AGriDI).

A total of 1040 farmers across nine of Ghana’s 16 regions, categorized into northern, middle, and southern zones participated in the project’s survey.

Participants of the dissemination and validation workshop were drawn from government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector, ICT4AG companies, farmers and farmer organisations, research and academia, and media.

Professor Paul Bosu, Director-General (DG) CSIR, during the opening of the workshop, said the project aligned seamlessly with the overreacting vision and mandate of the council, hence using innovative science and technologies to promote socio-economic development.

“The CSIR activities focus on seven key areas: food security and poverty reduction, climate change and green technology, material science and manufacturing, energy and petroleum, biomedical and public health, electronics and ICT, and science and people.

These thematic areas guide CSIR’s mission to drive progress and improve quality of life”, he said.

The Director General revealed that the current strategic plan of CSIR aimed at developing, disseminating, and driving the adoption of products and services that improved efficiency and addressing electronic communication and engineering problems.

Prof. Bosu said despite many achievements and innovations by the CSIR, it had struggled with limited uptake of technologies throughout the years.

“The findings of this study that sought to identify the barriers and enablers will provide strategic pointers that will help bridge the gap between technology development and upkeep, especially in the agricultural sector that is very important to the nation and crucial to CSIR,” he mentioned.

He urged farmers to adopt the technologies developed by the CSIR to help improve the sector.

He sent appreciation to the project team led by Dr Mrs Rose Omari, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) through the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Research and Innovation programme innovation fund under the European Union for their support.

Mr. Kwamena Quaison, Director of STI, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation underscored that the policy initiatives served as one of the key cornerstones of fostering the uptake of digital technologies among farmers.

He noted that the government has chalked some success in improving agricultural output through initiatives such as the Planting for Food and Jobs programme which has helped farmers gain access to vital inputs and resources, boosting production and livelihoods.

He noted that the private sector development played a critical role in driving the uptake of digital technologies among farmers.

Dr. Wilhemina Quaye, Director of CSIR-STEPRI said the research institute aimed at diversifying its project portfolio and would leverage on the multi-disciplinary expertise of researchers with a particular focus on megatrends relating to climate change, sustainable development, food safety, waste management, and renewable energy.

She said several projects that were ongoing in STEPRI covered broad areas of digitalization in agriculture: food and nutrition, wider uptake of water-smart solutions in energy and agriculture, and resilience against climate change, among others.

Dr. Quaye emphasized the need to partner with relevant stakeholders to provide research evidence and knowledge-based information to formulate and implement policies and programmes based on science, technology, and innovation.

Outcomes from the workshop, according to Dr Rose Omari, the Principal Investigator for the project was to increase the knowledge of policymakers in adapting or formulating national policies, of ICT4Ag (ICT for Agricultural Development) companies to develop, adapt and deliver quality, secured and more impactful digital solutions to farmers as well as of farmers’ usage of ICT and its impact on their operations and productivity.