Information & communication technology: The added value of technology

Abstract

George T-M. Kwadzo explains how a project using GPS data connected Ghanaian farmers to new buyers and export markets, and improved the value chain for a range of commodities in the country. The project was set up to support farmers, export businesses, government departments and related agencies to document, manage and monitor distributed production systems. TIPCEE trained field officers, mostly agricultural extension officers, to use GPS receivers in the course of their routine work. When they visited farms, they noted the exact coordinates of the crops, along with the size of the farms and other relevant details. GPS coordinates act like an address for the farmers, and show buyers, exporters, and certification bodies exactly where farms and farmers associations are located - literally putting farmers on the world trade map. The project looked at who was already growing which crop and what university studies or other research existed on it.