Ali, Muhammad

Man, Norsida

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

• ACRICUlTUREUse technologyto keep farmersconnectedCONNECTIONS are like spider net-works, which keep people connect-ed. Networks playa very importantrole in the success of farmers, par-ticularly when they start agricultureas a main source of livelihood. Thenetworks may be formal, informaland act in vertical and horizontaldirections.These types of networks help farm-ers in many ways, such as transfer of, new agriculture technology, learningfrom each other, exchanging infor-mation to boost their business, main-taining flow in the trading of agri-culture products, and remaining upto date about government schemesand promotions offered by privatesector for farmers' development.Horizontal networks are mostlybeing used by farmers at various lev-els. In this type, a farmer connectswith another farmer in the area formutual interests and benefits.Farmer-to-farmer connections areconsidered stronger from the farm-ers' lens, as they further facilitatenetworking with farmers at the local,regional, national and internationallevels. Malaysian farmers are alreadyconnected with each other. However,there is a need to strengthen thesenetworks at the village level.Informational extension educa-tion techniques can be used to mo-tivate so-called left-behind farmersto shoulder the agriculture develop-ment process. Agriculture extensionofficers rendering services in the des-ignated areas can accelerate this pro-cess so that farmers' horizontal con-nectivity disparity will not become ahurdle in the farmers' local devel-opment process. Information andcommunications technologies (lCT) .are one of best measures to strength-en farmers' networks and ultimatelythe farming community Is- digitallyconnected with each other.Vertical connectivity can triggerthe local development process. Inthis type of networking, farmers arelinked with state and local organ-isations. For example, JawatankuasaKemajuan Dan Keselamatan Karn-pung (JKKK) is a well-known village-based organisation that connectsfarmers at the local level.Anotherexample is a cooperative-and wholesaler association that alsofacilitates farmers at various stages.However, such societies and net-works are lacking in almost all thestates in the country. If these net-works are not strengthened or es-tablished in true spirit, then foodsecurity and Sustainable Develop-ment Goals (SDGs)will be difficult toachieve. Similarly, the competenciesof agriculture extension staff may beproperly harnessed in this regard sothat these front line workers betterguide farmers and societies to workon win-win strategies.Connections are like veins in thebody that keep our internal systemfunctioning well. Farmers networksare needed at all levels as they willbecome the voice of the farmer,build confidence, enhance capacity,improve risk taking, bridge technol-ogy gaps, eliminate gender discrim-ination, explore leadership, and di-rect farmers about what should andshould not be in the agriculture sec-tor. Farmers who want to abandonthis sector can also be retained due-to the farmers' networks.Farmers in a network can handleagricultural risks easily and on a sus-tainable basis. Public and privatesectors also need to strengthen thefarmers' networks by allocatingmore funds for overall national ad-vancement. The hidden potential ofyouth can also be harvested in es-tablishing new farmer-based net-:works, which could spur the socio-economic development of the areaparticularly and at the national scalegenerally. ICT can also be used toreinforce the networks at all tiersand keep the farmers digitally con-. nected any time and anywhere.nMUHAMMAD ALI,. PhD scholar at Department ofAgriculture Technology, UnlversitlPutra Malaysia, and formerlecturer at Department ofAgriculture Extension, Arid AgricultureUniversity, Rawalpindi, Pakistan• NORSIDA MAN,Associate Professor and head ofDepartment of Agriculture Technology,Universiti Putra Malaysia .

Use technology to keep farmers connected

http://psasir.upm.edu.my/48435/1/Use%20technology%20to%20keep%20farmers%20connected.pdf

Use technology to keep farmers connected

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