Agriculture and the Technology of Communication Information

ICTs have been a significant contributor to growth and socio-economic development in business sectors, countries and regions where they are well adopted and integrated. Nearly 40 percent of the global population has access to the Internet, and among the bottom fifth of the poor, 7 out of 10 households have a mobile phone. The large adoption and integration of ICTs has reduced information and transaction costs, improved service delivery, created new jobs, generated new revenue streams and saved resources. In agriculture and food sectors across the world, ICT companies, multinational farm input business, large machinery manufacturers, but also small and medium farm input suppliers provide a number of services to farmers through ICTs, including extension advice. Downstream, supermarkets and agricultural product buyers also engage in the food value chain through ICTs, where the technology is also used by farmers' cooperatives, international organizations, the civil society and governments to effectively provide information on many aspects of farming, including regulation. ICTs have transformed how businesses, people and governments work.