Ralph Elsäßer/Geo-Solutions was invited to the 2017’s Cotton Conference in Cotonou/Benin. He presented new developments in the field of ICT4AG (Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture). The application of modern technologies offers a high potential for streamlining the value chain of cotton production.
Dr. Ralph Elsäßer presented the findings of the CHA study: “ICT tools to enhance the efficiency in the cotton value chain in Africa – potentials, achievements and outlook” and moderated the panel discussion “How can we improve the outreach and efficiency of knowledge sharing and management using ICT solutions”.
Geo-Solution was comissioned by Hydrophil to develop in collaboration with Geocodis and HYCE Consult the Management Information System (MIS) for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector for Rwanda. Within a tight time frame of only six months a Web-based system has to be developed, a data horizon for 2017 established and the future users (national and district level) trained, so that monitoring can be accomplished based on modern IT tools. Dr. Ralph Elsaesser is Team Leader.
During a field mission to Mozambique late in 2016, Ralph Elsäßer identified potentials for the application of ICT in contract farming schemes. This resulted in recommendations for selected companies how to use modern technologies to streamline communication processes between lead firm and contract farmers and to enhance traceability along the various value chains.
Based on these findings (and others), Ralph Elsäßer was comissioned by the Giz project ProEcon in Mozambique to develop the “ICT Toolbox for Contract Farming Professionals“. ProEcon implements a inclusive business model approach in rural areas where contract farming is one important context. Since an ICT consulting mission concluded that several of ProEcon’s private partners involved in contract farming could benefit from ICT tools it was decided to summarise the findings in a toolbox for ICT tools to share this information among contract farming professionals.
The toolbox contains a collection of ICT tools that can be utilised in contract farming contexts in order to increase the efficiency of such schemes. The publication describes different levels of ICT tools, from very simple tools such as farmer registries and bulk SMS tools to more sophisticated and integrated solutions. All of those tools are briefly described including their typical use, expected benefits and costs.
https://www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2018-en-toolbox-proecon.pdf
Im Rahmen der Transformation des Bewässerungssektors in Nigeria wird von der Weltbank ein Projekt zur Verbesserung des Managements der Stauanlagensicherheit finanziert. Das Management von Stauanlagen und deren Sicherheit bedarf eines ausgefeilten Datenmanagements, die Einbeziehung von Sensorik und Remote-Sensing-Technologie. Seit 15 Jahren wirkt Geo-Solutions in Partnerschaft mit dem Büro Kast&Partner auf diesem Sektor in zahlreichen Projekten entlang des Niederrheins, der Lippe und der Elbe. Diese Erfahrungen werden genutzt, um in Nigeria Kompetenzen aufzubauen mit dem Ziel, das Netz der Stauanlagen mittels moderner Informationstechnologie zu überwachen und zu steuern.
Institutional development of the Sugar Industry Information System (SIMIS)
BELIZE
FWC BENEFICIARIES 2013 – LOT N.1: Rural Development
EuropeAid/132633/C/SER/multi
Start: September 2015