ICT and AG Profile

This support is offered to help missions with the challenges of using ICT interventions in agricultural development. The FACET project is funded under the FIELD-Support LWA award. Agro-Tech Limited is a company that provides a suite of agriculture data management services and systems customized to the needs of their clients. The company's services have three main components. The first component is a mobile data gathering application that supports a large number of handsets and data types and geo-tags the data collected. The second component includes assistance with business and needs analysis, actual implementation, training in the field and the office, technical support, and data auditing support. The third component includes data management systems that can be hosted in the cloud or at a client site, supporting both automated and custom reporting, analytics, and GIS. Agro-Tech uses a variety of technologies, including mobile phones, database management systems, and GIS. The company's mobile data gathering application supports multiple handsets and data types, and geo-tags the data collected. The company also uses Google Maps, Bing Maps, or custom GIS interfaces. Agro-Tech is a privately funded company, with project revenues serving as the primary source of funding. The company's fees vary by client, complexity of information, and the level of involvement the client needs from Agro-Tech. Agro-Tech's primary focus is sub-Saharan Africa, with current operations in Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. By December 2012, the company plans to be active in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda, and will reach 200,000 farmers. The main users of Agro-Tech's services are agriculture extension workers, higher-level producers, and exporters. The company works primarily with private sector clients, including those in the tobacco and mining industries, as well as an NGO working in forestry. Agro-Tech is a for-profit company, funded solely through revenues from client work.