Paris,
26 October 2009
EFITA newsletter / 434 / European Federation for Information Technology in
Agriculture, Food and the Environment
New: CAP subsidy claims in Denmark (DK)
CAP subsidy claims |
FR |
NL |
HU |
DK |
Traditional
paper file |
70% |
30% |
0% |
13% |
Through
the Internet with the support of intermediaries |
20% |
25% |
80% |
52% |
Autonomous
application and graphical material |
10% |
45% |
20% |
35% |
In Denmark, it is possible to send the graphical material by paper:
Through the Internet – graphical material send by paper |
34% |
Through the Internet – whole application |
53% |
Contact:
Marianne HAUGAARD-CHRISTENSEN
E-mail: mhg(a)landscentret.dk
New: CAP subsidy claims in England (not UK)
For the 2008 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) scheme year there were 675 customers
who submitted SPS claims electronically and for the 2009 scheme year there
were 2,266.
Contact: Amy Murphy (REF RFI 1012)
ATI Unit Manager
Access to Information Unit
Rural Payments Agency
Tel 0118 9531511
Fax 0118 9531467
E-mail: atihelpdesk(a)rpa.gsi.gov.uk
And in your country? Please, help us to complete the above table!
[Agric_podcasts] Invitation to group 'Audio files on climate change and
agricultural information for community radios in Africa'
You are hereby invited to participate in an electronic group discussion
of 10 days (20/10-30/10/2009).
This discussion is to create a forum of interested parties in the topic “the
creation of audio files on climate change and agricultural information for
community radios in Africa" (CAFCCAICRA). This platform (like You Tube)
is to share radio programmes in Africa on agricultural issues.
It follows the discussions held at the CTA 2009 annual meeting, on the Role
of Media in Agriculture: 12 - 17th October.
See: http://annualseminar2009.cta.int/
> Background:
The FARA Inventory on Innovative Farmer Advisory Services (June 2009 : 66
pages) concluded that systems which use a voice-platform or audio files provide
an innovative and promising entry point to farmer information.
See: http://www.fara-africa.org/media/uploads/File/NSF2/RAILS/InnovativeFarmerAdvisory_Systems.pdf
Other platforms (SMS and web-based platforms) remain essential to provide
a back-end offering more detailed information. But there are two major elements
that hinder the wider use of audio files among farmers and farmers’ organizations.
These are local & scientific content and adoptable technology.
> Beneficiaries:
First beneficiaries: community radios can download pre-recorded audio files
(initially in English and French) on a large number of themes related to agriculture
and climate adaptation. • It is essential to involve with community-based
FM Radio Stations and their agricultural programme producers to create question
and answer service radio programmes in local languages. • Community radio
stands out among information and communication technologies (ICTs) in reach
and accessibility and is helpful in reducing barriers to price information,
etc
Secondary beneficiaries: rural actors and farmers need easy and timely information
on a large number of themes related to agriculture and climate adaptation.
The discussion proper will be held from 25/10 onwards to allow interested
participants to register.
It will be followed by 2 face to face meetings (participation is self-sponsored):
> Consortium creation + Write shop in Accra 2-3/11 on a Food Security Thematic
Programme (FSTP) proposal. (Most likely the European Commission will postpone
their deadline with 2 months (instead of the initial 06/11).
> Consortium creation + Write shop (continued) in Nairobi on 4-6/11 (TBC).
See : http://dgroups.org/?haka7hzt
Contact Francois STEPMAN
E-mail: fstepman(a)fara-africa.org
Food Security 2009: Achieving long-term solutions
2 - 3 November 2009 - LONDON
See: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/foodsecurity09
BCPC congress
9 - 11 November – GLASGOW
The programme has been tailored to meet the demands of the rapidly changing
global crop production industry and set against the background of a world
demanding more food, water and energy.
See: http://www.bcpccongress.com
Chinese-European Farm Mechanisation Summit: Increasing efficient output
through new technologies
10 November - HANNOVER
The Chinese-European Farm Mechanisation Summit is the first world event of
its kind to bring together Chinese and European as well as other overseas
agricultural machinery experts. The Summit takes place at Agritechnica on
10 November with a morning session from 10 a.m. – 12.00 noon and an optional
afternoon session after lunch. Speakers from the Chinese Ministry, AGCO and
Lemken are planned. Location: Convention Centre (CC) Room 3B
See: http://www.agritechnica.com/summit
Contact: Malene CONLONG
E-mail: M.Conlong(a)dlg.org
4th ICT-ENSURE regional workshop on ICT and Climate Change
16 November 2009 - STOCKHOLM
See: http://www.ict-ensure.eu/ICT-and-Climate-Change
Contact: Lisa MAURER
E-mail: ensure-office(a)mlist.tugraz.at.
Offer to participate in future European IPM project?
PestInspector (www.pest-scout.com), is
an innovative simple-cellular Pest Infestation Information system, which integrates
in-field analysis with machine processing for providing field accessible management
assistance for pesticide application even to the smallest farmer via its own
cellular phone. PestInspector is already in use as a real-time Geo-referenced
pest information collecting tool in various plantations in Israel serving
both the farmers and the research needs of leading Israeli agriculture research
institutes. The product will enable full management of routines for pest and
disease data collection, geographic data management and presentation including
infestation history and results of control applications in the past, meteorological
observations and forecasts and spatial and temporal presentation of infestation
dynamics.
PestInspector is based on ScanTask’s generic mobile workflow engine, which
enables immediate customization to any type of crop and pests diversity, farmers’
cultivation patterns, etc.
We will be glad to take part in European FP7or other IPM project as a technologyl
enabling partner and bring on board our innovative pest collection and analysis
tools, and our practical experience in this field.
Contact: Moshe MERON
E-mail: meron(a)migal.org.il
UK scientists to research bee deaths
Scientists at the University of Warwick and Rothamsted Research have been
awarded £1 million ($1.6 million) by the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in partnership with Syngenta, to research
the decline of honeybees. UK government figures suggest bee numbers have fallen
by 10 -15% over the last two years. The British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA)
quotes a figure nearer 30% for 2008. Since the declines were first reported
a number of factors have been suggested. Most scientists now believe that
a complex of interacting factors is the most likely cause.
University of Warwick researcher Dr David Chandler said: “Honeybees are well
known for their vital role as pollinators of crops, wild flowers and garden
plants, but unfortunately their populations are in decline. We know that parasitic
diseases caused by the varroa mite are partly to blame, but we think that
there is also a link between these diseases and the quality of pollen and
nectar that the bees are feeding on. Each bee colony contains about 50,000
bees in the summer, and so you can appreciate that the interactions between
each bee, their various diseases and food quality are highly complex. The
only way to tackle this is to use advanced mathematics combined with lab and
field experiments. This is precisely what we are doing in this project.”
The research team will use a combination of field work and computer modeling
to look at how the bees' behave outside the hive, while looking for food,
and how this interacts with what is affecting bees in the hive. The ultimate
aim of the project is to build a model that will improve understanding of
how bees may respond to diseases in a changing farmed landscape.
In addition to this project, Syngenta has also launched Operation Pollinator,
a five year, £1 million programme in seven European countries (and the US)
to boost pollinating insects by providing wildflower strips.
See: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/uow-at100109.php
Women of Uganda Network (from ICT Update)
Since 2000, the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) has been developed a
wide range of initiatives to improve access to ICTs for women farmers and
entrepreneurs.
http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/Digital-opportunities-for-change
Future of the farming world (from ICT Update)
"The farming world will only have a future if it can strike the right
balance between the technical decisions farmers make and the management of
energy supply. " Dr Tidiane Seck, director of the State Agency for Information
Technology in Dakar, Senegal.
http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/regulars/Q-A/(issue)/50
Irish library
This Irish man came into our library and banged his fist on the front
desk and shouted at the girl behind the counter 'give me a pint of Guinness
and some peanuts'.
The shocked librarian said 'please keep your voice down, this is a library'.
He looked around and said 'oh' and put his hand to the side of his mouth and
whispered 'give me a pint of Guinness and some peanuts'.
Two sodium atoms meet in a laboratory. One is searching frantically for
something.
"What's up?" asks the first atom.
"I've lost an electron," says the second.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm positive!"
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