Everyday more and more agribusinesses are being birthed online via social media and other ICT applications. Tech4Agri itself is an example of this with our businesses provide support services in media and content production.
A report by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), supported by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), highlights the uptake and use of ICTs in value chains in the Caribbean. Mobile applications, drones, marketing platforms, extension services, and databases are just some of the many ways ICTs are being applied in the region for private businesses and some institutions.
So whats new?
You should know by now that people ‘eat with their eyes’ As a result the foodie culture has all but taken over social media with hundreds of businesses using picture and video based social media to build an audience, grow clientele and see their business flourish.
‘Eat ah Food’ is an example of such. It’s about a celebratio
Similar to this business is the series ‘Foodie nation’ which promotes the Caribbean basin using the universal language of food.
These businesses are partnering with others on media projects and the like to meet the demand for recipes/trends in the foodie market. There’s always room for new types of flavors, tastes and foods.
More on the communicative side of things are recently launched websites;
- ‘Farming Is In’ an online agricultural directory and resource center armed with special tools, designed to promote agricultural produce, educate farmers and the general public on everything agricultural.
- ‘Caribbean Agribusiness’ which seeks to create a one-stop website where all stakeholders can contribute content and share ideas to promote the development of the sector thus resulting in greater food security, enhanced intra and extra regional trade and increased foreign exchange earnings for the region.
Both are focused on business to business activity, aimed at linking farmers directly to their needed market, cutting out the middleman and giving them back profits at the farm gate as well as decision making power. This is finally happening in the region on a regular basis.
These types of stakeholders – small to medium agribusinesses, start ups as well as other private entities are finding their own way to make themselves sustainable,sharing knowledge and facilitating their own growth through ICTs. The uptake has been slow but it has never stopped. Kudos to these businesses and the few institutions for their efforts as their actions move the agri-sector forward.
