Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing

PLANNING AHEAD FOR IMPROVED
MARKET ACCESS
Lloyd Johnson Jr., Jamaica,
Caribbean
The youth are the future. To aid
in the progress toward rural development
as it relates to agriculture,
there is a wealth of knowledge and
experience from current farmers that
will need to be transferred to another
generation of farmers. In this technological
age, it is expected that the
youth will use these skills to increase
efficiency in production practices
and have access to more information
than earlier farmers.
I was always interested in agriculture and in
nature and had a great appreciation for technology
when growing up. At that time the two
seemed incompatible, but ICTs have now made
it possible to link them in a meaningful way.
I am a 25-year-old Jamaican, currently working
in an agricultural research organization. I was
exposed to agriculture from an early age; as my
parents kept a small backyard farm and my grandparents
raised poultry on a small-scale. I expect
that as we continue to develop new technologies
to improve efficiencies, the world will see that the
only thing constant is change.
The challenges faced in market access in my
country and in the Caribbean region, are very
real issues and in my opinion the key limitations
toward development. Highlighting some of these
challenges in this forum would allow these concerns
to reach a wider audience.
Contact Info: johnson.lloyd@hotmail.com
Essay summary
Fruit, vegetables, fish, sugar, cocoa, peppers,
coconuts and poultry – the Caribbean has
a wealth of often exotic agricultural products to
offer, both as raw and value-added items. But
lack of reliable markets is hindering agricultural
development in the region. Problems include
inadequate market information, poor standards
of training and informal farming systems, with
little formal structure or planning.
Reliable market information is difficult to obtain
because of the seasonal nature of many prod-
| 40 Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture | PART 2