e-Learning on Digital Agriculture from edX

What's inside

Learning objectives

Gain a solid understanding of core concepts of dat and ict in agriculture, with a focus on used cases and potential impact.
Learn about digital tools enhancing on-farm productivity.

Understand how to empower smallholder farmers through ict/digital tools in market access and financial services.
Gain awareness of the forward-looking technologies and their scope in agriculture – artificial intelligence, remote sensing, crowdsourcing, and big data analytics.

Gain a solid understanding of core concepts of dat and ict in agriculture, with a focus on used cases and potential impact.
Learn about digital tools enhancing on-farm productivity.
Understand how to empower smallholder farmers through ict/digital tools in market access and financial services.
Gain awareness of the forward-looking technologies and their scope in agriculture – artificial intelligence, remote sensing, crowdsourcing, and big data analytics.

Syllabus

This course runs for 5 weeks.

Week 1: Overview of Digital Agriculture

The first module of this course outlines what ICTs and digital technologies are being used in agriculture and how. It will explore the key drivers of ICT-enabled services in agriculture as well as the lessons learned so far. The module also introduces the Principles of Digital Development established in 2017 to capture the shifting role of technologies in global development. The second section of the module spotlights the impact of mobile phones and mobile technologies on agriculture and rural development.

Week 2: ICT and Digital Tools for Enhancing Productivity on the Farm

In the modules, they are two sections; first section focuses on their impact on on-farm productivity; the second section focuses on improving farming practices through extension and advisory services.

Section 1: How can farmers and governments use ICT and digital tools to increase agricultural productivity? At the local level, farmers can use ICT to match cropping practices to climatic trends, use inputs and resources environmentally and sustainably, and cope with productivity threats. At the national level, public officials can adjust policies to reflect the data collected with ICT and digital tools, predict food supplies, target social programs, or promote yield technologies.

Section 2: ICT and digital tools have the potential to transform extension and advisory services in several ways—including changing the way in which extension agents do their work, but also changing the ways extension institutions are organized and staffed. The emergence of public and private innovators and start-ups with business models built around ICT-enabled advisory services signals the types of transformations that are likely to come.

Week 3: Empowering Smallholder Farmers through ICT/Digital Tools in Financial Services

New channels for delivering financial services (facilitated by ICT), new players, and greater competition enable service providers to offer a larger suite of financial products and services and acquire better financial information, some of which is useful for government regulation and policy development. A number of non-bank institutions have developed innovative approaches to financing agriculture, enabled by or integrated with ICT, including mobile financial services, branchless banking, ATMs, and smartcards.

While the digital revolution is reaching rural areas in many developing countries, the rural-urban digital divide remains, and rural women face a triple divide: digital, rural, and gender. This module looks at the benefits of ICT when placed in the hands of men and women working in agriculture and rural areas. It examines the challenges that must be overcome and provides recommendations for rural communities to take full and equal advantage of ICT.

Week 4: Strengthening Agricultural Market Access with ICT and Digital Tools

Farmers use mobile phones to build a network of contacts and draw on this wider expertise to obtain critical information more rapidly. The mobile phone, its special applications, and the Internet are essentially becoming management tools for farmers, especially in relation to market intelligence. Greater access to information helps farmers make better decisions about transportation and logistics, price and location, supply and demand, diversification of their product base, and access to inputs.

ICT also facilitates market research, increasingly using live information. This market information strengthens farmers’ position in their day-to-day trading. Over time, market intelligence enables them to focus on satisfying consumers’ and buyers’ demands and on developing relationships with stakeholders in the next stage of the value chain. The key development challenge lies in assembling and disseminating this information in a timely manner, not just to traders or larger-scale farmers but also to smallholders.

Week 5: Using ICT for Remote Sensing, Crowdsourcing, and Big Data

This module consists of three sections. (1) Remote sensing, (2) Crowdsourcing and crowd mapping, and (3) Big data for analytics:

The first section , “Remote Sensing for Sustainable Agriculture,” focuses on the different types of geographical solutions that producers and others in agricultural value chains can use to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and ultimately bring about more sustainable agricultural practices.

The second section on “Crowdsourcing and Crowd mapping: The Power of Volunteers,” focuses on how advances in social networking and data collection are enabling individuals to share hyperlocalized data in ways that have the potential to benefit society more broadly.

The last section, “Big Data for Analytics,” focuses on how all of these agriculture-related data collected globally can be mined and analyzed in ways that lead to meaningful insights about how agriculture can be made more sustainable and productive.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops foundational expertise in applying digital agricultural technologies (DATs) to farming practices

Covers the use of mobile apps, digital identities, solar applications, and portable agriculture devices in agriculture

Introduces different agriculture data platforms and encourages the discovery of their scope and utility for analytics and intelligence in agriculture

Taught by the World Bank Group, a recognized authority in agriculture and development

Provides a comprehensive overview of DATs, including their potential impact, range of technologies, and forward-looking advancements

Reviews summary

Agriculture course uses ict

Learners say this e-Learning course leverages ICT to share information on farming methods to promote sustainable agriculture and ensure food security.

This course uses ICT to teach farming methods that promote sustainability.

"This course offers variaties of information pertaining to agriculture."

"It will help people to gain knowledge on how to improve on farming methods by incorporating ICT and this will promote sustainable agriculture..."

"ensure food security in countries ."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in e-Learning on Digital Agriculture with these activities:

Find a mentor who works in digital agriculture

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Finding a mentor can help you to connect with experienced professionals in the field of digital agriculture.

Browse courses on Mentoring

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Identify potential mentors.
Reach out to potential mentors.
Build a relationship with your mentor.

Practice using a mobile app for farmers

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Practice using a mobile app to improve your understanding of how farmers can use these technologies.

Browse courses on Mobile Apps

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Download a mobile app for farmers.
Explore the app's features.
Practice using the app to perform tasks related to agriculture.

Review 'The Fourth Industrial Revolution' by Klaus Schwab

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Review an important book on the topic of digital agriculture technologies.

View Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy that... on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes.
Summarize the main points of the book.
Discuss the book with other students.

Five other activities

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Take an online course on Python

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Learn Python programming to enhance your understanding of digital agriculture technologies.

Browse courses on Python

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Enroll in an online Python course.
Complete the course modules.
Practice writing Python code.

Attend a workshop on digital agriculture technologies

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Attending a workshop can help to learn about the latest advances in digital agriculture technologies.

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Find a workshop on digital agriculture technologies.
Register for the workshop.
Attend the workshop.

Volunteer with a local organization that promotes digital agriculture

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Volunteering can help you to gain practical experience in digital agriculture and give back to your community.

Browse courses on Volunteering

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Find a local organization that promotes digital agriculture.
Contact the organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer your time and skills.
Reflect on your experience.

Develop a data visualization tool for agricultural data

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Develop a tool that can help farmers and other stakeholders visualize and understand agricultural data.

Browse courses on Data Visualization

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Gather data from various sources.
Clean and process the data.
Develop a data visualization tool.
Test and refine the tool.

Write a blog post about digital agriculture technologies

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Writing a blog post can help to share your knowledge about digital agriculture technologies with others.

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Choose a topic for your blog post.
Research your topic.
Write your blog post.
Publish your blog post.

Career center

Learners who complete e-Learning on Digital Agriculture will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Meteorologist

Meteorologists study the atmosphere and its weather patterns. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to predict weather and climate patterns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Meteorologist

Data Analyst

Data Analysts collect, clean, and analyze data to identify trends and patterns. This course may be useful because it covers topics such as big data analytics, which can help data analysts to develop new insights from agricultural data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Water Resources Engineer

Water Resources Engineers design and manage systems to control and distribute water. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to improve water management practices.

See salaries and explore the career path for Water Resources Engineer

Hydrologist

Hydrologists study the movement and distribution of water on the Earth's surface and in the atmosphere. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to monitor and manage water resources.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hydrologist

Soil Scientist

Soil Scientists study the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to improve soil health and productivity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Soil Scientist

Geographer

Geographers study the Earth's surface and its human and natural features. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to map and analyze the Earth's surface.

See salaries and explore the career path for Geographer

Environmental Scientist

Environmental Scientists study the environment and its interactions with humans and other organisms. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to monitor and protect the environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Scientist

Food Scientist

Food Scientists study the composition, safety, and quality of food. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital technologies can be used to improve the safety and quality of food.

See salaries and explore the career path for Food Scientist

Agricultural Economist

Agricultural Economists apply economic principles and quantitative methods to study production and distribution of agricultural products. They develop forecasts and make recommendations on agricultural policy. This course may be helpful because it provides a solid understanding of core concepts of Digital Agricultural Technologies (DAT) and ICT in agriculture, with a focus on used cases and potential impact. It also provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity and empower smallholder farmers through ICT/Digital Tools in market access and financial services.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agricultural Economist

Farm Manager

Farm Managers oversee the day-to-day operations of a farm. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity and empower smallholder farmers through ICT/Digital Tools in market access and financial services.

See salaries and explore the career path for Farm Manager

Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural Scientists conduct research to improve agricultural practices and develop new technologies. This course may be helpful because it provides a solid understanding of core concepts of Digital Agricultural Technologies (DAT) and ICT in agriculture, with a focus on used cases and potential impact. It also provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity and empower smallholder farmers through ICT/Digital Tools in market access and financial services.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural Engineer

Agricultural Engineers apply engineering principles to agriculture, including design, construction, and operation of agricultural machinery and structures. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity and empower smallholder farmers through ICT/Digital Tools in market access and financial services.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agricultural Engineer

Crop Scientist

Crop Scientists study the genetics, physiology, and management of crops. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Crop Scientist

Agronomist

Agronomists study soil and crop management practices to improve crop production. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agronomist

Animal Scientist

Animal Scientists study the breeding, nutrition, and management of livestock. This course may be helpful because it provides an understanding of how digital tools can enhance on-farm productivity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Animal Scientist