Application of ICT for transfer of technology
- Part 1 -

Dr Samares Kumar Das *

Introduction

Since time immemorial, method of knowledge communication has changed from oral words to written words to digitized words. This knowledge becomes information when it is in the process of communication. Scientific information is available through publications, information systems, and electronic networks.

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are the means of creation, storage, management, process, retrieval and dissemination of information by electronic media. National Commission on Farmer (2004), the National IT Task Force (1999), Planning Commission, Government of India (January 2002), the United Nations, the group of G8 nations, the World Bank, and the Millennium Summit in New York 2005 has collectively recognized that for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) with present pace and intensity in all regions, ICT has to play crucial role.

Concept of ICT

ICT refers to all information and communication systems and technologies including the digital formats such as the Internet, but also interfaces with radio, cable and wireless television, cellular phone and print media; as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as video-conferencing and distance learning.

ICT is broader than Information Technology (IT) to include the field of electronic communication in addition to IT. ICTs are those technologies that can be used to interlink IT devices such as personal computers (PCs) with communication technologies such as telephones and their telecommunication networks. The PC and laptop with e-mail and Internet provides the best example.

Role of ICT in Animal Husbandry

Production and management: ICTs offer promising t3echnologies to develop automatic systems for monitoring animals, which can help the farm manager to make more rational decisions through acquiring quality date on-farm resources. ICT along with traditional technologies play crucial role in better livestock production and management.

Identification of animals: Photo-identity, iris-identity, tagging, branding, tattooing, muzzle printing, and many others are being used in livestock sector. Unique identification and tracking of livestock help in providing rapid and precise information about animals to take prompt action in controlling disease outbreak, ensuring quality livestock products, settlement of false insurance claims and the like.

Record keeping: Record keeping on pedigree, production, reproduction, feed, health and cost is essential for wise decision making in selection of animals with greater genetic potentiality to develop a better herd. Data recording and analysis at farm level include milk production records and analysis, milk quality testing, breeding, feeding, health status, etc.

On-line weight measurement: Measuring body weight at regular intervals is crucial to monitor health of animals but it is a cumbersome task for farm manager to weigh animals using traditional method. On-line automatic weighing machine makes this task simpler and easier.

Voice recognition: Of late the importance of vocal communication has been recognized as a major research area for studying the behaviour of animals to evaluate their welfare and improve their productive and reproductive performance.

Robotics: Application of robot-technology in livestock is diffusing fast since robots increase safety, reliability and can do jobs in dangerous situations. Applications are many in livestock such as milking, shearing, slaughtering, inspection, controlling of herds, vaccination, blood sampling, and shed cleaning, etc.

Wildlife management: ICT plays an important role in understanding and monitoring the behaviour of wild animals in a better way than traditional technologies, thereby helps in reducing man-animal technologies used in monitoring and surveillance of wildlife.

ICT Projects for Livestock Development
Mobile Computing-based Initiatives

Indian Farmer Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) has introduced Gren SIM Card to offer products and services specifically designed for farmers through IFFCO societies in villages across the country.

Karshaka Information System Services and Networking (KISSAN) in Kerala provide SMS, voice and video-based services to the farmers. It also provides SMS-based information on the availability of livestock farms to inform farmers about the availability of various livestock and their breeds across the state through their mobile phones.

ICAR has launched a toll-free number 1800-180-1551 for farmers anywhere in the country to access information on agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery, dairy, etc. under the auspices of Kissan Cal Centre (KCC). Warana Wired Village Project aims to provide information through Internet to the cooperative societies in 70 villages of Maharashtra by established network booths in the villages.

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) benefits the farmers through ICT using relatively simple technology (computerized weighing machine) and online milk tester to measure milk fat and time for payments from 10 days to less than five minutes and instilled the confidence in farmers on cooperatives.

Decision Support System and Enterprise Resource Planning-based Initiatives

Saguna Poultry uses Oracle’s enterprise resource planning software database system to enable its field agents to input data via websites on its contract growers’ operation like number of chicks delivered, feed delivered, mortality rates and price paid, etc.

The farmer-owned Amul Cooperative in Anand, Gujarat has become a model for all dairy development projects in India. Under this project more than 5,000 milk collection centres/kiosks have been installed in Anand district of Gujarat.

Farmers are the main beneficiaries of the project. Women take the milk to weigh bridge, fat quantity assessed and the payment immediately calculated. The cheap and credible information technology has considerably improved the delivery system by ensuring prompt payment to the farmers and instilling their confidence in the cooperative set-up; also defeating the process of malpractices and corruption.

Shree Kamdhenu Electronics Pvt. Ltd. Developed an IT-enabled automatic milk collection centre marketed under the brand name Akashganga. This system incorporates an electronic weighing system, a milk analyser, to test milk quality, a personal computer and accounting and management software that cover all functionalities of the local dairy cooperative societies.

The Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Puducherry designed a touch screen information kiosk to provide access to the farmers for dairy cattle management. The information kiosk was tested in the veterinary dispensaries. It helped in preventing diseases and improving health of animals, saving time, labour and money for the cattle owners.

A commercial dairy farm in Maharashtra uses microchip and muzzle print as identification mark of animal. The electronic identi- fication is applied in the following areas:

Feeding: The farm has a unique feeding system that feeds the buffaloes correctly. The buffalo can never eat more than a certain programmed portion of daily ration at one time. The total ration is fed over 24 hour in small amounts from half to two kg.

Milking: When a buffalo enters into the milking parlour warning lamp lights up if the buffalo is not milked, if milk is not directed to the tank, or if the buffalo does not yield as expected. Breeding: This contains information on the genetic stock of the animal and all aspects related to animal rearing such as pregnancies, vaccinations, diseases, etc.

Web-based Initiatives

National Animal Disease Reporting system is being implemented by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries through the National Infor-matics Centre. About 143 animal diseases scheduled in the Prevention and Control of Infectious and contagious diseases in Animal at 2009 are included in this reporting system. This system will enable veterinary authorities to closely monitor, control and eradicate animal diseases.

The IIM Ahmedabad has developed Dairy Information System Kiosk (DISK) software which provides more functions at the milk collection centres. This database includes a complete history of all milch cattle owned by the farmers. The basic details of breed and a history of disease, vaccination, artificial insemination and pregnancy, etc. are maintained in this system.

India Development Gateway is a national level ICT initiative. It has come up with portal providing information and services in nine Indian languages across six domains including livestock development. It harnesses the power of ICT to reach out marginalized and neglected communities.

Central Institute for Research on goats (CIRG), Makdhoom initiated e-mail conferencing system for goat management using free software called majordoma available on www.-great-cirle.com. 3 e-mail con- fe- rencing systems have been launched by the institute to help information inflow among ethnologists, farmers, development officers and planners.

Two interactive software – one for the para-veterinarians and stockman called Animal Health Information System in English and another known as Health Information System for Dairy Animals in Marathi, have been developed at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, for animal health management particularly for animal disease diagnosis.

With the help of computer based software such as Make-Feed the cattle owners can formulate balanced feed for layers, broiler chickens, quails, guinea fowls and dairy animals according to their physiological condition with the available resources. Make-Feed is windows-based software developed by the scientist of Central Avian Research Institute for formulation of balanced feed for maximum production performance.

To be continued..


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