Rao Mylavarapu Professor, Soil & Nutrient Management Director of IFAS ANSERV Laboratories Soil & Water Science Department University of Florida

Information and Technology Information is both basic and applied that need to be communicated Basic information typically is transferred thru academic curricula and is long term- schools, colleges Applied information will be most effective when communicated to the site and is short term- event based Technology used to communicate can develop rapidly, needing a long term 24/7 support Unless user-friendly, Technology may create drag- particularly for agricultural producers

Information Communication of ‘information’ must be led & fed by the technical experts alone Content, both current and latent, should be developed by the specialists only Technology will then provide the medium Currently, world-wide resources limit information delivery thru Extension systems severely Choice between ‘minimality’ and ‘profitability’ must be made Affordability can be achieved thru integration- lateral as well as vertical Every place has ‘systemic’ aspects to be dealt with and overcome

Technology Very effective and rapid Can be effectively transferred to most locations- smart phone communication ‘Dynamic & User-friendly’ formats accept inputs and deliver ‘Objective Optimized Solutions’ Without Technology, the impacts will be negligible Needs constant upgrades and support systems in place, to integrate latest technical aspects in the latest software packages Recognize the ability to- ‘carry the universe in our shirt pocket’

Institutional Mechanisms Delivery of user-friendly and pertinent solutions thru technical capacity building is powerful, where possible Example- regional or local laboratories can provide predictive as well as diagnostic information on soils, water, nutrients, crops, pests and diseases or install weather station networks Technical institutional capacity building requires technical experts and delivery mechanisms require technology design and experts Very effective communication can be established thru such a marriage

A dynamic solution- an example A dynamic tool for a watershed or a region A database of resource inventory- soils, water, crop selections, yield potentials, pest and disease incidences, area, type(s) of irrigation(s), farm equipment, labor, economic criteria, risk behavior, etc. Dynamic weather data, predictive and/or diagnostic soil test and other data Input the available, and compute the rest- crop or soil or nutrient or pest management, for example These can be site specific as well, creating tailor-made solutions

International Certified Crop Adviser Program (ICCA)- a current opportunity Program implemented under the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Has approx. 13,000 Certified Crop Advisers (CCAs) Objectives include- Provide 1-1 support to the growers thru private consultancies Keep up technical competencies for renewed certification thru continuing education Organize agricultural stakeholders from academia and industry Serve the larger mission on increasing food production, minimizing environmental impacts and ensuring agricultural profitability Topical areas covered- Soil & Water, Nutrient Management, Crop Management, Pest Management and Professional Development

ICCA-India Program Exploratory meetings held in New Delhi in 2008 with several ASA members in India and of Indian Origin Adapt ICCA program to India but standards will be consistent throughout but Operate independently but be connected to ASA-ICCA The Board will comprise of Indian stakeholders with ownership Build capacity with competent personnel with credentials Become self sustaining by returning profits

ICCA-India Agreement signed with Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) in Dec 2009 A 15-member Certifying Board with representatives from academia, government & non-government, and industry was formed in Feb 2010 Grant-funding thru IRRI, Gates Foundation, USAID & World Bank helped briefly To date 5 test offerings resulting in ~350 CCAs Need a credible partner keeping the integrity and potentially expanding in the region and Africa

Vision and Opportunities Envisioning dissemination of solutions to the generations of the next 30 years using the wisdom of the previous 30 years A ‘Global Educational Solution’ needs a commitment of a truly integrated ‘IT Global Team’ and ‘Global Resources’