1. Agriculture Extension Tools Computers and Community Radio

2. Outline SimCorn: A Software Designed to Support Site-Specific Nutrient Management for Farmers of Small Parcels in the Tropics Rural Radio in Agricultural Extension: The Example of vernacular Radio Programmes on Soil and Water Conservation in N. Ghana. Discussion

3. SimCorn – the problem Farmers receiving incorrect information about how much fertilizer to use – Times of Crisis – High Demand Bandwagon effect – Farmers prosper or fail as a group ‘Blanket Fertilization’ – Many types of soil, but everybody uses the same amounts/types

4. SimCorn – the goals Precision Agriculture Empower farmers – Field identification of soils (software/farmer) – Test kit that farmers could use to test soil for nutrients (farmer) – Decision-aid (this paper) (software) Help farmers determine proper amounts of different fertilizers to use

5. SimCorn – how decision-aid works Soil property table – Allows users to identify soil series based on observations taken in the field – Provides a color photograph to verify soil series Soil test kit information table – Allows users to enter information obtained from soil test kits Results – Provides the most economical blend of available fertilizer materials Tables hard coded into software – Ensures maximum speed (important?) – Difficult to update

6. SimCorn

7. Implemented on both handheld and desktop computers – Desktop more useful because more extension workers have access to a computer – Handheld more ‘handy’ Software is used by extension officers – Not farmers?

8. SimCorn - results Higher standard of living for the farmers Reduction of their indebtedness Survey of 338 farmers – Yields higher in most cases – Generally, amount recommended by software was different (higher or lower) than current application rates. Farmers who used site-specific management had a reduction in profit Farmers who did not use site-specific management had a loss

9. SimCorn - results

10. SimCorn – problem solved? Empowering Farmers? – Making them rely on Extension workers? – Literacy? Centrally located Computers vs. Handhelds Distributed System vs. Hard Coding Computers right tool?