Food security: speakers call for adopting ICT

-Agricultural experts at a workshop stressed the need to promote and adopt the information and communication technology (ICT) for raising awareness among farmers in order to ensure the food security in the country. They were addressing the workshop on the role of ICT arranged by Office of research innovation and commercialisation.
Addressing on the occasion, UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that ICT has gained immense importance for the welfare of farmers and rural development. He lauded the Punjab government for earmarking Rs 2 billion for the extension department in order to revamp through ICT. He called for adopting modern methods to compete with the rest of world.
Amir Sami General Manager Seeds at National ICT R&D Fund said that his office was striving to have an ICT Ecosystem in the country. He said that National ICT R&D Fund was funding R&D projects across the country. He said that they are working on promoting efficient, sustainable and effective ICT initiatives through synergic development of industrial and academic resources. He said out of 200 million populations, there are 140 million people having mobile phones that could be used as game changer by enabling the policy makers and farmers with reliable information to take right decision at right time.
Dr Jahanzeb Masood Program Chair Precision Agriculture urged the need to reduce the input application and enhance the productivity by making effective use of ICT, GIS and Remote Sensing. He said we need to adopt automatic and remote controlled gadgets to arrest the rising input costs and enhance crop productivity.
UAF former vice chancellor Professor Dr Bashir Ahmad said that food insecurity is hitting around 60 percent of the population for which we have to work together in order to fight the challenges of modern era. He said that the awareness about balance use of resources was vital to prosperity. ORIC Director Dr Asif Ali said that a large population in the country are associated with the agriculture sector. He said that ICT will enable them to adopt the modern technology that will help in reduction in poverty at par and ensure the food for the ever-increasing population. He stressed the need for real time IT support enabling the farmer for timely decision
Director IT Farjeel Javed said that we need narrow the gap between academia, industry and end users by equipping them with ICT tools. He said UAF could be a partner of the Punjab govt in capacity building of the agriculture extension system in the province. Director Water Management Research Center Dr Hamid Hussain Shah said compare to advanced countries; the Pakistan has very low water and soil productivity that need to be enhanced through effective use of ICT and mobile towers by transforming them with some advanced gadgets.