What's that you say?

How does one place a value on communication? It is probably the most important aspect of life. To teach and learn. To tell another how you feel. With these we make a living and a life.

A person's worldview and intentions are factors in communication, of course, and we have touched on this elsewhere. Here we wish to say that information and communication technology (ICT) makes literally a world of difference to the agricultural value chain.

• Software programmes available range from financial programmes to management functions: irrigation scheduling, tank control in cellars, packhouse control and so on. Improving efficiencies is vital for profitable operations.
• Most of our knowledge comes from sight, from seeing what something looks like and how something is done. ICT is crucial in building capacity in the workforce. View the latest offering from SA Orchard on picking pome fruit.
• Radio, magazines and other media keep you informed. Cellphones (mobile phones) are not just phones. They switch on pumps and close gates and bring news from markets. Drones enable you to check on the level of water troughs on the other side of the farm.

The ICT and agricultural media chapter in The Agri Handbook sketches the services offered by this medium in agriculture.