Use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) for Agriculture in Bhutan
Introduction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the convergence of digital technologies encompassing computers, telecommunications, audio-video, and publishing to create, design, store, interpret, manipulate and disseminate information in its various formats (Benedict, 2010). It covers mobile phones, personal computers, audio-visual technologies, Internet, and broadcast technologies. While computer technology is used for processing information, it needs a network that can provide a link to be able to communicate with other computers to maximize the utility of the processed information. Telecommunications technology provides the means for information dissemination using networks for computers. When this network gets global with millions of interlinked computers with its contents accessible to the general public, it is called Internet. The invention of World Wide Web, a system of interlinked hypertext, has greatly increased the utility of Internet by making information more accessible to the general public.
The advent of information age with the invention of telegraph has had tremendous effect on our civilization. In fact, with rapid increase in computing power and ever-increasing bandwidth of network technology, application of ICT has cut through all human endeavors like education, medicine, agriculture, engineering, transportation, etc. Today, ICT has become an essential tool used by individuals, organizations, governments and international agencies for their daily activities.
Shaik N. Meera, Anita Jhamtani, and D.U.M Rao (2004) observes a new paradigm of agricultural development in which traditional means of delivering services to the rural citizens are being challenged with the transformation of traditional societies into knowledge societies. These challenges can be overcome with innovative application of ICT in the rural development, with special focus on agriculture.
In order to facilitate an environment for more profitable agriculture, ICT should be utilized to provide the stakeholders with timely, accurate and relevant scientific information for all phases of agriculture from cultivation/rearing to food safety and marketing.
Agriculture Sector in Bhutan: An Overview
Bhutan is a landlocked country in the eastern Himalayas with a geographical area of 38,394.00 sq. km. With mountains making up almost the entire terrain of the country, only 7.8% of the country is suitable for agricultural purpose to support a population of 634,982 people (RNR-RC, Bajo. 2008).
Although agriculture sector contributes only 14.5% to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Bhutan, it remains the most important area of economic activity with 59.4% of the total employed working in the sector in 2010 (GNHC, 2010). Roughly 69% of Bhutan’s population lives in the countryside and are thus entirely dependent on agriculture sector for food and livelihood (PHCB, 2005).
Using the total poverty line established for Poverty Analysis Report 2007 by National Statistical Bureau at Nu. 1096.94 per person per month, 30.9% of Bhutan’s rural population is poor. It should also be observed that rural poverty headcount contributes 98.1% to the national poverty incidence (NSB, 2007). Thus it is vital to develop the agriculture sector to alleviate rural poverty in Bhutan.
According to eleventh round table meeting for Bhutan, agriculture production has been constrained by limited arable land and difficult terrain that limits farm mechanization (2010). In addition, farm labor shortages and loss of grains and cattle to pest and wildlife are identified as major setbacks to the development of agriculture sector. Tashi Samdrup and Kailash Pradhan (2011) highlight an even more basic constraint faced by the Bhutanese farming community: access to Renewable Natural Resources (RNR) Extension. RNR Extensions in Bhutan are the gateways through which farming communities access agricultural services such as modern production inputs, production technologies and improved management practices. But only 40% of the farming communities reside within an hour of walking distance from the RNR Extension centers.
In face of the above constraints, ICT can be utilized as a vital tool in improving the agricultural production by accelerating the delivery of modern agricultural services and providing timely, accurate and relevant scientific information to the farming communities.
ICT Sector in Bhutan: An Overview
The history of telecommunication in Bhutan starts from 1963 when first telecommunication links were established in the country using Strowger system by project Dantak. Upon completion of National Telecommunications Development Plan (NTDP) with assistance from the Japanese government in 1998, Bhutan had a fully digital national telecommunication network linking the head offices of all the Dzongkhags (districts) and major towns. An international gateway (a dedicated switch) was installed in Thimphu giving Bhutan direct international access to the outside world (Dorji, 2012a).
Although computers penetrated the Bhutanese workplaces to replace the typewriters as early as 1980’s, Internet and television were introduced in 1999 coinciding with the silver jubilee celebration of His Majesty the fourth king’s reign. Druknet, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) was established under the then Department of Telecommunications with assistance from International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada. Druknet uses a 155 Mbps link to Hongkong and 155 Mbps link to London via Phuentsholing through India for its backbone bandwidth (Dorji, 2010). While major urban centers in the country are connected using Optical Power Ground Wire (OPGW), Digital Radio Multiple Access Subscriber System (DRMASS) is used for areas with lesser requirement. Wireless Local Loop (WLL) and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) are used for connecting rural areas (Ministry of Information & Communications [MoIC], 2007).
With the corporatization of the then Department of Telecommunication into Bhutan Telecom Limited (BTL) in 2000, Internet services were serviced by BTL. DrukCom Pvt. Enterprise and Samden Tech Pvt. Ltd. were licensed to provide VSAT-based Internet and other value added services in 2004 under the market liberalization policy of the Royal Government of Bhutan (MoIC, 2007).
In 2003, BTL launched its Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular service and it reached nationwide coverage in 2011. The cellular service is provided by the subsidiary of BTL, “B-Mobile.” Meanwhile, Tashi InfoComm Ltd. has also been awarded license in 2006 as a cellular service provider with its flagship brand “TashiCell”, which also reached nationwide coverage in 2012 (Kuensel, 2012a). Now users have access to Internet on their mobile phones in Thimphu and Phuentsholing using 3rd generation (3G) of mobile telecommunications technology provided by B-Mobile (Kuensel, 2012b). Users residing on other parts of the country can access Internet services using General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)/Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) provided by both B-Mobile and TashiCell. The Internet subscription in the country has drastically increased from 4,040 subscribers in 2007 to 139,896 subscribers in 2011.
The table below shows the number of Internet subscriptions in the country from 2007 to 2011.
In line with the vision to make Bhutan an ICT enabled knowledge based society, the government has undertaken several ambitious ICT projects like Government-to-Citizens (G2C) Project to deliver citizen services online, “Chiphen Rigphel” to train and educate teachers, students and civil servants on ICT, and Thimphu Tech Park to nurture the development of ICT industry in the country.
National ICT Policies in Bhutan
With people at the center of development, Bhutan will harness the benefits of ICT, both as an enabler and as an industry, to realize the Millennium Development Goals and towards enhancing Gross National Happiness (GNH)
– Bhutan’s ICT Vision. From ICT White Paper, October 2003
After the introduction of Internet and television on 2nd June 1999, the 77th session of the National Assembly[1] of Bhutan passed the Bhutan Telecommunications Act 1999. This act established the institutional and legal framework to issue licenses to Bhutan Telecom Ltd to provide fixed-line telephone, cellular and Internet services. The act also resulted in the creation of Bhutan Telecommunications Authority as a regulatory authority for information and communications field.
“Bhutan Information, Communications and Media Act (BICMA) 2006,” was passed in July 2006 to provide for a technology and service sector neutral regulatory mechanism which implements convergence of information, computing, media, communications technologies and facilitates for the provision of a whole range of new services. The act also has provisions to encourage and facilitate investment in ICT sector and promote fair competition among all players, both in public and private sector, by ensuring effective use of national ICT infrastructure and resources. Furthermore, this act repeals the Bhutan Telecommunications Act 1999 except for the sections dealing with Bhutan Telecom Limited as a corporation.
Although the above mentioned acts has provisions dealing with ICT in Bhutan, it is the ICT White Paper approved by the cabinet in October 2003 that provides a clear direction for Bhutan’s ICT sector in long run through the statement of ICT vision, strategic components, and future directions. It states that Bhutan will harness the benefits of ICT to realize the Millennium Development Goals and enhance Gross National Happiness (GNH)[2]. This White Paper became the basis for an inclusive and consultative process for formulating a new strategic framework for ICT in Bhutan (MoIC, 2003).
ICT Vision
In line with the strategic components identified in the White Paper, Bhutan Information and Communications Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS) was approved by the cabinet in June 2004. The following three broad policy objectives reinforce the BIPS initiatives (MoIC, 2004):
- Use ICT for Good Governance
- Create a Bhutanese Info-culture
- Create a “High-Tech Habitat”
The paper outlines policy, infrastructure, human capacity, content and applications, and enterprise as the major strategic components for the development of ICT. Figure above shows the relation between the strategic components, broad policy objectives and the ICT vision.
It is the BIPS report that outlines all the major initiatives of the government for the development of ICT in Bhutan. The initiatives are placed under the five broad strategic components. Other government ministries and agencies were asked to develop their own sectoral master plan in line with the BIPS report.
The Ministry of Information and Communications of the government of Bhutan is currently in the process of drafting the national ICT master plan for the 11th five year plan. The final draft is expected to be completed by December 2012.
RNR Sectorial ICT Policies in Bhutan
Renewable Natural Resources (RNR) sector encompasses agriculture, forestry, and livestock sectors in Bhutan. Although RNR services are delivered to the beneficiaries (mostly farmers) mostly through RNR extension centers across the country, Information and Communications Services (ICS) is established to support village-level activities where the need for information is necessary. ICS is also responsible for developing ICT infrastructure and services for efficient delivery of RNR services.
In line with the BIPS report released in July 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) developed its own RNR sectorial ICT framework and master plan mainly for the 10h five year plan that covers RNR sector’s specific information and communication technology requirements. The strategic framework, park one of the document, forms the basis for the RNR sectorial ICT master plan (part two of the same document). It is based on a sectorial analysis that identified the RNR sector’s ICT strengths and weaknesses, and an environmental scanning that determined the sector’s ICT opportunities and threats (Ministry of Agriculture and Forests [MoAF], 2004).
The broad initiatives listed under the master plan are adoption of a knowledge management program, strengthening of field operations, establishment of GIS coordinating service and institutional development. While some of the initiatives like Virtual Extension, Research and Communication Network (VERCoN), RNR Market Information System and digital documentation listed under the master plan were implemented, much needs to be done to implement all the initiatives listed under the master plan.
Information and Communications Services (ICS) is also currently in the process of developing the RNR sectorial ICT master plan for the eleventh five-year plan with directives from the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Application of ICT in Agriculture Sector in Bhutan
Marketing and Cooperatives Information System
To promote and support the creation and operation of cooperatives and farmers groups is a priority of the Royal Government of Bhutan and especially of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. About 480 informal farmers groups on Renewable Natural Resources activities were recorded in the beginning of 2010. To this effect, the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests has registered 121 farmers groups and cooperatives till date [AgriMarket, 2012]. SNV-Bhutan in collaboration with Agriterra was contracted in 2010 to advice DAMC on their strategy for the development of cooperatives in Bhutan. One of the final result of the advisory support resulted in proposal to build an online information system to support the development of cooperatives and farmers’ groups in Bhutan, in line with the Farmers Groups and Cooperatives Rules and Regulations of Bhutan, 2010. Therefore, DAMC with support from SNV- Thimphu has developed a Marketing and Cooperatives Information System (www.agrimarket.gov.bt).
The following are the four main objectives of the Marketing and Cooperatives Information System:
- Make possible for the members of on farmers groups and cooperatives to share information about their current, past and planned activities, materials and services related with the promotion and support of cooperatives and farmers groups.
- Make information related to cooperatives and farmers groups, the support services provided to them, their main activities, production related information and market information accessible to task force members on farmers groups and cooperatives, the Dzongkhags and Gewogs officials and general public
- To allow DAMC and other line technical departments/division/agencies including Dzongkhags and Gewogs to monitor the registration process, programmes and activities planned for the support of famers groups and cooperatives.
- Provide information such as prices of RNR products; information on the major commodities; the production data; markets profiles; the export and import reports; weekly market prices; and the information on the latest / recent last auction prices.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for RNR products price
To facilitate and support the farmers with market information, the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests has established Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in 2009. This service provides famers with latest market price information from the auction yards in the country. Bhutan has five auction yards located around the country: Phuentsholing, Samtse, Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar and Centenary Farmers Market at Thimphu.
Until December of 2011, the users were charged 50 chhetrums[3] per minute. Since this service is mostly used by the farmers and the staggering number hits after the initial introduction, the department made IVR 2009 toll free starting December 2011 to make the service more accessible to all the farmers in the country. The famers wishing to get the latest market prices for RNR products can dial 2009 to access the service from B-Mobile cellular service. The department is in the process of making the same service accessible through TashiCell cellular service to make the service universal.
The price information for the agricultural products is entered into the Marketing and Cooperatives Information System by the Food Cooperation of Bhutan Staff after the auction takes place. This price information is then verified by the officials at the DAMC and subsequently entered into the IVR system hosted at Bhutan Telecom. The users (mostly farmers) then access the latest price information through the toll free number 2009 using B-Mobile service. The department is paying Nu 3000 (three thousand) for the toll free service.
This is particularly useful since farmers in Bhutan had to travel to the respective auction yards to auction off their agricultural products. The price information, which is accessible beforehand, helps them to plan and decide the ideal time for the farmers to auction their products.
The department has seen a drastic change in the number of users after the introduction of toll free service as shown in figure 4 below. This could be because of the nature of user base of the system (mostly farmers) for which it is designed.
Virtual Extension and Research Communication Network (VERCON)
Virtual Extension and Research Communication Network (VERCON) is a conceptual model developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that employs Internet-based ICTs to strengthen linkages among agricultural policy, research and extension institutions and individuals. VERCON’s innovative nature is its capability to achieve effective linkages by connecting geographically dispersed people and enhance two-way communication, managing large volumes of data, and rapidly collecting, processing and dispersing information in a variety of forms. The overall goal of VERCON is to improve, through strengthened research-extension linkages, the agricultural advisory services provided to the farmers and in particular to resource poor farmers in order to increase production in food and agriculture with the goal of raising farm incomes.
Farmers use Ext. agents to receive latest RNR information
VERCON is aimed at improving the linkages between and within agriculture research and extension institutions through two fully integrated and co-dependent components: the human component and the technological component. The human component is a network (e.g. staff of research and extension institutions, faculties of agricultural education, non-government workers and agricultural producers) committed to strengthening collaboration, communication, sharing of information and improved agricultural production. While the technological component is the strategy that effectively links the human component that allows members of the network to communicate and develop, share, store and retrieve information (MoAF, 2004).
Four pilot sites have been identified top carry out the VERCON project in Bhutan: ICS (implementing agency), RNR-RC Bajo (research component), Gaseylo and Limbukha (extension component). Farmers under Gaseylo and Limbukha gewogs can ask their extension agents or directly look at the VERCON website for RNR information. The extension agents (Gaseylo and Limbukha extension agents) will look at the VERCON website for information or they will contact the research agencies using VERCON. The research agency (RNRRC Bajo) will provide latest RNR information through VERCON site or take up research based on the needs of farmers.
If the VERCON project succeeds at the pilot sites, the ministry will extend the system to other research agencies and extension centers throughout the country.
Food and Agricultural Statistical Information System
Recognizing the importance of reliable statistics when framing policies and planning activities, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is mandated to fulfill the demand of RNR statistical data to be used by various governments and non-governmental organizations including bi-lateral and multilateral agencies and general users. Therefore the Policy and Planning Division of the ministry had developed the Food and Agricultural Statistics Information System to provide a harmonized RNR statistical data available on the Internet for access by all users at all times and in a more efficient manner.
The CountrySTAT-Bhutan is a web-based Food and Agricultural Statistics Information System based on FAOSTAT developed by FAO. It is developed for the management and dissemination of harmonized agricultural and rural statistics for analysis and policy making. The system contains regularly updated statistical data on land use, agricultural (crops, livestock and forest) productions, exports and imports of agricultural commodities, agricultural inputs, commodity prices, farm machineries, and infrastructures. Those data are collected from RNR census, Livestock Census, annul agriculture survey and registers like rural credits from financial institutions, rural income register maintained by National Statistics Bureau, land records maintained by National Land Commission. The RNR census takes place every ten years while the livestock census and agriculture survey takes place annually. Apart from the agricultural information, it also provides links to relevant official documents and statistical websites around the globe.
CountrySTAT-Bhutan was started in June 2007 by the Policy and Planning Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and completed in the March 2008. The FAO’s Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP) supported the project
The CountrySTAT-Bhutan also functions as a complementary system to FAOSTAT. Its outputs are designed to load easily into FAOSTAT thus ensuring interoperability of data and improve FAOSTAT’s capacity to provide high quality statistical data at the international level.
The data under CountrySTAT-Bhutan are organized under three major groups: national core, district level and sub-district level. The national core data contents are consolidated to national level and shared with FAOSTAT database. The district level and sub-district level data are those disaggregated to sub-national levels with more relevance to national planners and policy makers, researchers and projects intended for rural development.
Trans-boundary Animal Disease Information System
With veterinary epidemiology and animal disease surveillance becoming increasingly important, the development of an appropriate software package for animal disease quantification and management was felt a real necessity. Trans-boundary Animal Disease Information System (TADinfo) was developed as a part of Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations’ Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) programme as an applied, practical, simple and down-to-earth software package to help veterinarians solve pressing real-life problems. TADinfo is an open-source veterinary data management system that is designed to provide data management and decision support to national veterinary epidemiology units. The TADinfo was launched by the National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH) in Bhutan. The TADinfo in Bhutan is customized to suit the Bhutanese needs with support from FAO.
It is able to store disease outbreak data, disease survey data, abattoir, vaccination and livestock census data. Although a stand-alone TADinfo system was deployed in Bhutan from 2008, the current web-based system is accessible from all livestock offices in the country connected to Internet. Most of this data are easily available even in developing country like Bhutan. Data can be easily imported via a graphical user interface, and simple analysis enables a descriptive overview. The main data sources used by TADinfo are as follows:
Disease observations: Reports of disease events as collected by veterinary staff can be entered. The interface allows users to record a wide variety of information with only the minimum essential information being compulsory/required; each report must have a specific date, details of the species involved including numbers affected, a diagnosis (although this doesn’t have to be a definitive diagnosis), and geo-referenced coordinates of the location. This geo-referencing is an important requirement for map production.
Abattoir observations: The software will also store and analyze data collected from abattoirs and slaughterhouses. These are often important sources of passive data collection.
Active surveillance: Information gathered from active surveillance activities including disease investigations and sero-surveillance can be loaded and analyzed with TADinfo. TADinfo does not store data on an individual animal basis, but records summary data, such as for example the number of positive and negative animals from each locality.
Livestock census: Bhutan carries out an annual livestock census to gather information on the population and other related livestock information in the country. Those data can also be entered and analyzed using TADinfo.
Vaccination Data: Data related to vaccination campaigns can be stored and vaccination coverage can automatically be calculated using data entered during the livestock census.
Government-to-Citizen (G2C) Services
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is also a beneficiary of the first phase of Government-to-Citizens (G2C) services project carried out by the Royal government of Bhutan. Currently there are around 110 governments to citizen services the ministries, agencies and Dzongkhags. However, access to most of these services is limited to few centralized locations, thereby forcing citizens in remote areas to travel long distances to avail these services. This incurs huge cost both to citizens and government. G2C project is part of the e-government initiative by the Royal Government of Bhutan to build an efficient and accessible government service delivery system to the citizens.
As part of the project, several RNR services from the ministry to the citizens were delivered online using the Internet services provided at the community centers. The followings are the list of services that are being delivered online in the agriculture sector:
- Supply of Agriculture Inputs
- Supply of Seeds and Chemicals (Fertilizers, Insecticides, Weedicides, etc)
- Plant Protection Advisory Services
- Supply of Agriculture Machinery and Spare Parts
- Agricultural Machinery Technical Guidance, Repair and Maintenance Services
- Soil Testing Services
- Input Supply (Piggery, Poultry, Fishery, etc.)
- Supply of Feed and Fodder
- Animal Health Services
At present, the above services are being availed by the farmers from the respective centers through the district and extension agents. The administrative and bureaucratic processes when availing the services take up most of the time. Therefore, currently it usually takes months to avail the above services.
The G2C services’ main objective is to reduce the time spent on availing the services by the citizens by using ICT. Using the G2C services, citizens can complete the authorizations and other administrative processes within few days. For an example, the current estimated time to avail piglets and bulls is six months. Using the G2C services, the same service can be availed by the farmers in less than twenty-five days. For major plant and animal disease outbreaks, the relevant centers will be able to respond within 2–3 days using the G2C services.
All the above services can be availed from http://www.citizenservices.gov.bt.
Plant Disease Surveillance and Monitoring System
The National Plant Protection Center (NPPC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is currently in the process of developing an ICT system to help with the surveillance and monitoring system for plant diseases in the country. Only the wheat rust surveillance system is currently functional and operating.
A web-based data management system, Wheat Rust Toolbox, was developed to support the surveillance, monitoring and early warning of new and aggressive wheat rust on global scale. Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC) developed the wheat rust toolbox in collaboration with FAO and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (commonly called by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT) for the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project (DRRW). The purpose of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project is to reduce systematically the world’s vulnerability to stem rust diseases of wheat through an international collaboration.
The ability of the world’s farmers to meet current and future demand for wheat is threatened by the highly virulent stem rust population emerging from East Africa. This project mitigates that threat through coordinated pathogen surveillance activities, and breeding initiatives. Together, these efforts will replace susceptible varieties in farmer’s fields with seed of durably resistant varieties, created by accelerated multilateral plant breeding, and delivered through optimized developing country seed sectors.
In Bhutan, the system is being implemented by NPPC. The extension agents will be responsible for data collection on the wheat rust and enter them onto the national server maintained at Information and Communication Services in Thimphu using mobile/PDA devices. The data will then be validated and approved by the officials at NPPC. Once approved, the same data will be transferred to the global server. The data will then be published and disseminated using interactive graphical and mapping web tools.
Bhutan Bio-Security System
Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) developed Bhutan Bio-Security System (BBSS) in order to issue any kind of permit related to Plant and Livestock. The following services are now delivered by BAFRA using the BBSS:
- Import Permit of Live Animals and Livestock Products
- Import Permit of Plants and Plant Products
- Export Certificate for Live Animals and Livestock Products
- Export Certificate for Plants and Plant Products
- In-Country Movement Order for Live Animals and Livestock Products
- In-Country Movement Order for Plants and Plant Products
- Import Permit for Agro-Chemicals
- Plant Quarantine Services
- Animal Quarantine Services
Applicants will submit their application form to the nearest BAFRA office, from where officials will enter the data into the BBSS system. The relevant officials at the head office will then view the application. The authorized officials will approve or disapprove the application for permit/certificate based on the Bhutan Bio-Security Framework. The officials at the regional offices will then issue the permit/certificate once the relevant officials at the head office approve the application. The applicants can also track the status of their application using the application id given to them during application submission.
Usage of Global Information System
Being closely attached to land, water, and ecosystems, agriculture almost always has a spatial dimension. Applied to RNR research and planning, GIS then becomes a powerful tool for the analysis, interpretation, presentation, and application of research results in on-farm trials or even farmers’ fields. It produces accurate and contextualized, visual and locational representations of relationships between climate and commodities, soil type and recommended crops, productivity and cropping patterns, nutrition and land-use, agricultural technology and poverty. GIS provides a value added service to research data by bringing in visual and contextual elements that serve to concretize abstract concepts.
Realizing the importance of GIS for the agriculture sector, a GIS operator is currently stationed at the Soil Survey Unit under the National Soil Service Center. The unit had used GIS technology to produce a fully digitalized map of Bhutan under the Land Cover Mapping Project (LCMP). The first systematic land cover assessment in the country was done in 1995 by the Land Use & Planning Project (LUPP) of the Ministry with funds from Danida. The land cover maps were updated through digital image processing of multi-spectral ALOS images (AVNIR-2) from the 2006–2009 winter seasons, combined with other reference materials and extensive ground trothing exercises. In order to ensure a reasonable level of precision, a system accuracy assessment was carried out by comparing randomly selected referenced pixels. An overall acceptance level of map accuracy was set at 85%.
Under the project, a detailed map of Bhutan (national, district and sub-district map) and atlas of Bhutan were developed. The digital data produced by the GIS unit were used by different agencies under the ministry and other relevant agencies, both national and international.
Radio and Television for RNR Information Dissemination
With a literacy rate of 59.5% and only around 14% of Bhutan’s population having access to Internet service, the use of Internet based ICT service may not be very relevant to the present Bhutanese environment [GNHC, 2011]. On the other hand, 66% of the households have radio and 28.1% have television sets (PHCB, 2005).
Recognizing the influence of mass media on the population, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bhutan Broadcasting Service to broadcast an RNR themed live panel discussion program on both the radio and television every week. The Information and Communication Services under the ministry coordinates the panel discussion “Sanam Rigpa” every Monday on various RNR related topics.
To encourage more callers to participate in the discussion, the ministry installed a toll free number (157). This is especially important as some callers may not have the funds for prolonged phone calls, and the caller might have to be kept on air for further questions while the caller’s query is being discussed. A discussion on the same topic with the same panel members is also conducted and broadcast on radio network around the country.
Apart from the weekly live panel discussion, the ministry also uses radio and television networks to broadcast public service announcements, RNR related documentaries, music videos, etc.
Community Centers — Operating Service Points
The Department of Information Technology and Telecom (DITT) undertook a project to construct a community center in each of the 205 gewogs of Bhutan. The community centers will function as an operating service points for all the G2C services. Therefore, the construction of community centers is carried out concurrently with the G2C project implementation.
The community centers will be connected with fiber optic to the dzongkhag LAN which is in turn connected to the national broadband backbone. The centers will be provided with necessary ICT equipment like computers, fax machine, printers, photocopier, scanner, etc. The administration of the community centers is being contracted to Bhutan Post. While the accessing of the actual G2C services will be free of cost to the citizens at the community centers, Bhutan Post will charge for other related services like usage of printers, scanners, etc.
With 200 community centers already established in the country and the target users being mostly farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and forests should target the community centers as an operating service points for RNR-ICT services offered by the ministry.
Future Direction (Planned activities)
Now that Bhutan has connected all the districts and sub-districts except for remote sub-districts to information highway, Information and Communication Services under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests will implement the initiatives listed under the sectorial ICT master plan. Some of the major initiatives during the eleventh five year plan (2013–2017) are online collaboration system including video conference for all the regional research centers, knowledge management system to share latest RNR information and traditional knowledge among relevant stakeholders, and development of mobile applications for the delivery of RNR services.
Conclusion
Information and Communications Technology is fast influencing the way of life even in Bhutan and RNR sector is not immune to the power of ICT. In fact, with the natural terrain of Bhutan offering tremendous challenge for the delivery of any RNR services, the power of ICT should be harnessed to help the ministry in delivery of those RNR services more effectively and efficiently.
The response to the few ICT enabled RNR services delivered by the ministry had been promising. The farmers had used the IVR system for dissemination of market information for agricultural products extensively. The administrative hurdles for the citizens (especially famers) had been greatly reduced by the usage of ICT enabled communication between the extension agents, district RNR sector and the national centers. Processing of permits and certificates for various RNR activities has been automated online, thus giving more convenience for the citizens. The number of users using those services had been encouraging too.
The small population of the country had positive effect on the implementation of ICT related projects. The small population reduces the complexities of new projects and it is also easier to raise awareness about the system. Since the user base is smaller, integration of different projects and change of project phases are also less tedious. This provides small countries like Bhutan a unique advantage and opportunity when developing ICT enabled citizen services.
The government has also aptly themed the eleventh five year plan “Rural Prosperity.” A prosperous rural Bhutan means to lift the rural population, almost 69% of the population whose lives are solely dependent on agriculture sector, out of poverty. Therefore, the RNR sector has a huge role to play to realize the mission of eleventh five-year plan. ICT can definitely help the ministry to realize the mission.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are made to enhance the use of ICT in agriculture sector to improve the RNR service delivery through the improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of national, regional and local extension and research centers.
ICT Capacity Building for Extension Staffs
In Bhutan, the frontline extension agents are the ones who are in direct contact with the farmers. Farmers get their advice on the use of modern RNR technologies and management practices from them. Thus they are the direct agents for the technology transfer of necessary RNR information.
Even with all the ICT enabled infrastructures in place, the utility of the system will be minimal if the frontline extension agents lack ICT knowledge. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the capacity building of the frontline extension agents has to happen simultaneously with the ICT enabled RNR infrastructure development. This will ensure that the farmers and other users will derive maximum utility from the system.
Collaboration System within the Extension System
The research agencies are an important component of the extension system in Bhutan. It is the research centers that develop all the modern RNR technologies and management practices. That knowledge had to be transferred to the farmers by the frontline extension agents. The adoption rate and feedbacks on developed technologies and management practices can be extremely useful for the researchers.
Although ICT services like email are used currently, most of the communication and data gathering are done manually. Therefore, an online collaboration system needs to be developed for the extension system to function effectively. Modern tools like Voice over IP (VoIP) should also be used for the researchers in different regional offices to have instantaneous communication.
Use Mobile Technology to Bridge the Digital Divide
With only 14% Internet tele-density, the availability of RNR services on the Internet will not be of much use. However, both the cellular service providers in the country (B-Mobile and TashiCell) had reached nation-wide coverage in 2012.
This situation has to be taken advantage of by providing as much RNR services through cellular network. The response to the IVR system for market information of RNR products bears testimony to it.
Emphasis on Local Dialects and Voice Recognition
Although the rural literacy rate is 47.9%, most of the literate villagers are functionally literate only in the local language. Therefore, the use of English as a medium of communication for the RNR services will not be viable for most of the farmers.
Thus, more emphasis needs to be laid to develop the ICT enabled applications in the local language — and local dialects — through the use of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The IVR system needs to have the functionality of Voice Recognition so as to avoid the pressing of buttons labeled in English. This will ensure the delivery of the services to the widest audience.
References
Benedict, A.O. (2010). Towards Effective Use of ICTS and Traditional Media for Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa, Journal of Sustainable Development, published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Vol. 3 (4), 165–170.
Dorji, T. (2012a). Major Milestones in Telecommunications Development in Bhutan. In www.thimphutechpark.com. Retrieved 11/09/2012, from www.thimphutechpark.com/blog/major-milestones-in-telecommunications-development-in-bhutan
Dorji, T. C. “History of Telecommunications in Bhutan, Bhutan Telecom News December 2010: 2–3.
Department of Agriculture Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC). Farmers Groups and Cooperatives, 2012. DAMC. 1/11/2012 <www.agrimarket.gov.bt/webpages/FarmersAssociation.aspx>.
Gross National Happiness Commission [GNHC). (2010). Turning Vision into Reality: The Development Challenges Confronting Bhutan, Gross National Happiness Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan
GNHC (2011). SAARC Development Goals: Mid-Term Review Report 2011, Gross National Happiness Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan
Kuensel. (2012a). TashiCell goes nationwide. In www.kuenselonline.com. Retrieved 12/09/2012, from www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=36461
Kuensel. (2012b). Phuentsholing joins 3G club (after Thimphu). In www.kuenselonline.com. Retrieved 12/09/2012, from www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=28671
Ministry of Information & Communications [MoIC]. (2010). Information, Communications and Transport Sectors in Bhutan: A Special Report, Ministry of Information & Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan
MoIC. (2003). Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy for Bhutan: A White Paper, Ministry of Information & Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan
MoIC. (2004). Bhutan Information and Communications Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS), Ministry of Information & Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan
Ministry of Agriculture & Forests [MoAF], (2004). Renewable Natural Resources Strategic ICT Framework and Sectoral ICT Master Plan, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan
National Statistical Bureau [NSB], (2007). Poverty Analysis Report 2007, National Statistical Bureau, Royal Government of Bhutan
Population & Housing Census of Bhutan [PHCB]. (2005). Results of Population & Housing Census of Bhutan 2005, Office of the Census Commissioner, Royal Government of Bhutan
RNR-RC, Bajo. (2008). Sustainable Land Management in Salamjee — The village where stones grow: An Extension Manual on Capacity Building of Local Institutions for Sustainable Farm Land Management. Renewable Natural Resources Research Centre, Bajothang, Wangdue Phodrang, CoRRB, MoAF
Notes
[1] The National Assembly of Bhutan before 2008 was composed of 150 members: 105 elected representatives of the people, 10 representatives of the clergy, and 35 representatives of the government.
[2] Gross National Happiness (GNH) is designed in an attempt to define an indicator that measures quality of life or social progress in more holistic and psychological terms than only the economic indicator of gross domestic product (GDP).
[3] Unit of money equivalent to the Indian Paisa ( 100 Chheltrums make 1 Ngultrum )
[4] An indigenous breed of cattle in Bhutan
