1. Introduction: state of the art in ICT4D 2. Creating Partnerships in ICT4D: opportunities for engaging public organizations, private sector, NGO & International Organizations, Higher Education Institutions   3. ICT contribution to Food Security: a. Climate-­‐smarter agriculture; b. Smallholder-­‐inclusive value chains c. High-­‐potential ICT applications   4. ICT contribution to Environmental Security a. What is Environmental Security b. Why does it matter for Africa? c. How can ICT help?

1. Wireless Networking for Science in Africa Workshop
ICT for food and environmental security in Africa
Simone Sala
Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Columbia University
Senior Research Fellow at MIT International Development Initiative
March 21, 2013
International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) – Trieste, Italy

2. Index
1. Introduction: state of the art in ICT4D
2. Partnerships in ICT4D: opportunities for broader
impact
3. ICT contribution to Food Security & ARD
a. Climate-smarter agriculture
b. Smallholder-inclusive value chains
c. High-potential ICT applications for FS & ARD
4. ICT contribution to Environmental Security
a. What is Environmental Security
b. Why does it matter for Africa?
c. How can ICT help?

3. 1
ICT4D: where are we?
• Widespread expansion of ICT access figures
– Cheaper access to mobile/broadband services
– Improved ease of use
• Rise of the social web
• Mobile phones as the personal gateway for work/life

4. 1
ICT4D: where are we?
(Let’s not forget ICT4D Dark side..)

5. 1
ICT4D: where are we?
(Let’s not forget ICT4D Dark side..)
• “Widespread expansion of ICT access figures”
– Still, various kinds of digital divides
• “Rise of the social web” and participation
– Content issues?
• Devices’ availability (e.g. mobile phones)
– Waste management issues?
– Rush to natural resources to build devices?
• Proliferation of portals, lack of sustainability and proven impact
– ‘Solutions seeking problems’ approach
• ICT feeding inequalities at various levels

6. 1
ICT4D: where do we go now?
• Horizontal ICT4D is likely to split in vertical sub-sectors
– ICT for Education, Health, Governance, Agriculture, Natural Resources
Management, Conflict Prevention/Resolution…
• Technology will become the minor limiting factor in ICT4D
initiatives
• Web 2.0 ICT4D: from social conversation to engagement to impact-
driven social networking
• Borders likely to blur: Research/Practice, Profit/NonProfit,
Public/Private, North/South

7. 1
ICT4D: where do we go now?
(i.e. implication for Professionals/ORGs)
• Repositioning in appropriate ICT4D niches
– ICT for AgriFood likely to grow in figures and expand across
Developed/Developing regions
• Rising importance of Facilitation/Mediation skills in ICT4D projects
– Among must-haves: credibility with partners, capacity to catalyze action of
stakeholders from different fields, ability to shape relevant information
flows, power to develop local-to-global value-added networks
• Survival of the fittest: quickest and most engaged organizations
– Strengthen social presence to enable broader impact and expanded reach of
ICT4D programmes
– Social Networks to spot and surf big waves (of innovation)

8. 2
Partnerships in ICT(4D): key for success
Regional level: Foster integration of
infrastructure, markets, aid initiatives
National/Local level: Increase Global level: Set up open data
organizational repositories and link them to
Publi
efficiency/effectiveness researchers/developers/companies
c
ICT(4D
HEIs ) Private
Player
Non & Inter-
GOs

9. 2
Partnerships in ICT(4D): key for success
Private sector doing business:
Publi increasing efficiency (market
c integration, value-chain
optimization)
ICT(4D Private sector doing
HEIs ) Private non-profit: facilitating
Player
knowledge sharing
Private sector doing both:
Non & Inter-
Innovation/Tech hubs
GOs

10. 2
Partnerships in ICT(4D): key for success
Publi
c
ICT(4D
HEIs ) Private
Player
Non & Inter-
GOs
Advocacy Awareness raising

11. 2
Partnerships in ICT(4D): key for success
Publi
Not only efficiency, c
> insights too
ICT(4D
HEIs ) Private
Player
Systematization
& Innovation
Non & Inter-
Broader impact GOs

12. 3
ICT contributions to Agricultural & Rural
Development (ICT4ARD): interactions
Food Security
Smallholder-
Climate-smart
inclusive value
Agriculture
chains

13. 3a
Case #1: ICT for climate-smart agriculture
ICT can be a catalyzer for:
• Awareness raising on global/local climate issues
– Dissemination of climate change awareness messages via low/high tech
• Monitoring of climate parameters and climate-driven natural resources
– Smartphone, sensors, remote sensing integration as a two-way channel for
monitoring
• Climate change Mitigation
– Support establishment of mitigation practices, track impact of carbon
sequestration initiatives
• Adaptation to climate change
– Information systems to map vulnerabilities, strengthen agricultural system
resilience to shocks, disseminate short-term information, share knowledge
A system approach to climate-smart agriculture

14. 3b
Case #2: Smallholders-inclusive
value chains via ICTs
Sustainable
Partnership AgriBusiness
Producers
Companies
ICT-powered strategies: a catalyzer to make local system competitive
• Include trusted channels and InfoMediaries
– Capacity strengthening
– Technology adoption
– Community ownership mechanisms
• Set up ad hoc Communication systems (i.e. monitor production,
facilitate transactions, enable traceability, support branding)
• Integrate management tools (e.g. logistics, process management)

15. 3c
Shaping the future: examples of high-
potential ICT applications for FS/ARD
• Big Data for improving weather insurance
• Gamification approaches applied to Development issues
• From Knowledge to Geo-Knowledge to support Extension
services
• Cloud computing for improving efficiency, reducing time-
to-market, increasing income
– Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snZPevfRuus

16. 3c
Big Data for climate-smart agriculture, food
security and smallholder-inclusive value chains
• Next Decade: 44 times as much data and content
– 35 zettabytes in 2020!
• Farmers needs better forecast
• Weather insurance companies needs (better) weather data
• Both Public and Private sector can reap benefits
• Positive side-effects to Global/Local Research
• Key enablers:
– Extension agents a privileged facilitator
– Mobile infrastructure/phones as a gateway
– Facilitators to create the suitable environment

17. 4a
Environmental security: what is it?
• What is security?
– The meaning of security changes across time
• Different interpretation of environmental
security
– Environment as key for National Security
– The end of the Cold War and the transition
of Environment in the Military
• Military
Global
• Inter-dependence Warming
– Environmental scarcity as a trigger for conflict
– Environment as a driver of cooperation

18. 4a
Environmental security: what is it?
Climate change vs Environmental Security
• Current scenario: climate change and the re-ignition
of the debate
Negative impacts
• Increasing water scarcity Positive impacts
• Decreasing agri. productivity • Areas will experience benefits!
Climate • Need for joint initiative to
• Higher frequency and
Change mitigate/adapt
intensity of natural disasters
• … • …
• Mitigation of effects in the ‘global
• Increasing competition
balance’
• Migration from rural to urban areas
• Increase in technical/political
or abroad
cooperation
• Threat to economic growth
• Greener production
• Distrust between North/South countries

19. 4a
Environmental security: what is it?
Environment as driver of conflict vs. cooperation
• Negative pole: driver of conflict
– Cross-border water & grazing rights:
• Senegal vs Mauritania Border War (1991)
– Land distribution
• Chiapas, Mexico (1994)
– Access to water/land
• Soccer War Honduras/El Salvador (1969)
• Positive pole: source of cooperation
– 1950-2000: 1228 cooperative events vs 507 conflict episodes in water
management.
– Technical cooperation on Water: EXACT-ME (Jordan, Israel, Palestine)
– “Peace Parks” (?)
• KAZA, Great Limpopo TF Park, Ai-Ais/Richtersveld TF Park
• Siachen Glacier, northern Kashmir

20. 4b Environmental security: why does it
matter in Africa?
Environmental conflicts in Africa
• 22 recorded conflicts (1980-2005)
• Clear evidence of land degradation &
water scarcity in fueling conflict
• Migrations sometimes make conflicts
escalate in neighboring countries
• Sahel hotspot: often systematic/collective
violence
• Land distribution typical driving factor
for conflicts
Source: Carius et al. (2006)

21. 4b Environmental security: why does it
matter in Africa?
The impact of climate change
• Higher water stress in N/S Africa; < water stress in E/O Africa
– Broadly 75-250M affected in 2020
• High risk of higher food insecurity
– Exceptions: Ethiopia, Mozambique
• Increasing stress on infrastructures & economies (due to sea-level
rise & environmental refugees)
• Different distribution of diseases (e.g. malaria in E/S Africa)
• Open questions: Sudano-Sahelian area, extreme events?

22. 4b Environmental security: why does it
matter in Africa?
The impact of climate change

23. 4b Environmental security: why does it matter
in Africa?
Water, Energy, Food (WEF) Nexus

24. 4b Environmental security: why does it matter
in Africa?
Water, Energy, Food (WEF) Nexus
• Increasing population and higher quality of life
• Increasing water, food & energy demand:
+30/50% between 2010-2030
• Inequalities push for short-term answers that can
jeopardize medium/long-term sustainability
• “Any strategy that focuses on one part of the
water-food-energy nexus without considering its
interconnections risks serious unintended
consequences”.
(World Economic Forum, 2011)

25. 4b Environmental security: why does it
matter in Africa?
African richness to be capitalized
• Cooperation & success stories
– Africa covered by transboundary basins for 62%
– 2 or + countries sharing 80 basins
– 150 agreements, 10 River Basin Organizations
– Various Transboundary Conservation Protected Areas
& Peace Parks
• Conflict Resolution normative tools
– African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources
– International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
– RBOs

26. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Record data
and information
INFORMATION & Transform data
COMMUNICATION and information
TECHNOLOGY into knowledge
Broadcast &
Communicate
Information and
Knowledge

27. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Broadcast &
Record data Transform data and information Communicate
and information into knowledge Information and
Knowledge
Analysis & Implementation Capacity
Observation & Building &
Strategic Planning
Management Networking
Conflict Knowledge
Prevention Sharing
Decision
Support
Natural Conflict
Resources Resolution Upscaling
Monitoring
Resources
Management
Crowd-
Environmental
sourced
Peacebuilding
monitoring

28. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Some examples
• End-to-end conflict-sensitive water
management via ICT
• Geomatics for mapping environmental
security hot-spots
• Capacity Building & Networking via ICT for
natural resources management

29. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Water management
• Three main services ICT can offer
1. Monitor the state of water, including quality and use, for
conflict prevention
– Shared water data bank in Jordan/Israel/Palestine for climate
adaptation
2. Collaboration and networking for conflict resolution
– Conflict over the use of Syr Darya & Amu Darya rivers among
Upstream countries (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and Downstream
countries (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
• Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, GMCR - Scenario Analysis
confirmed the existing treaty as the most favourable for the countries

30. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Water management
• Three main services ICTs can offer
3. Support to policy making towards a sustainable
use of water resources & post-conflict recovery
– USAID-sponsored DSS to manage water quality
degradation in Upper Litani River, Lebanon
– Remote Sensing, DSS & GeoDB to plan equitable
management of Bung Boraphet water basin, Thailand
– Participatory GIS to design water service provision in
peri-urban post-conflict Angola

31. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Geomatics
• Identification of environmental
scarcity hot spots
– Mount Kenya
– Bordering areas with Ethiopia and Somalia (east
of lake Turkana)
– Mount Elgon – Lake Victoria
– Mombasa
A case study on Kenya @ my Lab: GeoLab, University of Milan (Bocchi et al. 2006)

32. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Geomatics
Wajiri
Conflict
1992-95
Pokomo/
Orma
Clashes
2000
Inter-State
Cooperation
A case study on Kenya, 2006

33. 4c
Environmental security: how can ICTs help?
Capacity building & networking
• International level
– Strauss Center CCAPS,
http://ccaps.aiddata.org/conflict
• Local level
– SNA-K (Kenya): land access related conflict mitigation
via open forums, radio, workshops and SMS-Based
Violence Prevention & Education
– Babati, Tanzania (Mandara, 2007): PGIS for land
conflict mitigation

34. Conclusions
• The shape of ICT4D is likely to change a lot
• ICT4D  ICT4Dx!
• ICT does/can already play a difference to
support food and environmental security
• WEF nexus will be core driving force to be
targeted for medium/long-term Sustainable
Development (not only in Africa!)
• To lead the way in ICT4Dx Actors will need to:
• Be innovation rather than ICT oriented
• Strengthen theirs facilitation skills
• Develop a cross-pollination prone attitude

35. 4c
For further information, link, advice, et al.
Simone Sala
• Web: www.simonesala.it
• Twitter: @hereissimone