A call for abstracts/presentations on ‘Mobile Technology for Agricultural and Rural Development in the Global South’. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, 20 October 2016. The deadline for abstracts is 31 July 2016.
In recent years, there has been growing activity around use of mobile technology and information systems for agricultural and rural development in the Global South. Numerous interventions have been demonstrated through widespread application of new technologies some of which have been scaled. Technological innovation in small-scale agricultural systems also creates demands for new forms of organization and institutional change, and there have been a number of impact studies of mobile technology-led agricultural service provision which have provided mixed and uncertain results.
Growth of research and policy analysis in this field has been slower than the pace of change for practitioners, and much remains to be done, particularly in bringing socio-technical views of information technology and agricultural development perspectives together.
The aim of the 20th Oct Workshop is to share research and practice on current trends in “mobile technology for agricultural and rural development in the Global South”: specifically to bring together researchers from diverse disciplines and practitioners with experience of implementing mobile applications and agriculture information systems in differing country contexts. We hope the workshop will shape a future research agenda and form the basis for future research and practitioner partnerships, as well as contributing to an edited book publication.
Research or practitioner papers (which can be submitted either before or after the workshop) will be peer reviewed, and selected for inclusion into an edited book. The book will target practitioner, policy and academic audiences.
Prospective presenters should submit an abstract of 200-400 words outlining their proposed paper or presentation to: mobileagworkshop@gmail.com with a deadline of 31 July 2016.
The following timeline will be observed:
- 31 July 2016 – prospective presenters to submit an abstract of 200-400 words outlining their proposed presentation/paper to: mobileagworkshop@gmail.com
- 14 August 2016 – presenters to be notified of response to abstract
- 17 October 2016 – draft papers (desirable but not essential) to be circulated to workshop participants
- 20 October 2016 – workshop for presentation and discussion of papers
If you have any queries prior to abstract submission, please contact Dr Richard Duncombe, Centre for Development Informatics, The University of Manchester.
CDI (the Centre for Development Informatics) is based at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. GDI plays a major role in supporting the University’s commitment to addressing global inequality, and aims to create and share knowledge to inform and influence policy makers, organisations and corporations, so that they can make positive and sustainable changes for people living in poverty. The Institute builds on The University of Manchester’s world-leading reputation for Development Studies research, which was ranked 1st for impact and 2nd for quality in the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014, and third in the QS World University Rankings.
CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International) is an international not-for-profit organization that provides information and scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment as part of a broader global development objective. CABI are a leading global publisher producing key scientific publications, including CAB Abstracts, Compendia, books, eBooks and full-text electronic resources. CABI also manage Plantwise a global programme, run by trained plant doctors, where farmers and extension workers can find practical plant health advice, getting specific information direct to extension workers and farmers in the field.