IBM, US based global technology and consulting firm, inked a cooperation and development contract with Agriculture Knowledge On-Line (AKOL), an agricultural software house based in Israel.
As per this contract, IBM will administer access and technology issues. IBM will administer AKOL s cloud-based software system which offers expert information and guidelines from global farmers to the farmers in Israel.
According to AKOL, its Internet-based system will help worldwide agriculture by using joint information of kibbutzim (communal farms in Israel) and other agricultural professionals, to provide customized solutions to small farmers to boost their dairy and crop production and avoid deficiency.
Roni Shani, Chief Executive Officer of AKOL, said, "What we do here is like a bank of information and IBM provides the special tools for the end users and you can do what we call 'agricultural market. For example, if someone in Australia needs advice on how to grow their crops better, they can just ask our advice or search through our database to find the best product for the country they're growing the crops in. Let's say someone in India, a small farmer, has a problem with their crop or chickens, it's usually very expensive and time consuming to get someone to come and check what is wrong."
Shani added that, for a monthly fee, a basic subscription service offers the end user to access software database. Due to this, farmer can just watch pictures and pick the one to get the knowledge about the disease or what the problem is or to get the solution or whether it is available in their country.
Shani added, "We just started developing it for use outside of the kibbutz with IBM's help, and we are developing it also in other parts of the world, like China. Right now we're cooperating with the Chinese government to help milk producers get the most out of their milking systems. And this is just the beginning, because we are also working with other developing countries. This software will help millions of small farmers in rural or impoverished areas that will be able to get advice and benefit from other farmers' experience on the spot and at a very affordable rate."
2011 Al Bawaba (Albawaba.com)
Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
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