Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development of Agriculture: The Case of a Information System on Rice Seed in Côte D'ivoire

The purpose of this Communication is to analyze the role and impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the development of agriculture. We will try to see the social, economic and cultural dynamics implemented following the adoption of ICT by rice farmers in Côte d'Ivoire. In other words, what is the relationship between ICT and traditional forms of communication (including interpersonal communication) in the rice production process in Côte d'Ivoire? A case study (base on my PhD fieldwork) on the implementation of a project of information system on rice seeds via Smartphone in Côte d'ivoire will allow us to discuss this issue. In a country which covers only 42 percent of its needs in rice, the establishment under the leadership of FAO Rome of an information system by SMS for the commercialization of rice seed seems to be a good initiative to achieve self-sufficiency. Faced with the seed producers difficulties in finding profitable markets to sell their productions and the inability of buyers (farmers, traders and distributors) to access on time of certified seed varieties adapted to their needs, development and implementation of an information system adapted to this context was expected to raise some of the constraints. The information system on seeds by SMS aimed therefore to provide buyers with updated information on the availability and quality of certified seed on the one hand, on the other hand making information available on seed producers and the varieties volumes requested by buyers. Unfortunately, the project was not renewed after its pilot phase. Starting from the local context, we will try to analyze the main causes of project failures by highlighting the producers’ different forms of organization, the existing relationship between the different actors, and local form of exchange and communication channel.