Food security has become one of the highest priorities for countries across the globe at present. For Sri Lanka, food security and food supply management are extremely important national issues as experts warn of a severe shortage in the coming months. The prediction is that if not managed with extreme caution, the issue will run into many future years.
Even before the beginning of the catastrophic Covid-19 debacle and the current global food crisis, food security and improving agricultural inputs, the main source of supply of food, have been in discussion in almost every country, including Sri Lanka. Even the so-called rich countries are complaining about the continuously rising prices of essential foods.
As a developing country, Sri Lanka was constantly looking for new approaches to agriculture supply chain management and digitisation in order to ensure the sector’s efficient and sustainable operation.With the current situation, solutions for food security and sustainable agriculture modernisation have become a dire need. The optimistic observation is that with the availability of mobile telephone technology, the Sri Lankan farmer community is becoming somewhat knowledgeable about information technology.
Although each farmer in Sri Lanka wants to increase their income, there are a number of problems that prevent them from doing so, including poor market connections, limited access to high-quality farm inputs, subpar government services, and a lack of knowledge about available options. An important duty is to facilitate communication between the agricultural community and the appropriate authorities who govern resources. A good first step could be to educate the rural farmer community about the internet.
With about 27 percent of the population working in agriculture, which contributes 7.4 percent to the GDP, Sri Lanka is currently largely dependent on the importation of food-related goods. In particular, fruits and vegetables, together with a number of other foods and even grain, are being imported regularly. Despite the large amounts that are produced locally, a significant quantity is wasted because of insufficient cold and normal storage facilities and poor and inadequate supply chain infrastructure. The solution to reduce this enormous waste is a well-coordinated, digitally controlled system.
Consecutive governments’ efforts to control food waste have repeatedly failed to produce results for a variety of reasons.Hence, an efficient and effective digitised agricultural supply chain management and marketing system will be the key drivers of the sustainable development of the agriculture economy. As the backbone of future food security, agriculture needs an immediate boost in technology, particularly in digital knowledge.
For food wastage
Sri Lanka is notoriously noted for food wastage. This is a dire issue and if not consciously looked at, it will create difficulties in the future with food security for the country’s expanding population.
Most of the damage occurs during transportation, in storage, or during transportation. Also, the crop gets severely harmed by fluctuating prices brought on by unexpected climatic variations caused by the habitual unpredictable weather patterns.
The distribution of physical goods and the movement of information between customers and other stakeholders are the main concerns of agriculture supply chains. Due to the complex nature of the digitalisation process, an information-driven digital supply chain can save a significant amount of time, provide value, enhance trade resources, and also slash prices substantially. It is important to keep in mind that coordinated efforts will help to improve food security tremendously whilst making consumers happier.
Supply chain coordination involves structured affiliation among producers, processors, traders, and consumers where detailed information is exchanged on quantities to be produced, pricing, delivery time, transport, and so forth. The relationships also often involve financial assistance and technical support.
Hence, to provide better output, introducing information and communication technologies (ICT) to the Sri Lankan farming community has become a dire necessity at this crucial juncture. Especially for fresh perishable food products such as fruits and vegetables that need faster disposal, speedier and more coordinated effort through ICT is required. If a proper system can be introduced, the current estimated waste of 40% can be saved whilst the harvests can also be improved.
ICT is a potent tool for integrating the entire agriculture supply chain. Through digitization, everything from preparing the land to delivering the finished product to the customer can be done more effectively. Additionally, quality issues, agronomic elements, nutritional value measures, etc. can all be improved with the help of ICT.
A crucial component of future food security is the inability to reach the vast number of small-scale farmers. ICT can significantly boost efficiency in the fields of marketing and value addition. Although the majority of them are relatively familiar with mobile phone usage, there is still only a little digital literacy in this group. However, teaching digital usage is not a daunting task if a user-friendly application can be developed and introduced.
The effective monitoring of land use trends, data, tenancy standards, and even the distribution of state property is another area of digitalization. The prospect of improving agriculture production by cultivating undeveloped public areas and abandoned private properties is now being considered by the government. Currently, the government is planning to allocate uncultivated lands to those who can develop such lands.
This process demands ICT driven systems. Currently, the government is unable to efficiently implement such programs in the absence of adequately controlled digital data. The authorities require digitised information to function effectively and efficiently in the future. Information technology must be used to keep a current database of specialised agricultural data covering the entire nation.
This updated information may be relevant to weather patterns, the start of the monsoon and inter-monsoon seasons, popular crop types, the demand-supply balance, or even seed choices.
The vast bulk of information relating to agriculture is currently in chaos, with different related authorities providing contradictory and conflicting data. The unquestionable requirement is that all pertinent data and information be gathered under one entity. Currently, gathering data and statistics appears to be a time-consuming and exhausting procedure. The majority of government websites, including those of related ministries and other institutions, are not frequently updated, making the content therein outdated. For example, this writer’s attempt to access the Ministry of Trade website in order to gather the most recent information was a failure.
Numerous participants
There are numerous participants in the chain, all at various socioeconomic and intellectual levels. As a result, the level of trust among the stakeholders determines how well the effort of services is integrated. To prevent potential conflicts, it is crucial to regulate the distribution of wealth carefully among all players. The tactics and the process must be reinforced through a digital monitoring system in order to benefit all parties.
There is no question about the usefulness of information digitalisation in boosting productivity across the board in the agricultural industry. Comparatively speaking, reducing food loss is less expensive than raising production levels. ICT modernisation of the handling systems will undoubtedly reduce food waste, increasing societal access to food.
The national need should be immediately taken into consideration by the government, relevant professional organisations, and private sector participants. Systems should be put in place, and information should be made accessible to farmers and other stakeholders via a digital network.
The end-to-end supply time will be shortened by putting more effort into creating a responsive and adaptable digital network. Exploiting the full potential of agriculture in Sri Lanka’s economy is a critical requirement today.