Paper presented at "International Federation of Information Processing 9.4 Conference", Bangalore, India, 28-31 May 2002. Conference hosted by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, http://www.iimb.ernet.in/ifip

Jonathan Woods, Buenafe R. Abdon, and Robert T. Raab

Abstract

In developing Asia, agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors as well as the principle employer. Currently, Asian agriculture is under pressure from growing populations, increasing affluence, a dwindling natural resource base, and globalisation. Asian farmers need to improve their economic performance, increase profits and production, and move towards sustainable agriculture.

Previous advances in agriculture have come through improvements in traditional inputs, but future improvements will rely on intelligently used information to better manage agricultural production. Knowledge-intensive management (KIM) can improve profits, production, and sustainability in the agricultural sector. Until human resource development and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure is sufficient to deliver knowledge-intensive management skills to farmers, the information and skills can be delivered to agricultural professionals, who in turn can help farmers access the information and skills they need for better management.

ICTs can be used to deliver knowledge-intensive management skills to agricultural professionals through e-learning. e-learning is a flexible form of education that allows participants with different schedules in different locations to interact and learn in a collaborative, online environment. One tool of e-learning is simulation, which allows real-world phenomena to be simplified and mimicked on screen. Users can experiment in an interactive environment in order to learn complex or difficult concepts.

For example, pesticide resistance management is a complex phenomenon that can be taught using simulation. By guiding users through a series of exercises, and allowing users the opportunity to experiment, a pesticide resistance simulation can be a valuable tool for learning this concept. As part of an e-learning package that is delivered via ICTs to agricultural professionals in developing Asia, such a simulation can help farmers better manage agriculture in the face of current challenges.