IT Connects Booklet
How the scheme began
In 2001 the Agri-food industry, along with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, produced a report entitled “Vision for the Future of the Agri-food Industry.” This report contained many recommendations on how the industry should develop over the next decade. A key theme was the need for the industry to benefit from greater and more effective use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
In response to this report DARD developed the Increasing Access to ICT Scheme, which has been managed and delivered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). The scheme aimed to promote the use of innovative ICT in 800 farm businesses and to share the results across the whole industry. This would be achieved by funding the evaluation of new and innovative technology solutions on farms and in businesses.
The scheme ran from March 2004 until February 2007 and over 950 farm businesses assessed new technologies. These businesses were from all sectors of the industry. This booklet gives an outline of the scheme and shows how six very different farm businesses benefitted from using new ICT.
