Access to scalable information and communication technology is increasingly cited as being crucial to increased agricultural productivity and food security in rural communities. The global community e-agriculture works to unite people from all over the world that support this principle, and have recently compiled a list of the Top 10 interests of the e-agriculture community in 2011.

The following list was taken from e-agriculture.org and is based on activity levels during the year.

1) Impact of ICT4ag projects: The Community recognizes that "ICT will only become an effective, mainstream tool for agricultural development if the proponents of ICT for development can provide more rigorous evidence, strategies, benchmarks, indicators, and promising practices that are directly relevant to the core poverty-reduction and development priorities of developing countries and their international partners." (Read more about Capturing Impact)

2) Agricultural Value Chains: The critical role and potential of ICTs in agricultural value chains continues to be important to the Community. With different types of ICT having different strengths and weaknesses when applied to particular interventions, the impacts of ICT are diverse and markets are influenced in different ways. People and institutions are as recognized as the essential elements in this system. (Read more about Agricultural Value Chains)

3) Mobile technology: Some have called 2011 the "year of the mobile". As an affordable and accessible means of communication, rural communities and development workers are realizing the potential of mobile telephony to create economic opportunities and strengthen social networks. The Community continues to seek and share new applications of this technology and to monitor its limitations. (Read more about Mobile Telephony)

4) Improving access to ARD: The potential of ICT to make information from agricultural research and development more available, accessible and applicable is growing in recognition. To further understanding and successes in this area, the Community joined with the CIARD community to explore the issue in detail this year. (Read more on access to ARD)

5) Youth, agriculture and ICT: An agriculture sector able to meet the world’s needs without depleting its resources will only become a reality if young professionals are actively engaged in shaping the sector’s future. ICTs are a vehicle through which young people are attracted to and can find a place within the agricultural sector. The Community made a special effort this year to reach out to its younger members as well as raise awareness through YPARD. (Read more about Youth, agriculture and ICTs)

6) Gender and ICT: If gender is missing from rural and agricultural ICT initiatives, then an opportunity to improve the socio-economic conditions of women, who are the largest and most active component of many agricultural populations is missed. The Community realizes that ICTs have the potential to benefit women in agricultural production and to challenge existing gender imbalances in rural livelihoods only if there is sufficient understanding of women’s status and gender roles and responsibilities in society. (Read more about Gender and ICTs)

7) Water and ICT: As the population increases and development calls for increased allocations of water for agriculture and other uses, the pressure on water resources intensifies. ICTs provide wide ranging opportunities for the management of water as a resource, and for the management of information about water. As with other subject, ICTs are being used to manage critical information resources about water, making these readily available, and accessible. (Read more about water and ICTs)

8 ) Knowledge Base: The Knowledge Base is home to valuable resources related to ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development. These resources are submitted by Community members covering experiences and outcomes through case studies and reports, ICT statistics, examples of government e-agriculture programmes and policies, and other relevant information. We invite you to submit materials relating to e-agriculture.

9) Members: As with any network, getting to know more about fellow members and expanding professional networks is an important activity. The Community’s Member Profiles were very popular.

10) Sourcebook: With the launch of the "ICT in Agriculture" Sourcebook, a multi-author resource on the use of ICT in the field, the World Bank established one of the preeminent resources in the Community’s area of interest. Becoming available near the end of the year, it just made the top10 list. No doubt with more discussions on the Sourcebook planned in 2012, it will remain high on the agenda of the Community. (Read more about the Sourcebook)