'VENOM', a sophisticated app to empower farmers and increase yield productivity

VENOM is a geographic information system (GIS) application capable of mapping the country's poultry industry into a real-time map.

This mapping ability would enable the ministry and relevant agencies to have easier accessibility to different vital and visual information about farms.

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the application would allow the ministry and agencies to analyse supply patterns and make predictions about potential problems.

"Out there, numerous agriculture-specific applications are now emerging and showing great promise for farmers, especially smallholders.

"One of our goals is to empower farmers, especially small farmers, with information and communication assets and services that will increase their productivity and incomes as well as protect their livelihood and the country's food security," he said before officiating the biennial Livestock Asia 2015 Expo and Forum in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.

He also added that despite the long available biophysical and yield-enhancing technologies to farmers, ICT would equip the farmers with knowledge and information to fully utilize the technologies to tackle any productivity challenges that they might face.

“They (farmers) may have the best breed, feed, seed or fertilizer but they might not know the optimal amount and timing to apply.

“ICT can fill this gap in knowledge. GPS, mobile phones, digital soil maps, real time animal health tracking and other ICTs give farmers information to use biophysical technologies appropriately.