Farmers collaborate online to face rural uncertainty

The blue tongue disease outbreak in the UK has been relatively dormant over the winter months when midges are not active, but it hasn’t gone away by any means. The good news though, is that an effective vaccine has been developed and made available, and the massive task of widespread vaccination starts today in Norfolk, one week ahead of the Netherlands.

In Kent the farmers are not waiting for the government vets to take the initiative, they have an online network called RAMSAK which is putting together teams of people who will be able to carry out the vaccinations to cattle and sheep across Kent and Sussex for and size of flock or herd.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=40989

Spokesman Chris Smith, said: “The disease requires control due to the fact that the sheep in the area could suffer from 40 per cent death rate and cattle a similar level, so all require vaccination as soon as it becomes available.”

RAMSAK is an example of a rural community using technology to improve collaborative enterprises in the face of an uncertain future, which is a theme that repeats all over the world in diverse circumstances. The blurb on their website explains it thus:

http://www.ramsak.co.uk/

Although farmers have always been good neighbours to one another, the idea of a co-operative to help farmers share resources has only emerged more recently. This is in some part due to better communications, but the ‘ring’ movement in the UK was driven by a feeling of the uncertainties that lay in the future of agriculture.

Related posts:

1. Swine Flu Vaccination Plan
2. UK Online Communities