Telesis "...an ancient Greek word signifying the achievement of a steady progress towards an objective through careful planning & the intelligent use of resources"
Our practical experience ranges from services for modern intensive commercial systems and medium to high income operators to assistance to subsistence agricultural sectors and low income communities characterised by abject poverty...
Agriculture
The Agricultural Development Foundation is a division of SEEL concerned with agricultural economics, systems and rural development. ADF activities started as a private consultancy practice whose foundation in 1970 predated SEEL by some 13 years. We have accordingly a continuous applications experience in this area of over 35 years.
The ADF helps set up advocacy and participatory groups in rural regions (see Participation) poverty impact assessment (see Poverty section or a poverty impact simulation CESS). We collaborate closely with the Constitutional Economics Unit in finding application for ways and means to apply knowledge and analytical technique of formely largely igonored aspects of poverty linked to discrimination and which is particularly important for many rural areas of the world.
At an information systems level ADF has assists in the development of traceability systems, tracking and commodity trading systems. We designed and implementetd systems for operational trading, traceability and agricultural planning systems (Agricomex, Agrotrade, Agrotraceability and Agronet) and some of these systems have been adopted by Intercommex (The International Commodity Exchange).
Agricultural extension & farm planning
We recently (2007) completed an evaluation of an online agricultural extension system, Afa-Agronet which has been running for 5 years (2001-2007). This system was designed for farmers who do not have advanced training and it provides simulations and full farm planning services based upon linear programming. It has some 80 specialised agricultural and technical "calculators" to assist farmers in their calculations and decisions. The ADF is reviewing the possibility of extending this system with bioclimatic "adjustment models" tied into locational-state models (see under Research) to build a global online service able to support different production systems. An interesting aspect of this system is that some teaching establishments were using it as a reference and teaching aid. Some of the required logic adjustments for such a system are being reviewed in collaboration with the George Boole Institution as part of their 2007-2008 International Workshop on Food, Fibre & Feedstocks.
Good agricultural practice systems
The ADF develops automation tools and specialised calculators including technical (agronomy & animal husbandry, ecology & environmental impact), economic and financial for appraising and managing agricultural investment projects and farms. These are applied in assessing farm technology and technique to assess levels of practice with respect to product quality, contaminant control, level of organic operations, ecological and environmental sustainability and humane animal production methods. ADF is developing self-assessment systems for farmers. To address those circumstances where farmers do not have computers or even telecommunications the ADF has developed systems which are managed by packing companies or extension services. These systems facilitate rapid and accurate data input to online systems.
Food chain traceability
Food safety is of vital importance. Traceability systems can help monitor the state of food from the field to the plate.
ADF has maintained an active applied R&D activity in food chain traceability and have developed a coding system (STG) for food chain traceability (STG - Seel-Telesis®-Global). In 2007 SEEL began to build an information and knowledge standards model incorporating locational-state parameters with a view to applying this through a Plasma database.
Open access traceability reports - OATR
To support downstream sections of the food chain, including consumers, the ADF has helped implement two free open access food chain traceability report facilities. These provide free real time traceability reports and traceability maps based on the input of an STG ID code on any food item, on an outer casing or on accompanying documentation. There are currently two open access food report or OATR facilities. One serves the European Union and the other North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States).
Agricultural project management
ADF has developed project management systems to help decentralise project management applications whilst providing real time overviews of all aspects of project progress on each specific project no matter where their location. These systems are therefore a useful vehicle for managing "real time audit" by funding organizations. Evaluations and audits completed by the ADF have shown that the normal audit cycles which come sometimes several years after a project's completion it too late to effectively bring about either corrective actions or even useful lessons. This is because the people involved in the project implementation and management are no longer involved. As a result the benefits of "lessons learned" are reduced because newcomers have some difficulty in understanding how the implications might relate to specific and sometimes quite complex projects with which they are not directly involved. The most that can be drawn from such systems are general principles for better practice.
Ongoing reviews of managed projects under a real time audit regime provide a more effective real time monitoring and guidance and therefore learning across a broad front of project related activities. The "learning curve" towards better practice is more productive in terms of reduction in waste, sustaining momentum in achieving project objectives, the acquisition of useful knowledge and improving overall project management.
EcoTraceability
We are concluding a review and assessment of EcoTraceability, a complex online system based on the pioneering "McNeill-Serra Model" developed in the 1970s on integrated river basin management. This system uses distinct ecological systems as building blocks for "environmentalscapes" linked by water and air meshes. It provides a direct link between ecological impacts and the sources of impact. We are currently assessing the next stage of development.
ADF has maintained an active applied R&D activity in food chain traceability and have developed a coding system (STG) for food chain traceability (STG - Seel-Telesis®-Global). In 2007 SEEL began to build an information and knowledge standards model incorporating locational-state parameters with a view to applying this through a 
The "learning curve" towards better practice is more productive in terms of reduction in waste, sustaining momentum in achieving project objectives, the acquisition of useful knowledge and improving overall project management.