Agriculture – Page 13

Kenya’s Mpesa to experience more disruptions

Safaricom in Kenya has warned users of its mobile phone money transfer service Mpesa that further disruptions to the service will occur as demand grows.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (image: file)

“We wish to advise our esteemed customers and agents that they are likely to experience some delays on the M-PESA service. Consequently, they should wait for a confirmation SMS before they can issue or receive cash,” said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

The festive season causes a peak in user activity and is one of the busiest times for the service, which will cause more technical problems to the transfer system that has had its fair share of outage this year.

“Mpesa has the biggest subscriber base among the four mobile phone service operators. Statistics by the firm show that by last month, Mpesa had 15 million customers and about 34,000 agent outlets countrywide with 800 organizations now accepting their bill payment via the service,” wrote the Nairobi Star.

Charlie Fripp – Acting online editor

December 26, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Extension Service, Farmer to Farmer, Food Security, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Reflections on mAg. Services: Partnerships Between MNOs and APs

Photo Credit: GSMA

NB: This is my personal analysis of contributions to question one from the forum. This post is the first in series of six, analyzing each of the six forum questions that were discussed.

Partnership, being one of the key criteria for selecting mFarmer Fund beneficiaries, the introductory question (below) for the forum was about partnership.

Question 1: In a partnership between a mobile network operator and agricultural partners, what unique value proposition does each partner bring, how can they leverage of each others’ strengths and what roles should each play in delivering a service to farmers?

Quick Summary of Contributions to the Question

With regard to the unique value propositions that each partner brings to the partnership, most of the contributions centered around the fact that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs):

Are providers of the mobile technology platform for the delivery of agricultural services
Have crucial role in ensuring access to the telecom network (adequate)
Have the responsibility for developing products that are affordable for farmers
Are responsible for addressing coverage issues
Need to ensure that they provide credible and dependable service
Have the responsibility of charging users and share the generated income with external Value Added Service providers
Are to be in charge of marketing and communicating the services to users (branding).

On the other hand, the Agricultural Partners (APs):

May be considered as content providers
Be able to clearly identify who the target farmers are and what their real information needs are
Must have rich experience of quality content for the farmers
Must have clear distinct experience and expertise in the areas of understanding farmers need
Shall have the ability to solve farmers’ problems and ultimately help them with inputs and services to implement the solutions
Must have the skills of connecting with farming communities
Be able to understand which format is best suited for the collection and delivery of information
Be able to collect, analyze, refine and disseminate (or make available) relevant agricultural information to the target audience
Be able to market available information services in the field, including through networks of extension workers
Shall ensure that the MNO fully understands that there is a real business behind Value Added Service (VAS) targeting farmers, even if the information service may take a longer time to take off
Be responsible for formatting of the content, reformatting, sometimes translating to be delivered and understood by the end user
Be responsible for quality assurance of the content – including sources, processes and final advice delivered
Are most likely in the best position to make sure that the mobile “channel” is used well to augment other info delivery channels.

Part B & C: How can the partners leverage of each others’ strengths and what roles should each play in delivering a service to farmers?

Contributions from the forum emphasized the importance of utilizing the existing infrastructure and assets including the mobile channels such as call center, SMS and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) infrastructure, short-code, and billing and revenue collection facilities. The partners can also utilize their respective brand strength and marketing expertise. For example MNOs have some of the strongest brands and trust with the users which can be powerful agents for marketing and driving awareness and the APs can also through their Agriculture VAS, help the brand and increase the market share of the mobile operator. Also pointed out was the possibility of MNOs to provide Agri VAS access via basic Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) menu service which could drastically decrease the barriers for the rural users to access the service and increase the usability. Potentially MNOs have the capacity to blend Agri VAS with mobile money solution and compliment advisory with agricultural financial services, such as loans and crop insurance.

Reflections on the Discussion

My take on this first question is that the understanding of the “AP” and “MNO” has not been made clear at the start of the discussion leading to all kinds of interpretations, assumptions and labeling. A first look at the question makes it simple and obvious but a critical analysis reveals how complex it is especially with the key terms – MNOs and APs.

In my first post at the forum, I did call for the definitions of these terms that seem obvious to the e-agriculture community. Fro example with the APs, are we talking of any group or organization involve in agricultural development services such as NGOs with agricultural service provision; community-based organizations involved in agriculture; farmer-based organizations; national agricultural units such as extension services, or research institutes?

A key argument that ran through the discussion and confirmed my argument was the call for a third party organization for the partnership. The issue of third party partners such as software developers, technology developers, new start-ups, research institutes, international organizations, etc. partnering with MNOs and APs to ensure the success of good mobile services for users came up. The case of IKSL was mentioned where other agencies and institutions which generate actual content – like Agricultural Universities and Research Institutes, International agencies like CABI, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Agmarknet for market information were involved in the partnership as third parties.

So a successful partnership for the mFarmer Fund may need more than MNO/AP partnership by reaching out to other institutions and organizations that have expertise in the Initiative’s Core Service. Alternatively, the APs and MNOs may be able to subcontract some of these services, but the positions of these different expertise need to be recognized.

The four points below could summarize the components of the partnership, whether two, three or more partners are involved:

Demand Articulations – partners that have skills and expertise of understanding the users (needs and potentials), understanding the content dynamics for users, etc. (e.g. NGO, CBO)
Network Formations – partners who are able to help connect other partners together and also connect users to product developers, ensure boundary spanning and information filtering (e.g. social media firms)
Process Management – partners that have the capacity to ensure infrastructure development, management and maintenance, generation of revenue for sustainability, quality assurance, formatting, etc. (e.g. MNOs, Software companies, IT firms, Universities, etc.)
Supply Activation – partners that have the skills to train and educate users on the products and services, who understand the language of the developers, able to communicate VAS, (e.g. extension services, NGOs, research institutes, etc.)

These are quotes from some of the experts at the forum:

“The Agricultural partner might not have an immediate capacity to do this in-house, as Agricultural Partner is usually an NGO or Ag. institution and not a VAS provider it its traditional sense.”

“For this, independent agronomists/ SMEs might be recruited if for example the agricultural partner has extensive experience on the ground but not so much access to the latest deep research around each individual crop/ animal.”

In otherwise, it has been acknowledged that partnership is necessary between AP (s) and MNO (s) but other views are that, the role of the MNOs, should be seen as roles being played by Internet Service Provider (ISP). That is providing the platform or network that could enable start-ups and VAS providers to utilize their services and innovations. VAS provision should remain independent of the MNOs.

Other Important Points and Questions Raised on this First Question!

The mobile channel is great for delivering certain types of information, but not all.
The profitability and success of the partnership is key
How would a model work that included two or more MNOs as the service delivery partners?
Sources of funding for the partnership – governments or on business models for profitability?
Would an MNO go into massive infrastructure investment just because of a partnership with AP for delivering agricultural services?
Where are the farmers in the partnership?

NB: The next in series is “Reflections on Mobile Ag. Services: Barriers to Scale“ and available on 12/26/2011.

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Agriculture Markets, Extension Service, Farmer to Farmer, Food Security, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Sustainable Agriculture

Reflections on Mobile Agriculture Services: Blog Series

Photo Credit: e-Agriculture

The mFarmer Initiative, a partnership between GSMA, USAID and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in collaboration with e-Agriculture, initiated an online discussion late November to early December 2011.

The 2-week forum which was organized around six main questions, touched on critical issues from partnerships, barriers to scale, business cases/models, content, and mistakes committed by service providers in delivering these services.

As one of the participants in this forum, I have decided to reflect on the discussion which falls within my professional interest of using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the living conditions of rural people in the developing nations, most of which are farmers by enhancing their access to resources.

There are six reflections in the series that are available through this portal for readers. Below is the list of titles, links, and dates of the posts:

1: Reflections on mAg Services: Partnerships Between MNOs and APs (Available on 12/22/2011)

2: Reflections on mAg. Services: Barriers to Scale (Available on 12/26/2011)

3: Reflections on mAg Services: Is there a Business Case for Serving Farmers? (Available on 12/29/2011)

4: Reflections on mAg Services: Financial Sustainability (Available on 12/31/2011)

5: Reflections on mAg Services: Content Sourcing, Quality Assurance & Dissemination (Available on 01/03/2012)

6: Reflections on mAg Services: Mistakes and Pitfalls of MNOs/NGOs (Available on 01/05/2012)

NB: These posts are summaries of the discussion and my personal reflections on some of the key points, and do not reflect the views of any of the sponsors, experts or contributors to the forum.

I hope we can continue the discussion.

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Public Health Informatics Certificate Training Program

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Public Health Informatics Certificate Training Program
Tuition Subsidies Available*

Application Deadline March 15, 2012

Public Health Workers in the Community Encouraged to Apply

Targeting public health professionals, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Nursing and the Public Health Data Standards Consortium (PHDSC), is pleased to announce that the Public Health Informatics Training Program is accepting applications. This program results in a Maryland State-approved Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Public Health Informatics.

The goal of the program is to offer training in methods and concepts of health informatics and health information technology for application to public health. It is designed for current and future public health professionals who wish to develop expertise or specialization in this area. Courses for this program are available completely online. Individuals residing in the Mid-Atlantic region may also take selected courses on site.

The training program focuses on the following core informatics topics:

Overview of public health and biomedical informatics
Health information systems design and development
Health information technology standards and systems interoperability
Systems evaluation in health sciences informatics
Population health informatics

Electives are available in: Knowledge Engineering and Decision Support; GIS; Real-Time Surveillance; and “eHealth and mHealth.” The program culminates with a practicum, working on an approved public health informatics project.

Tuition Funding

Qualified applicants are eligible for a $10,000 tuition subsidy via a grant from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), US Department of Health and Human Services. This subsidy is available on a competitive basis and with receipt of the award, the total tuition and fees that the student or employer will be required to pay to complete the certificate requirements is approximately $9,200. The ONC sponsored scholarship program is especially interested in applicants currently working within US public health agencies who wish to re-tool to specialize in public health informatics.

* Only US citizens or verified permanent residents are eligible for the ONC tuition subsidy. Those awarded the subsidy must complete all certificate requirements within 12 months. Priority for the tuition subsidy will be given to professionals currently employed in the public health field within the US or those intending to enter the domestic public health field. The tuition subsidy is not intended for those already working on a full time basis in the public health informatics field. All tuition subsidy awards are subject to ONC approval.

Applicants not eligible for the ONC funding can expect to pay approximately $19,200 to complete the certificate program and are permitted up to 24 months
to complete the certificate courses.

Certificate Application Eligibility

The certificate in Public Health Informatics is open to both current degree candidates at the Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as those with no School affiliation working in the field of public health who are seeking to move into the informatics field. Credits earned in the certificate program may be applied towards other Johns Hopkins degree programs – such as the MPH or informatics MS – if accepted into a program at a later date.

Eligibility requirement for the certificate include either: 1) an earned graduate degree in public health; or 2) current enrollment in graduate public health degree program; or 3) a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 3 years of direct public health experience.

The next cycle of training will commence in late August of 2012. The application deadline for entry into this cohort is March 15, 2012.

More information about the Public Health Informatics Certificate Training Program, including application forms and detailed instructions, can be found at:
http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/hpm/certificates/informatics

If, after carefully reviewing the program web site, you have further questions, please contact Ms. Pamela Davis, the program coordinator at pdavis@jhsph.edu or 410-614-1580.

As part of the Johns Hopkins University-wide health informatics training, two other programs (also with subsidies funded by the ONC) are available for medical, nursing, information technology, software engineers, and clinical management professionals without public health experience. These other programs are hosted at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and School of Nursing. Information on these other programs for professionals without public health experience can be found at: http://www.jhu.edu/healthIT

Order:

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Inaugural meeting of the Technology Standards & Interoperability Working Group

The inaugural meeting of the mHealth Alliance’s Technology Standards & Interoperability Working Group was held on December 20th, 2011. There were 11 attendees representing varied groups including: donors, academics, implementers, clinicians and technology providers. A zip file is attached to this blog; it contains an audio recording of the meeting (with the chair’s thanks to Ricardo Leitao of Andago).

The (draft) mission of this new working group is to: Achieve alignment on and adoption of standards which support greater interoperability amongst mHealth deployments to ensure improved continuity of care, technology re-use, and cost effectiveness. The mHealth Alliance’s two key strategic focus areas for 2012 are: Evidence and Interoperability.This working group is intended to give effect to the latter.

There was helpful and insightful discussion regarding the ways both a “top down” and a “bottom up” approach can usefully inform the group’s activities — with examples given of each. As a “homework assignment”, group members will digest and comment on the two work items that are already posted to HUB, and will begin posting other artefacts (requirements docs, architecture diagrams, etc.) that provide informative examples from initiatives in the field. We will also start to catalogue a list of projects (especially open source examples, please) that illustrate “going to scale” with m/eHealth technologies in low resource settings.

I wish to thank the attendees for their active and helpful participation. I also hope that the audio recording will help others who were unable to make the scheduled time-slot to “join” and would welcome any and all comments (please post to this blog) they might like to add.

Our next meeting will be scheduled early in the new year. Between now and then, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and all the best in 2012!

-Derek Ritz

Initiative:

mHealth Systems Integration

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Environment, Environmental Compliance, Natural Resources Management, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

5 Areas to Watch for ICTs, Environment & Climate Change in 2012!

The Sustainability Director of Ericsson, Matilda Gennevi Gustafsson stated at the just ended United Nations COP17 Climate Change Conference that “In order to meet the needs of the 9 billion people estimated to populate the world by 2050, there must be a shift from incremental to transformative solutions to solve climate change. The opportunity for the transformational power of ICT to put us on the path of a low-carbon economy and spur socio-economic development has never been greater.”

So as we enter 2012, we expect the rise of ICT applications and solutions with the potential to mitigate the impact of the global climate change on our environment. Below are 5 selected areas with specific examples to watch for transformative solutions as the year progresses:

Photo Credit: Travel Outback

1. ICTs for Weather Information

While farming remains a predominant occupation for the rural people across the developing world, the increasing effects of climate change is being felt in almost all areas of their farming activities. From shorter and unpredictable rainfalls patterns to increasing flooding, poor quality and quantity of forage for livestock the general changes in temperature. As a result, concerns and questions among farmers and to scientists about these unpredictable weather patterns in recent years continue to rise. The focus for the scientists now is to try and quickly response to these concerns from the farmers and ICT applications and solutions are expected to rise in this area as well.

a) Weather Information for Africa

This is an initiative by Ericsson which addresses the lack of quality weather forecasts in Africa. It assists national meteorological services to design customized forecasts and promotes the use of cellphones to distribute the information. Local weather information such as storm warnings not only enables disaster, but can also improve economic opportunities for the millions of people working in industries such as fisheries, agriculture and small business development. The initiative is already showing positive benefits which can be of use for the 3.5 million people living alongside Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.

b) Using SMS to Fast-Track Responses to Farmers’ Climate Change Questions in Zambia

Example is seen in Zambia where climate change questions can now receive quick answers via SMS from a new feedback SMS system developed by the country’s National Agricultural Information Services (NAIS) together with, a local software developer, SMSize and International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD).

c) Using ICTs to Minimize Weather Hazards on Farmers

Also in Ghana, Ignitia is presenting a hands-on opportunity, where it can deliver daily weather forecasts and warnings to initially 90,000 farmers. The farmer gets a daily forecast in his/her mobile phone by an automatically generated text message, tailored to the farmer’s specific location by GPS coordinates.

Photo Credit: Eon

2. ICTs to Facilitate Connectivity and Commute

a) Virtual Meetings

In a not too distant future there may not be any travel agencies, only meeting agencies (where the default suggestion is a virtual meeting, and a physical meeting is booked only if necessary), the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). The statement continues that virtual meetings may have started as a smarter way to do conferences, and this shift alone has resulted in significant reductions of GHG emissions, but virtual meetings could also help accelerate sustainable production around the world by increasing transparency.

b) Teleworking

Teleworking, according to the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) is the possibility of working wherever is best and avoiding travel when you can get access to documents and information without it. It allows people to get things done in a much smarter way which not only saves time, money, and energy directly, but also promotes investments in an infrastructure that is very resource efficient. Much of today’s information and material can be stored in the “cloud” to allow access from any mobile device. Today there is no need to keep investing in an infrastructure based on the assumption that every person must move from the home to a physical office every day.

c) Connectivity

Through the work of Ericsson, the daily commute for residents of Curitiba (southern Brazil) is now easy and efficient. The new HSPA-based public transport system is enabling the 3.2 million citizens of Curitiba to use an electronic ticketing and fleet management system to reduce their congested transportation system. The city’s bus fleet is connected through a high-speed mobile broadband network that provides up-to-the-second information on a range of services. The fleet management system provides up-to-date information on bus services and timetables, directly to their mobile device.

Photo Credit: Euogo.com

3. Using Solar Chargers

The Social Energy Marketplace

At a recently ended Web 2.0 Summit held in San Francisco California, a Berlin-based startup called Changers announced the release of a portable solar charging system that aims to reduce global warming by shifting society to the use of a currency backed by the sun. The Changers Solar System gives the user a way to harness the sun’s energy, liberates the user from the grid, recharges all kinds of devices, helps the user to socialize his/her energy production, and enables him/her to compete with others to earn Changers Credits that can be spent in the Changers Marketplace. The Changers Kalhuohfummi is a simple, one-button device that communicates with Changers.com. Inside is advanced intelligence that accurately measures how much energy it captures and stores in the built-in battery, ready to charge any smartphone or tablet. The Changers Kalhuohfummi solar battery is powered by the Changers Maroshi flexible solar module, which generates up to four Watts per hour — enough to charge the Kalhuohfummi battery in four hours. The Changers Maroshi solar panel, which is produced in Colorado, USA, can be attached to any window or sunny surface.

Photo Credit: EventCamp

4. App Challenges for Climate Change

Crowdsourcing has come to stay and the innovative use of this approach to generate knowledge will rise in the years to come. We expect to see more calls and challenges in 2012 giving opportunities to techies and those interested in applying these technologies for sustainable environment to work on apps that will have impact. An on-going challenge is Poliwiki.

Poliwiki – Crowd Sourcing APP to Combat Climate Change

Poliwiki, the first digital channel of its kind in the world, aims at assessing climate change related legislation. It is a timely and effective on-line platform to help policy makers and innovators combat climate change in a smart and transparent way, says James Lovegrove Managing Director of TechAmerica Europe. The Poliwiki will be expanded to include more countries and data in an active campaign during 2012 and 2013 by the ICT For Energy Efficiency Forum (www.ict4ee.eu) – an industry initiative in Europe that is mobilizing ICT to facilitate the transition to an energy-efficient, low-carbon economy.

Photo Credit: iPhone Developer Labs

5. New and Emerging Apps to Follow

We have seen a number of challenges already in this area of ICTs and Climate Change such as the APPS4AFRICA. The results of the West Africa APPS4AFRICA below may be an inspiration for others as they launch into 2012. These and others that will be released in 2012 will be worth following:

a) 1st prize – HospitalManager

HospitalManager is a web-based application that helps hospitals and health organizations prepare for disasters such as floods and storms. More frequent heat spells, rains, and floods are leading to heath emergencies, both due to the event itself, and later to water related disease. HospitalManager will help hospitals in Nigeria, and potentially throughout Africa, identify patterns in patient visits following rains and floods, so that staff can better prepare for these situations and save more lives. Hospitals can anticipate incoming disease and emergency patterns using real time climate forecasts. On longer time scales it will allow policy makers to plan locations of new hospitals.

b) 2nd prize – Eco-fund Forum

Eco-fund Forum is a web-based community organizer and geo-localized data exchange tool to help individuals and communities working on sustainable resource management throughout Africa to share their own experiences on best practices. Thus they will better understand and respond to the climate change challenges impacting each specific local context. For example, coastal communities in Senegal that suffer from erosion can learn from neighbors that are successfully and durably overcoming the same problem by regenerating and preserving a littoral forest. Furthermore, the Forum will give those communities a voice which should alert political decision makers to address climate change challenges in time.

c) 3rd prize – Farmerline

Farmerline is a mobile and web-based system that furnishes farmers and investors with relevant agricultural information to improve productivity and increase income. Lack of information about weather patterns and about which crops grow best in a changing climate hurts rural farmers’ yields. Cell phone use is growing rapidly throughout Ghana, including in rural areas. This mobile tool can help farmers in Ghana to get information about agricultural best practices down to the farm level, including choosing crops best suited for their specific location, and how to prepare for changes in weather patterns (including dry spells, changes in seasonal onset, and extreme events).

d) iPhone App for Ecosystems Approach

Finally, you may want to follow this app that was launched by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) at the Eye on Earth summit in Abu Dhabi that takes a different approach to the climate change issue. The UNEP app draws attention to the critical role played by ecosystems such as salt marshes, mangroves, tropical forests and seagrasses in tackling climate change. Users of the app can calculate their personal carbon footprint for journeys taken by air, train or road. They will then be shown the equivalent area of a particular ecosystem (such as a tropical forest) that can store this amount of carbon dioxide. The free iPhone app is already available online in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish and can be downloaded from the Apple Store

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Education, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

ICT in Education 2011: The quest to find true cost of edutech projects

Policy-makers, development specialists, and educators around the world generally agree that information and communications technology (ICT) can greatly enhance learning and more efficiently and effectively deliver educational services. In 2011, technology-based education (“edutech” or “ICT4E”) experts talked a lot (and debated a lot) about how to successfully implement ICT initiatives for education in developing countries.

Cost of implementation continued to be a top issue of concern, but the debate shifted from being solely focused on the cost of gadgets (“hardware”) to taking into account the total cost of implementing ICT education solutions. This includes teacher and student training, support and maintenance, and the cost of replacing the hardware. Many in the ICT4E field have opposed the fascination with developing the cheapest educational device possible, a mentality that grew in the late 2000s with projects such as One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). Now-a-days, ICT4E’ers argue that what is needed is not to try and reach the unfeasible goal of getting a laptop into every primary school child’s hands, but for each classroom to be equipped with a “learning system,” such as a teacher-centric computer connected to low-power projector.

Photo credit: www.techmean.com

While acknowledging that hardware is not the main cost in implementing edutech projects, it’s still interesting to see how low the costs of education gadgets can get. The ICT4E sector saw several new low-cost gadgets unveiled this year.

The education gadget that has perhaps received the most press this year is India’s Aakash, launched in October and developed by the company Datawind and the Indian Institute of Technology. DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli recently gave a talk about the device at the World Bank, discussing its functionality, cost (subsidized at $35, unsubsidized around $60), and how it fits into broader sustainable business models of ICT adoption in the developing world. Many are critical of the Aakash; similar low-cost devices had been promised for India before and failed, and some questioned whether the tablet could really be considered “educational.”

Though Literacy Bridge piloted its $10 Talking Book in 2009 in Ghana, the non-profit has expanded the reach of the audio device as well as contributed to ICT in education strategies throughout 2011. The organization claims their device is “the world’s most affordable, durable, audio device” designed to reach people who are not literate and live without electricity. The gadget enables teachers to reach more students; for instance, they can record readings of instructional materials onto the device and create interactive audio lessons like quizzes or games.

Literacy Bridge's "Talking Book"

Next year holds some exciting potential for ICT4E developments. Something to look out for soon (originally set to launch this month by a UK charity) is the Raspberry Pi, a tiny and incredibly cheap ($25!) computer that will be used for teaching computer programming to children. The Raspberry Pi Foundation plans for the credit-card sized device, which can be plugged into a TV, to have a number of applications that can be used both the developed and developing world.

Geeks Without Frontiers announced in August that it has developed a low-cost, open source Wi-Fi software technology that could reach a billion people in 10 years. The technology is estimated to be about half of the traditional network cost once it is up and running. Though it is not specifically designed for educational purposes, it could have huge implications for the ICT4E field, allowing many more students and teachers in low-income areas to connect to the Internet.

2011 also brought good analyses of all the low-cost gadgets that have been developed for educational purposes. One article looked at the best devices for education currently available, based on six success criteria for ICT4E projects in developing countries as determined by researchers and practitioners in the field: infrastructure, maintenance, contents and materials, community inclusion, teacher training, and evaluation.

The credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer

No doubt the debates about the best way to implement ICT4E projects will continue in 2012, as will the search to find the lowest-cost educational gadgets. The field holds some exciting developments for the new year, so be sure to follow the Educational Technology Debate, ICT Works, the World Bank EduTech blog, and GBI’s education sector, among others, to keep up with the latest updates.

December 22, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Agriculture Markets, Farmer to Farmer, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

FIVE Most Fascinating Ag Apps of 2011!

A wide range of ICT tools were developed and deployed along the agriculture value chain this year. Having reviewed a number of them, here is a list of what I consider the five most fascinating ag apps of 2011.

Note: This is entirely subjective and excludes those that predates 2011 but were either rebranded, boosted by research or additional usage this year. The order is intended.

iPhone screen shot of the iCow app

1. iCow
I gave this app props long before Forbes Magazine dubbed it “The best African Mobile App”. This Green Dreams Ltd creation topped the Apps4Africa Contest, but unlike many other prize-winning apps, the iCow became a worldwide sensation. The voice-based mobile information app for diary farmers is leaps and bounds above most others because of its earthy nature and its catchy name—branding is certainly one of its strongest cards. It will be delightful to know the uptake since it was first piloted.

2. RITS Apps
This suite of traceability and efficiency tools, developed by Exprima Media and Sustainable Harvest, is fascinating on many levels. It uses the most rugged platform, the iPad, to get the big benefits of computing (automation, info sharing) in the hands of farmers. The simplicity of the user interface also enhance usability by those with limited computer literacy, thereby reducing the need for heavy investment of scare resources (money and time) in training. 2012 should be a great year for this suite of apps, as it moves out of the piloting phase and we are able to take stock of the findings. At the very least, it is the most anthropologically astute ag app on the market today.

3. mFisheries
This innovative suite of mobile apps was developed by Dr. Kim Mallalieu and a team at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. It is fascinating for two primary reasons: 1) It tackles challenges in the fisheries sector, which is often neglected by developers, by providing access to fish and fish processing best practices, connecting suppliers and consumers. 2) Despite the challenges in building a vibrant developer community and culture in the tiny region, this app confronts the particular needs of the Caribbean fishing industry in a truly innovative way—utilizing location-positioning functions in mobiles for search and rescue purposes. That will certainly come in handy in the hurricane season when many fisher folks experience difficulties at sea.

4. Africa Commodities and Futures Exchange (ACFEX)
Though still in the implementation phase, ACFEX makes the list of the five most fascinating ICT tools for agriculture in 2011 because it is the first truly pan-Africa commodities FX—though I have seen several others, none is quite like this. It tackles the multicurrency and cross-border constraints using some of the most advanced technologies available, while keeping the small farmer at its core. Eight countries have signed on so far, 2012 should test the mettle of this private sector initiative as more states come on board.

5. CellBazaar

Credit: CellBazaar

This glitzy app, developed by an international nonprofit think-tank called Think, tackles a familiar problem—marketing. So it isn’t innovative in that sense. However, it is fascinating because of the branding and the rapid uptake. Few apps, though they are rapidly churned out, in the ag space have been properly branded and marketed—even the essentials of life must be touted for people to rapidly adhere to, use and preserve them! Even the name of CellBazaar tells you precisely what it is. The tagline tops it off with “the market in your mobile phone.” Evidence of the effectiveness of touting it as a virtual marketplace for GrameenPhone’s 20 million mobile subscribers is evident from the one million up-take noted soon after its launch—and a quarter of those subscribers still regularly use it. 2012 should bring more success for this app as it expands beyond Bangladesh and into parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

December 20, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Agriculture Markets, Extension Service, Food Security, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

The Debate over Intermediaries in Ag. Value Chain: E-TIC Project

Photo Credit: CartoonStock.com.

For decades, the role of intermediaries between farmers and other stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, donors, etc.) has been key in the exchange of agricultural information, knowledge, innovation and other resources. The traditional intermediary role has been played over the years by the various national agricultural extension services but due to the challenges with this system, there is an emergent of the private sector intermediaries. However, with the advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their potential technological intermediary role, the role of “human” intermediaries is being questioned time after time.

While one school of thought thinks “technology”, specifically ICT will eventually eliminate and replace “human” intermediaries or the middlemen within the agricultural value chain, another school of thought believes that the “human factor” in extension cannot be eliminated. As a socio-technical researcher, I find myself between these two schools of thought. Even though, I have a stand in this debate (see bkaddom’s comments here), the recent selection of E-TIC project by the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) as a success story during its 2010-2011 stocktaking gives me the courage to write this reflection.

The E-TIC project is an initiative involving various players coordinated by ICVolunteers, a nonprofit organization and being implemented in Senegal and Mali (Sahel region), with the support of the Fonds Francophone des Inforoutes and a series of other partners.

An important component of the E-TIC project, however, is the role that intermediaries are playing in this multidisciplinary network as “field connectors” by providing links between small farmers and “new technologies.” The project uses local connectors (human intermediaries) such as governmental representatives; community leaders; volunteers deployed in the localities; universities and journalists are used to gather information/data; community radio for the dissemination of information; mobile phone operators; local authorities; and NGOs, all of whom cooperate in sharing information relevant to the project.

The E-TIC project then facilitates the functions of these connectors by providing them with tools (technological intermediaries) and training components so that small farmers, herders and fishermen are better able to sell their products. Among these tools is the E-TIC website, to be translated into multiple languages – French, English, Wolof, Fulani and Bambara, as well as a number of other work and exchange tools (wiki, distribution list, etc.) for communication between project stakeholders. The Internet platform aims to provide information regarding agricultural activities, including production, marketing and promotion techniques, market prices and other useful data, both for the farmers themselves and other stakeholders, including researchers in this domain. Through the creation of this portal and a series of training courses for field connectors (youth, women, community radio journalists), the E-TIC project aims to provide knowledge relevant for efficient and effective farm management.

The architecture of the E-TIC project system shows a differentiation of intermediaries whose roles are being enabled by the new technologies and tools. Instead of seeing the intermediaries as a threat to exchange of resources – information, knowledge, innovation and even physical agricultural inputs, the project recognized as tools for strengthening the delivery of these resources.

I believe that the ‘human factor’ in the exchange of information between the smallholder farmer and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector is something that cannot be replaced. ICTs are technologies that could be used to improve social processes such as extension services. It is up to the stakeholders to identify what catalyzing role the ICTs can play in facilitating the social role of these intermediaries. The type of ICTs and the degree of use at the various stages of the value chain, may depend on a number of factors including the type of content being delivered, the size of the target audience, the educational status of the users, among others.

And I quote “ICTs have an important role to play for the populations in Senegal and Mali, but the specific applications need to be adapted to local needs and means, for example, low literacy and local languages. Given the relatively low literacy rate in most cases and a strong oral tradition with the use of local languages, the most common means of communication remains direct conversation (whether through farmers, herders, etc. meeting each other or speaking with each other by mobile phone) and community radio stations” (WSIS Success Stories 2011).

December 19, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Health, Health, Maternal & Child Health, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Don’t Miss Raj Shah on 20/20 Tonight!

BY: Raj Shah, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator

This Post originally appeared on ABCNews.

Raj Shah holds up his hads, with the words 1 million moms written on his palms Ensuring the safety of a mother and her newborn is not only one of the greatest development challenges we face, it is also one of the most heartbreaking.

Earlier this year, I visited South Sudan, where I met school children studying in a classroom—some of them for the very first time. Although I was optimistic about their future, I was also concerned, because I knew that for every girl I met, she was statistically more likely to die in childbirth than complete a secondary education.

This reality is simply unacceptable.

There is an incredible need to ensure the safety of mothers and infants in the critical period of 48 hours surrounding birth. To help spur progress in maternal and child health, we launched our first Grand Challenge for Development – Saving Lives at Birth – in partnership with the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and The World Bank.

Saving Lives at Birth calls for groundbreaking prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in rural settings during this perilous time around childbirth. We received more than 600 proposals to our Grand Challenge, more than a quarter of which arrived from the developing world. Last week we announced our three transition-to-scale grant nominees. These nominees have proven that their ideas can deliver real results in local communities and are ready to test them on a much larger scale. While we expect our first round of grants to yield exciting innovations with the potential for significant change, we will encourage our community of innovators to push boundaries and find new ways to shape collective action.

Similarly, the Million Moms Challenge is inspiring American families to help mothers and children around the world. I am proud to accept this Challenge and will continue my commitment to this important cause.

I hope you will too.

December 16, 2011/by actualize