This document discusses the potential for mobile-based agricultural services in developing countries. It notes that currently only 40% of farmers access agricultural information. Common sources of information include other farmers, input dealers, radio, TV, and newspapers. The document outlines how ICTs and mobile phones can improve access to market and production information for smallholder farmers. It provides examples of several existing mobile-based agricultural initiatives in countries like India, Indonesia, and Kenya that provide services like market prices, weather forecasts, and farm advisories to subscribers via voice, SMS, and apps. The document argues that voice-based services are most accessible for low-literacy farmers and that such initiatives need sustainable business models to continue post initial funding.

1. Mobile Based Agro-Services – a
Business Perspective
N T Yaduraju
ICRISAT

3. Only 40% of farmer access information about agricultural techniques ,
inputs and market information (India NSS, 2005).
Sources of Agricultural Information
• Progressive Farmers - 16.7%
• Input Dealers - 13.1%
• Radio - 13.0%
• Television - 9.3%
• Newspaper - 7.0%
• Extension Worker - 5.7%
Source: NSS, June, 2005 GoI

4.  ICTs play a key role in improving the availability of
agricultural production and market information in
developing countries.
 ICT-based market information and farm advisory systems
have a proven track record for improving rural livelihoods in
developing countries where they have been introduced.
 While Internet-based market information and farm advisory
systems work well in more developed, literate markets,
other media such as mobile phones or community radio,
could be appropriate alternatives in developing and least
developed countries.

5. Touch Screen Computer-based Smartphone-based Radio-based
Kiosks Information Systems Applications (GPRS & Broadcasts
CDMA)
Voice-based Mobile
Solution & Tablets-based
SMS-based Mobile Information Community Video
Interactive Voice Messaging Systems
Response Systems Systems Programs

6. Mobile is the way !!

7. Mobile telephony is a transformational
technology
- Prof. M S Swaminathan
• Last mile connectivity
• Reaching the unreached
• Affordable
• Bridging digital divide
• Empowerment
• Social inclusion

11. Density of mobiles (2011)
Country Number % of population
World > 5.6 b 80
China 976 m 71
India 894 m 74
USA 328 104
Indonesia 250 105
Brazil 242 126
Nigeria 90 65
Philippines 86 92
Bangladesh 84 49

12. Mobile Based Agribusiness
Initiatives

14. Initiatives Market Farm Advisory Weather
Information Forecasts
Nokia Life Tools √ √ √
Reuters Market Light √ √ √
IFFCO Kisan Sanchar √ √ √
Limited
e-Choupal √ √ √
ESOKO √ √ √
CKW Program √
Agropedia √
SAPA Mobile √
m-Krishi √

15. • Up-to-date agricultural information on agriculture, education
& entertainment directly to a consumer’s Nokia phone
• Rolled out commercially in India & Indonesia in 2009
• Services are subscription oriented
• SMS-based service sends basic text messages on an icon-
driven interface
• Relevant information received almost daily in local language
(Hindi)
• Available across 18 states, in 11 regional languages
• Claims 14 million subscribers
• Has several Private & public Sector Partners
• Works across several mobile network operators (MNOs)

16. Displays information in 2 languages –English and in the local language
(Bahasa-Indonesia & Hindi -India)

17. • RML offers Indian farmers up-to-date, customized information
on commodity prices, local news, weather updates
• Started in 2007. User base- over 80,000 farmers (2010)
• Information relevant to 54 commodities in 270 mandis
• Subscription entitles to:
– Market prices and arrivals in three markets for each of the two
crops chosen by the farmer
– 24-hour local weather forecast relevant to the farmer’s taluka
– Information on best practices of production for two crops
Works across mobile network operators (MNOs)

18. • Choupal refers to meeting place in a village
• Information on prices, weather forecasts & best practices
• Supply chain integration & supply of farm inputs
• aggregation of farm outputs to ensure competitive prices
and efficient logistics
• Direct marketing channel to lower transaction costs
• Operating in 40,000 villages covering 4M farmers in 10
states through 6,500 kiosks
• Plans to offer personalized crop management advisory
services to individual farmers by integrating mobile phones
into the digital and physical network of e-Choupal.

19. • Kenya’s most well known mobile based solution for
agriculture.
• Enables farmers to create linkages with market
• Services offered:
– Price Information
• Up-to-date market information empowers farmers as they bargain
for a fair price with middlemen and purchasers
– Group Selling
• Farmers get connected to each other to jointly market crops in
greater volume, helping rural farmers access large-scale markets.

20. – Group Buying
• Farmers get connected to suppliers and, through collective buying power, get
significant bulk discounts on farming inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and
equipment.
– Customer Relationship Management
• CRM module is targeted at cooperatives and large suppliers that want to
manage their clients’ queries and responses.

21. • Incubated at Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia. Now a
Private sector venture
Comprehensive, Mobile-based supply chain and Information
management system
– integrates large numbers of smallholder farmers into
commercial supply chains
– facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between smallholder
farmers and exporters/buyers
– Provides technical information,
– recommend best practices to smallholder farmers at real time
– Links smallholder farmer s’ production to specific market needs
– currently operational among 5000 organic rice farmers

22. • Joint venture of IFFCO with Airtel to provide mobile tele-
services to the rural farmers.
• IKSL distributes Airtel SIM cards under the name “Green SIM”
to the farmers
• Subscribers are provided five voice-based messages free of
cost every day.
• Consumers can also access a toll-free helpline service
• IKSL schedules its voice messages based on the local
agricultural situation and queries on their helpline

23. • m-Krishi is a proprietary mobile agro-advisory system allows
farmers to send queries to agricultural experts through a
mobile phone and receive personalized advice in local
language.
• The end-to-end m-Krishi solution has been developed through
the integration of technologies such as:
– sensors
– solar power
– CDMA modem
– CDMA network
– handset with camera
– an engine to assist in displaying mobile screens in Indian
languages

24. • Developed under ICAR-NAIP project
Agropedia- II
• Service provider neutral
• Currently being pilot tested involving nearly
10,000 farmers of 30 KVKs in:
– 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh
– 4 districts of Uttarakhand
– 5 districts of Karnataka and
– 1 of Andhra Pradesh

25. • SMS
Text messages can be created in 11 different
languages.
Low cost
Constrained with handsets & illiterate farmers
• Voice Messages
Experts can create messages in their own voice.
Expert send messages either through the web or
mobile phone
Delivery of messages to the farmers on their
registered number
Relatively more expensive

26. Dynamic market information
• Project based initiative by the TNAU, funded by DIT
• Covers 13 major markets in south India
• market analysis of 120 perishable commodities- fruits,
vegetables & flowers
• Collects whole sale and retail market price and uploaded
to the website
• Market information shared with farmers through FM
radio and mobiles
• Serving 35,000 farmers

27. • Voice-based information systems are better accessed by
farmers as it works above the constraints of illiteracy and local
language support
• Greater mobile penetration in rural areas, will lead to more
number of MNO/MSO to offer MVASs
• The credibility and quality of service offered going to be
important considerations
• Two-way mobile application (E2F, F2E)
• Farm-advisories alone can not be the business proposition, it
needs to be supported by forward and backward linkages

28. • Government-funded and NGO-operated ICT
solutions have an expiry date and when intervention
ends, the solution needs a full sponsorship to revive
its operations
• Greater risk of negative impact of information
explosion