Notes to broadcasters on farm info by phone:
Date Posted: June 2nd, 2008
With the boom in cell phone availability and use, rural communities can seem less remote than they used to be. Cell phones are making it easier for farmers to connect with other people, organizations, and the Internet. Some services, such as the ones described in this story, are specifically designed to support farmers with access to new technology. The National Farmers Information Service and Allô Ingénieur are voice-based, and can be accessed with traditional phones, as well as cell phones. But Internet access through cell phones and short message service (SMS), also known as text-messaging, are opening new avenues. Farmers are using these services to access weather reports, market prices, and other up-to the-minute information.
Note: If you broadcast in Kenya or Cameroon, you’ll want to mention the phone number of the service available in your country. Kenya’s National Farmers Information Service can be reached at: 020 4762347. Cameroon’s Allô Ingénieur can be reached at: 941 41 41.
Here are some other reports on how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are changing the way that farmers do business:
-“Question and Answer Service,” published in LEISA Magazine, describes a service of The Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation (CTA) that connects farmers with agricultural experts by any ICT available, from post to internet.
-“Cell phones help farmers and traders do business more efficiently” (FRW Issue 7, January 2008), describes SMS services that connect farmers and traders.
-“ICTs: Upwardly mobile,” from Spore, a CTA publication, discusses access to market and weather information, as well as banking, through cell phones.
-“How ICT can make a difference in agricultural livelihoods,” published by The International Institute for Communication and Development, talks about opportunities and challenges for using ICT to support farmers.
You may wish to research a story about how farmers in your area are using cell phones or other ICTs. Start by talking to farmers you know, leaders of farmers’ organizations, or extension officers. Once you have identified an interesting new technology or service that is popular in your area, identify and interview a few farmers who use it regularly. Here are some questions to ask:
-How did they hear about this new technology/service?
-How did they get set up and trained to use it?
-How much does it cost them to use it?
-In general, how is the technology/service most useful to them as farmers?
-Can they describe a specific instance when the new technology/service helped them (for example, by giving them information on how to treat a disease, providing them with a timely weather forecast, or connecting them with a trader)?
-Has this service helped them to save time or money, or to earn more money?
-Have they had any technical difficulties? If so, what have they learned about dealing with them?
-What tips would they offer to other farmers on how to use the technology/service effectively?
